Warri State is not a recent agitation; it has been a 32-year struggle.
Following the establishment of Delta State in 1991, there was a violent clash the Urhobos of Warri and the Itsekiris in 1992, the urhobo’s attacked itsekiri’s resulting in the loss of three Urhobo lives. Feeling trapped and betrayed by not opposing the creation of Delta State, the Itsekiris wrote to the then Military President, Gen Ibrahim Babangida (Rtd), requesting a separate state called “Warri State” for the first time.
The Urhobos perceived Delta State as their ticket to overpowering the Itsekiris and launched another attack in 1993. Many lives were lost in these attacks, although no Itsekiri casualties were reported.
During the process of creating new states, General Sani Abacha, the military president at the time, expressed his desire to separate the Itsekiris from the rest of Delta State. He even stated that if the Itsekiris had only one compound, he would still create a state for them. However, someone convinced him that “Itsekiris and Urhobos are inseparable,” with the person making this assertion being an Itsekiri man.
Unfortunately, this mistake led to the loss of thousands of lives in the War/invasion of Warri between 1997 and 2004, involving the Ijaws, Itsekiris, and Urhobos. This could have been avoided if Warri State had been created.
In 2010, the Itsekiris submitted their demand for a separate state called “Warri” to the National Assembly.
In 2012, the Ijaws proposed a Toru-Ebe State to the National Assembly, which included Itsekiri ancestral lands in Warri, Ilaje lands in Ondo State, and Ijaw lands in Edo State. The Itsekiris responded by demanding the immediate removal of Warri and any Itsekiri lands from this state agitation. They also reminded the National Assembly that Warri State is the solution for peace and equality in the Niger Delta region.
The Ilajes published a similar request, highlighting the implications for the Ijaws if they were to include their lands in the proposed state. They demanded the removal of their lands from what they called the “Ijaw dream state.”
In 2014, the Urhobos of Delta State publicly proclaimed their desire for a new Delta State during the 2014 confab conference. Their proposal included incorporating Itsekiri lands which are Warri South, Warri South West, and Warri North, as well as uniting all the Urhobo local governments in Delta Central into one state. The Itsekiris immediately rejected this idea due to the lack of trust stemming from the events of 1991 and 1992. In the same response, the Itsekiris renewed their demands for the creation of Warri State in 2014.
In April 2022, the Itsekiris initiated a digital March, demanding the creation of Warri State and a separate state from the oppressive Delta State government. As of April 2024, the Itsekiri leaders of thought have submitted their demands for Warri State creation to the House of Representatives of Nigeria.
Therefore, it is essential to recognize that the Warri State movement is not new; it has been ongoing since the inception of Delta State. With the continued oppression, corruption, and favoritism exhibited by the Delta government against the Itsekiris, they have reached their limit. The Itsekiris firmly state that Warri State must be created as they strive to break free from Delta State and edo state.
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