Warri at Risk: Defending Truth, Heritage, and Justice Against Lies and Forgeries
By Omuda Oritsejolomisan Joseph Ogedegbe
I, Omuda Oritsejolomisan Joseph Ogedegbe, great-great-grandson of His Royal Majesty Ogiame Erejuwa I, Olu of Warri, great-grandson of Ogisi, first son of Ogisi III of Odion town, Warri. and immediate grandson of the late Rt. Hon Chief Kpekpe- Numa Ogedegbe , Ogisi II, Head Chief of Odion town, Warri— the blood and immediate junior brother of the Paramount Chief Dore Numa, Governor of the Southern Province , also to note, My great grandmother, is Princess Emule Numa Atsemudiara of Odion town, Mother of Chief Ogedegbe, only blood Sister to the British Political Agent, High Chief Numa
Atsemudiara George Eyube of Eyube Village, Odion-Warri— I write with deep concern over the reckless and dangerous conduct of Mr. Ejiro Imuero.
Born into nobility and royalty, my family’s history and contributions to Warri are etched into the very foundations of this land. From landmark judgments and land stewardship, to the establishment of schools, Tannery Industry, plantations, and even the arrival of the Catholic Church in Odion Warri, the Ogedegbe Family and Ogisi legacies are inseparable from the story of Warri itself. These truths cannot and will not be erased by reckless falsehoods.
Yet today, too many Urhobo leaders are refusing to face an ugly reality. It is shameful that so many stand by while Mr. Imuero spreads brazen lies. Their silence is not neutrality; it is complicity. Leaders who lack the courage or integrity to say “stop” when falsehood and incitement are being spread have abandoned conscience.
The so-called “Urhobo struggle in Warri” that Mr. Imuero promotes is nothing but a scam — a manufactured falsehood with sinister aims. The goal is clear: to delegitimise the Itsekiri, seize control of Warri South Local Government, and displace the Itsekiri from their rightful homeland. This is tribal bigotry disguised as activism, and it is profoundly dishonest.
Even worse, Mr. Imuero’s actions have gone far beyond rhetoric. In a desperate descent into gangsterism and mobster tactics, he has illegally accessed public record registries in Delta State and elsewhere. He has mutilated Itsekiri legacy documents, criminally edited them, and circulated forgeries — from land receipts to survey plans to fake deeds of assignment. His aim is to mislead the public, cast doubt on judicial pronouncements delivered by eminent jurists and justices, from the Supreme court of Nigeria to Crown Court in England,and attempt to rewrite history.
Let it be clear: the courts, both in the colonial and post-colonial eras, have consistently affirmed the Itsekiri people’s irrefutable ownership of Iwereland across Warri North, Warri South-West, and Warri South. No amount of forgery or propaganda can undo those facts.
Mr. Imuero’s actions are criminal, reprehensible, and designed to destabilize Warri. He is not from Warri; he is from Ughelli in Delta Central, and his reckless intrusion into Warri affairs is fraudulent, provocative, and dangerous.
I therefore call on the Chairman of Warri South Local Government Area and the Governor of Delta State to take urgent notice and action. This matter is not one that can be ignored. If left unchecked, it risks escalating into avoidable conflict and undermining the peace of our communities.
For the sake of justice, history, and the safety of our people, we demand that media organizations exercise due diligence when granting platforms to individuals like Mr. Imuero. Lies, forgeries, and tribal incitement must never be given a stage to masquerade as truth.
To Mr. Imuero and those who enable him: know this — the people of Warri, the Ogedegbe family, the Ogisi lineage, and the entire Itsekiri nation will not be misled, intimidated, or erased. Our heritage, our truth, and our history are unassailable, and we will defend them with every fibre of our being.
Initiator: Itsekiri First Responders.
Hannover, Germany.
