ITSEKIRI: GREAT PEOPLE, AMAZING HISTORY

Olu Ginuwa I: First of His Name and the Founding History of the Kingdom of Warri

Part I: Birth and Early Life in Ile-Ibinu

Prince Ginuwa, later known as Olu Ginuwa, was born around 1445 in the royal court of the Ile-Ibinu Kingdom, the eldest son of Prince Nuwa, later called Oba Oluwa (r. 1473–1480), himself a son of Oba Ewuare (r. 1440–1473). He was the firstborn of multiple children. His sister, Princess Iyeifo, was born to the same Olukumi mother as him, while his younger brother, later known as Oba Ojoluwa (Ozolua), was born to a Ubi-Edo mother.

Ginuwa grew up under the tutelage of his grandfather, Oba Ewuare, and his father, Oba Oluwa. From early on, he displayed a proud and assertive character. According to Jacob U. Egharevba, Oba Oluwa was a generous ruler who often paid debts of his subjects. Ginuwa, in contrast, openly opposed many traditional practices of the Ubi-Edo chiefs, whom he deemed outdated or evil. He planned to abolish certain customs if he became Oba, and this created friction with the chiefs, who feared his reforms and began to favor his younger brother for succession. That, combined with the fact that he advised his father to properly investigate the death of Oba Ejoti’s only heir, an act for which Okpame was accused, was a major turning point. Ginuwa believed his uncle Okpame did not act alone and that certain chiefs or warriors must have aided him. Oba Oluwa accepted this advice and ordered three individuals to conduct the investigation, but all three died in the course of it. This outcome enraged the people of Ile-Ibinu and the chiefs, who then seized on it as ammunition against Ginuwa. This is the so-called “bad advice” the people of Ile-Ibinu keep referring to in their historical narratives.

Historical records indicate that the chiefs of Ile-Ibinu even plotted Ginuwa’s removal of he ever becomes Oba, organizing secret measures against him. Recognizing the danger, Oba Oluwa consulted Ogifa, the chief oracle diviner, who instructed that an ark of Iroko wood be constructed to transport Ginuwa safely from the kingdom. The ark would carry not only Ginuwa but also the firstborn sons of seventy Ubini chiefs, their attendants, and their possessions. Oba Oluwa convened a council of seventy chiefs, claiming that the journey was a sacrificial ritual to Olokun, the river goddess, requesting their firstborn sons’ accompaniment. The chiefs agreed, unaware of the king’s true intentions.

Part II: Departure from Ile-Ibinu and Founding of Warri

The migration began around 1475. The ark was conveyed over three days through forests and waterways to Ugharegin on the River Ethiope. There, Ginuwa emerged from the ark in full royal regalia, planted his staff to demarcate the territory of his new kingdom, and was hailed as king by his father. Oba Oluwa presented him with the ancient coral-beaded crown of Ile-Ibinu, the Ada (ceremonial sword), Ebe (staff), and full ceremonial attire, which symbolized divine authority and royal legitimacy. This act gave rise to the title Ódìhí N’amẹ, later evolving into Ogiame, meaning “King of the river region.”

Lieutenant John King, who visited the Warri capital between 1815 and 1820, described the crown as:
“At Warri ‘the actual crown of the sovereign is a sort of large cap in the shape of a cone three feet high, covered with coral beads and with a couple of birds’ heads on top.’”

During the escape from Ugharegin, when Ubi-Edo warriors pursued the ark after the chiefs found out they had been deceived, Ginuwa prayed to Umalokun, god of the sea, promising annual sacrifices. Tradition holds that the waters rose and floated the ark, allowing Ginuwa and his followers to escape. This event is commemorated in the annual Umalokun Olaja festival, with its priests at Ureju.

Part III: Migration Along the Niger Delta

The group drifted to Efurokpe on the Jamieson River, where Princess Iyeifo remained due to impending childbirth. They then moved through Arun-owun to the Escravos River, settling at Amatu (Aleodiaja) for several decades. The sandy, infertile soil prompted relocation to Oruselemo, where Ginuwa married Derumo, an Ijaw woman, fostering cordial relations with local Ijaws.

A dispute arose when Derumo spoke sharply against Ginuwa, prompting him to kill her. To prevent war, he instructed his people to publicly mourn her, convincing the Ijaws of their grief and averting retaliation. Fearing renewed conflict, Ginuwa, accompanied by the diviner Idibie, relocated to Ijala, where he encountered indigenous Itsekiri people. There, Ginuwa was crowned the first Olú of Iwere (Warri), establishing the kingdom without conquest. The accompanying chiefs’ sons became the founding nobility.

Part IV: The Olú Title Was Not From Olua

The title Olú simply means king in Itsekiri language, which is why it was used. It has absolutely nothing to do with his father’s name Olua—that claim is just an uneducated assumption pushed by Ile-Ibinu writers. Ginuwa’s father was called Oluwa (Olua), meaning owner of wealth. Using that as the basis for a royal title would make no sense because it wouldn’t sound right. To be clear, the title Olú is of Itsekiri origin, not Ile-Ibinu.

Part V: Death and Succession

Olu Ginuwa ruled until his death around 1500 at Ijala, where he was buried, establishing it as the royal burial ground for successive Olus. He had two sons: Ijijen (Olu Ogbowuru) and Irame (The Warrior King). Ijijen moved the capital to Ode-Itsekiri and unified scattered Itsekiri communities such as Omadino, Ureju, Ugborodo, and Inorin, forming the consolidated Warri Kingdom. Irame later succeeded Ijijen, ruling until approximately 1570.

The kingdom maintained full independence over the territories known today as Warri, with the Olu as the sole sovereign. European explorers, including Portuguese navigators, noted Warri’s sovereignty. Ginuwa’s reign established Itsekiri cultural, political, and spiritual identity, combining elements of Ile-Ibinu heritage with riverine autonomy.

Part VI: Ginuwa’s Uncles and Younger Brother in Ile-Ibinu

Following Ginuwa’s departure from Ile-Ibinu, the succession question in the kingdom remained unresolved and deeply contested. In the absence of a clear and widely accepted heir, Ginuwa’s uncle Okpame, the brother of Oba Oluwa, was recalled from Exile by the chiefs and elevated to the throne as Oba Ebowani. His coronation name, Ebowani, meaning “he did not come with it,” reflected a critical reality of his reign: he ascended the throne without the sacred crowns and royal regalia, which had already been bestowed upon Ginuwa by his father.

Prior to the outbreak of open civil war, the chiefs of Ile-Ibinu approached Ojoluwa, Ginuwa’s younger brother, demanding that he compel Ginuwa to return their sons who had accompanied him to Warri. Ojoluwa refused. He and Ginuwa were not only brothers but close allies, and Ojoluwa would not act against him. Frustrated by this refusal, and while Ojoluwa remained at Idaniken, the chiefs moved decisively in 1480 by enthroning Okpame as Oba Ebowani.

Seeking to strengthen his position and to undermine Ginuwa’s independence, Oba Ebowani and the chiefs organized a military expedition led by Ekpenede against Warri. Their objectives were clear: to retrieve the royal crown and regalia given to Ginuwa and to recover the sons of the chiefs who had settled with him. The campaign, however, failed outright. The waterways surrounding Warri and the Capital made any effective assault impossible, and the Ile-Ibinu forces were unable to advance or engage. Unable to achieve their aims, the expeditionary force abandoned the campaign and eventually settled in the area, laying the foundation of what later became the Okere community.

The failure of this venture further destabilized Ile-Ibinu and set the stage for the civil war that followed. In the ensuing conflict, Ojoluwa ultimately confronted his uncle and defeated him at Udo, thereafter consolidating power and assuming control of Ile-Ibinu as Oba, bringing an end to Ebowani’s short and troubled reign.

European observers, including Captain Landolphe and H. Ling Roth, consistently documented and confirmed that Ginuwa and Ojoluwa were brothers, not uncle and nephew. In 1777 Landolphe wrote:
“The division having broken up among two brothers, one of whom reigned in Benin, the other declared himself independent, took up arms, and held on to Owhère.”

In 1898 Ling Roth also noted:
“I was told in Benin that a similar instance led to the foundation of Warri. The younger was first declared king. The elder, when he grew up, though the brothers were friends, saw that they could not live in the same place, so emigrated to Warri, and established another kingdom… The Warri branch was not tributary.”

This confirms Ginuwa’s seniority over Ojoluwa (Ozolua) and establishes the historical inaccuracy of claims that the Oba of Ile-Ibinu is senior or an uncle to the Olu of Warri.

The names themselves reflect Yoruba origin: Oluwa (“owner of wealth”) and Ojoluwa (“repairer of wealth”). Bini adaptations, such as “Olua” and “Ozolua,” are linguistically inconsistent and lack meaning in Ubini languages.

Part VII: Legacy and Cultural Significance

Olu Ginuwa’s lineage remains senior to that of the Oba of Ile-Ibinu. This seniority is reflected in the Itsekiri phrase: “Oba Omi ju Oba Oke” (“the king of water is senior to the king of the inland”). Ginuwa’s governance established the traditions and political institutions that continue to define the Warri Kingdom. His descendants retained independence and authority over Itsekiri lands that is Warri South, Warri Southwest, Warri North and beyond.

The coral-beaded crown, Ada, and Ebe remain potent symbols of this legacy, linking the Warri Kingdom directly to its origins in Ile-Ibinu and even to ile-ife as the ancestral source. The kingdom’s autonomy, cultural identity, and governance structure are all direct consequences of Ginuwa’s vision and leadership.

By Lord_of_Warri on 𝕏.
Itsekiri Activist and Historian.

References

1. John King, c.1817, cited in H. L. Roth, Great Benin: Its Customs, Arts, and Horrors, 1903, p.27, note 1.
2. Capitaine Landolphe, 11-1786 Mémoires du Capitaine Landolphe.
3. H. Ling Roth, Great Benin; Its Art and Customs, 1903, p. 28.
4. Jacob U. Egharevba, A Short History of Benin, 1968, Ibadan University Press, p.21.
5. William Moore, History of Itsekiri, 1970, Frank Cass, p.12.
6. J. O. S. Ayomike, A History of Warri, 1988, Ilupeju Press, p.15.
7. J. O. S. Ayomike, Benin and Warri: Meeting Points in History: The Itsekiri Perspective, 1993, Mayomi Publishers, pp.7–9.
8. J. O. Sagay, The Warri Kingdom, 1980, Progress Publishers, p.25.
9. J. O. S. Ayomike, Warri: A Focus on the Itsekiri, 2009, Dorrance Publishing Company, pp.13–15.
10. P. C. Lloyd, The Itsekiri in the Nineteenth Century; An Outline Social History, The Journal of African History, 1963, Vol.4, No.2, pp.207–231.
11. Percy Amaury Talbot, The Peoples of Southern Nigeria, 1926, Vol.3, p.522.
12. Warri Chief, Why we coronate Olu of Warri at Ode-Itsekiri, The Guardian Nigeria, 2015.

Source:Kingdom of Warri