Chief Emmanuel Uduaghan has written to a monarch in Delta community urging him to comply to court judgement in regard to ownership of Sapele town in Delta state. The Ex-Governor of Delta state cited a 1930 colonial Intelligence Report that supported the Itsekiri nation’s claim to Sapele, listing Okpe villages and sub-clans that he claims only belong to the Okpe people.
He therefore stated that just 510 acres of land were granted to the Okpe people and any aside that is trespassing and may lead to communal clashes between the two Niger Delta groups. This historical document is being used to bolster their argument.
“I sincerely hope that the proposed foundation-laying ceremony of the sub-palace by the monarch is within the said 510 acres granted to them in the judgment of Chief Ayomanor v. Ginuwa, 11 JELR 81222 (W.A.C.A), as anything outside this will be far-reaching and would be an invitation to communal crisis, and this will be resisted by every legal means possible.
The Intelligence Report by L.E.A. Fellows listed their notable villages as Amukpe, Elume, Orerokpe and Gbukurusu. The judgment in Chief Ayomanor v. Ginuwa, 11 JELR 81222 (W.A.C.A), did not grant ownership of Sapele to them. Rather, it granted 510 acres of land to the Okpes. The area of land granted is well known. Sapele is not the exclusive town of the Okpe people. Sapele, from time immemorial, belongs to the Itsekiri people.”
The Sapele ownership issue is a longstanding dispute between the Itsekiri and Okpe communities in Delta State. The 1930 colonial Intelligence Report is a key piece of evidence, with the Itsekiri citing it to support their claim. The Okpe community also has historical claims, making it a complex issue.
