Sapele was never an Okpe Community, says Uduaghan
Insists PPL 220 land belongs to Abigborodo Community
Tackles Udogun Okpe, Sapele Okpe Community leaders
- Advertisement -
The Alema of Warri, Chief Emmanuel Oritsejolomi Uduaghan, has asserted that all the demands of the Orodje in Council should be discountenanced as the said claims are unfounded in historical facts and law.
‘’The land where PPL 220 is situated belongs to Abigborodo Community’’
He also stated that Ajaji, Ugwo, Ajimele, Aji-Dore, Obotie and Irakpa are Itsekiri communities.
‘’The only existing communities known in Sapele from time immemorial are all Itsekiri communities. Sapele was never an Okpe Community. Rather it was Okpe people who came from Orerokpe to trade with the Itsekiris in Sapele Town. This position is further corroborated by the Intelligence Report of the colonial authority as far back as 1930 on the Ukpe Sobo Clan, wherein they listed all Okpe villages, sub-clans and communities. The notable Okpe villages listed in the Report of L. E. H Fellows on the Ukpe Sobo Clan were Amukpe, Elume, Oorerokpe and Gbukurusu which are all far away from Sapele’’
Uduaghan in a response to the protest by the Udogun Okpe (Orodje in Council) on the Environmental Impact Assessment for the proposed Abigborodo Field in PPL 220 stated that the Udogun Okpe was never at any time during the colonial era in charge of the administration of the Ukpe Sobo Forest Reserve when the colonial authority wanted to create the said Forest Reserve.
‘’The Udogun Okpe in 1931 wrote to the said authority, clearly stating that they the Okpe people had no available land to form part of the constitution of the proposed Forest Reserve’’
Uduaghan said at the time Ukpe Sobo Forest Reserve was to be constituted, the representative of the Olu of Warri vide a letter dated 11th of July, 1932 wrote the colonial masters informing them that the said land used in constituting the Okpe Sobo Forest Reserve belongs to the Itsekiri Nation and therefore asked the colonial authority to cancel the constitution of the Okpe Sobo Forest Reserve.
‘’Despite the letter by the representative of the Olu of Warri asking the colonial authority to cancel the constitution of the Ukpe Sobo Forest Reserve, the colonial authority went ahead to constitute same’’
The Warri High Chief said at the time Forest Reserve was constituted by the colonial authority, Abigborodo indigenes and their tenants were still farming inside the constituted Ukpe Sobo Forest Reserve, which resulted in the arrest of Abigborodo indigenes who were charged before the Magistrate Court at Sapele on the 27th day of March 1940 and presided by His Worship A. V. Scallon ESQ.
‘’ The Magistrate (Limited Powers) discharged and acquitted Abigborodo indigenes on the ground that Abigborodo Community are the owners of the said land and therefore had the right to farm on the said land’’
He disclosed that the then Head of Abigborodo, Alema Okonedo caused a letter/petition to be written to the Governor General against the inclusion of Abigborodo Community lands that traverse through Ugbekoko, Utonyatsere, Ogorode and hole in the creeks without the authority and consent of the Abigborodo Community.
‘’Consequent upon the petition written by Alema Okonedo, the colonial masters acknowledged the petition of Alema Okonedo and promised to look into the claims of Alema Okonedo’’
Uduaghan stated that upon the conclusion of investigation by the Conservator of Forest, Ubiaja Circle, who was directed by the Governor General to investigate the claims of Alema Okonedo, a Report was issued by the Governor General through the Office of the Secretary to the Government wherein the claims of Alema Okonedo were found to true and substantiated.
‘’It is my submission that when the claims of Alema Okonedo were found to be true and substantiated by the colonial authority, a sketch map was produced by the colonial authority showing the areas/land belonging to Abigborodo Community in the Ukpe Sobo Forest Reserve’’
As a follow up to the report by the colonial authority which found the claims of Alema Okonedo to be true and substantiated, Uduaghan said a memorandum was published by the colonial authority wherein the Ugbekoko areas belonging to Abigborodo community was recommended for de-reservation and excluded from the Ukpe Sobo Forest Reserve and be returned to the people of Abigborodo Community.
‘’As a follow up to the memorandum by the colonial authority, minutes of instruction from the Forest Department of Ubiaja to the conservator, South Central Circle, duly signed by C. A Walker, a proposal was made for the reconstitution of the Forest Reserve and how to carry out the excisions recommended in the memorandum’’
Sequel to the minute of instruction by the colonial authority, Uduaghan revealed that an order was made under the Forest Ordinance (CAP 75) known as the Western Forest Reserve, wherein Order 33 of 1933 was further revised and modified by revoking the first and second schedule thereto and substituted same with the Edict of 1952, wherein the size and boundaries of the excised and de-reserved land belonging to Abigborodo Community was clearly shown and described particularly.
‘’In 1996, the Delta State Government via its official Gazette further released additional 200 acres of land to the already existing enclave of Ugbekoko and Utonyatsere belonging to Abigborodo Community.
He called the Okpe people land grabbers.
‘’When land grabbers of Okpe extraction were encroaching on Abigborodo, Ugbekoko and Utonyatsere lands and selling them off to unsuspecting members of the public, as the defender and custodian of those lands belonging to Abigborodo Community under the over lordship of the Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse 111, I caused a petition to be written to the Nigeria Police Force which investigated the said petition and found that there was probable cause that certain laws had been violated by some land grabbers of Okpe extraction and the police gave their findings vide a Police Investigation Report’’
He recalled how former Delta State Governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa directed the Ministry of Lands, Delta State to investigate the claim of encroachment by the Okpe people on Abigborodo Community lands.
‘’The Ministry of Lands set up a three man committee which investigated Abigborodo Community claims and came out with a report substantiating the fact that Abigborodo Community Land of Ugbekoko and Utonyatsere were indeed encroached upon by Okpe Community’’
He said the judicial enquiry set up to look into the Ukpe Sobo Forest Reserve came up with a white paper further buttressing that Ugbekoko, Utonyatsere and all adjacent lands in the Ukpe Sobo Forest Reserve belong to Abigborodo Community.
‘’It is not stated anywhere in the Judicial Panel of Enquiry’s Report issued by the Delta State Government with regards to Ukpe Sobo Forest Reserve that Abigborodo Community is separated from the said Reserve by the natural boundary of Hole in the Creek (Benin River). Abigborodo Township is in Warri North Local Government. However, Abigborodo Community land stretches and traverses into Sapele Local Government Area which has been substantiated by various documents from the colonial records’’
He emphasized the development effort of former Governor of Delta State, Dr Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan.
‘’The claim of the Udogun Okpe of magnanimously allowing the Former Governor of Delta State, Dr Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan to construct a bridge to link Abigborodo with Sapele is offensive and it shows that the Udogun Okpe is not conversant with the with the provisions of the Land Use Act’’
Uduaghan who is the administrator of Abigborodo, Ugbekoko and Utonyatsere, said in Suit No. 5/23/74 Washi Ogodo & Sapele Okpe Communal Land trustees & 2 ORS, the court held that there is nothing like Sapele Okpe Community Lands.
‘’The erroneous belief of the Udogun Okpe and by extension the Okpe people that because Abigborodo’s Community land and some Itsekiri land are in Sapele Local Government, Okpe Kingdom owns such land is huge fallacy. Local Government Areas are political creations of Government for administrative convenience and does not in any way confer ownership of the land under reference on Okpe people. Sapele is largely Itsekiri owned and this has been shown by various documents from colonial records available at the National Archives, Ibadan’’
He said the area serving as host to the Abigborodo Field in PPL 220 was commissioned by Chevron Nigeria Limited
‘’It was Chevon Nigeria Limited that named the said Abigborodo Field in PPL 220, having done their investigations and found out that Abigborodo Community are the true owners of the said land and consequently recognized Abigborodo Community as the host community’’
‘’Abigborodo Community is a peaceful community and is ready to make sure that the operations of Navante Exploration and Production Limited are seamless and without issues’’ he added.
(DEMOCRACY NEWSLINE NEWSPAPER, JANUARY 5TH 2026)
