INEC DELINEATION EXERCISE IN WARRI SPARKS LAND DISPUTE:
Pessu Family Challenges “False Claims” by Ereku/Ogisi Family,Petitions President Tinubu
By OUR REPORTER
WARRI – The Pessu Ebiowa Family in Warri has formally petitioned President BOLA AHMED TINUBU and the INDEPENDENT NATIONAL. ELECTORAL COMMISSION (INEC) over what they described as “false and inflammatory claims” being made by the Ereku/Ogisi family regarding ancestral land rights in the oil-rich Niger Delta community.
The controversy emerged against the backdrop of ongoing ward delineation exercises by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Warri South.
The dispute unfolded over a letter dated April 22, 2025 by Chief Rita Lori Ogbebor on behalf of the Ereku/Ogisi Family of Odion Town, Warri to President Tinubu asserting claims to the entirety of the area being held by the Pessu Family for centuries.
In the letter, Ogbebor claimed that Warri was originally known as “Odion” and was founded by her ancestor, Ogisi, allegedly making several established families in Warri, including the prominent Pessu Family, mere “tenants” on their ancestral lands.
The Pessu Family, in their formal complaint to President Tinubu and INEC vehemently rejected these claims as “tissues of lies” and historically inaccurate assertions that threaten to destabilize the peace in Warri communities.
”The Pessu Family of Warri is not, has never been, and will never be a tenant in Warri,” the family stated in their petition.
”It is a taboo and wickedness of the highest order that anybody will refer to Pessu family as tenant in Warri”, the statement added.
The Pessu Family marshaled substantial historical and legal evidence to support their position as legitimate landowners.
According to the petition, Pessu Town was founded by Chief Pessu Ebiowa, described as “a direct male descendant of Aborigines of Okotomu-Irigbo, one of the five aborigine communities in the area now known as Warri Kingdom, centuries ago before the advent of the British Colonial Government in Nigeria.”
The family cited historical records showing that when British Consul General Sir Macdonald visited Warri in 1891, Chief Pessu Ebiowa of Pessu Town and Chief Ogbe of Ugbuwangue were among the prominent Itsekiri Chiefs he encountered, as documented in scholarly works including Obaro Ikime’s “Merchant Prince of the Niger” and J.O.S Ayomike’s “Selected Essays, a Mixed Grill.”
The Pessu Family in their petition relayed evidence from a 1922 colonial court case: “Denedo, William Mire vs. Dore Numa”, which dealt with land lease disputes in Warri Township.
In that case, according to the petition, Chief Pessu testified as a witness, stating: “I belong to Pessu of Warri. I am Jekri (Itsekiri)… Pessu Town is a portion of the land in dispute. The Olu is overlord over our land.”
The presiding judge, Hon. J.F.C Webber, was said to have made a crucial finding that directly contradicts current claims against the Pessu Family:
“Chief Pessu a witness for the plaintiff is Itsekiri man but not descended from the Olu Itsekiri. His land is in the land in dispute”, the judge at the time was quoted to have submitted.
This judicial recognition, the family argued in their petition definitively established Chief Pessu as a landowner rather than a tenant, contradicting Ogbebor’s claims.
The Pessu Family’s petition detailed extensive land holdings that had been continuously occupied and developed for generations. These include present-day Pessu Town, Pessu Waterside, Pessu Lane, Pessu Market, Pessu Market Road, Pessu Layout (Ikpara), and Pessu Garage, among other developed areas.
”All these areas which have been fully developed, from time immemorial till date, were leased out by the Pessu Family without any challenge or encumbrance from anybody whatsoever,” the family stated, noting that among these leases was land granted to Chief Eselemo, which Ogbebor referenced in her letter.
The Pessu Family accused Chief Rita Lori Ogbebor and her family members of conducting a campaign of harassment against their legitimate tenants following the circulation of her letter to the President.
According to the petition, the Ogbebor family has been “going about harassing our tenants especially with this letter that they are the owners of Warri and that this fact is known to the Presidency.”
This alleged harassment campaign has raised concerns about potential escalation of tensions in a community already on edge due to the ongoing INEC ward delineation exercise.
In a pointed observation, the Pessu Family noted that throughout documented land disputes during the colonial period, including various legal cases against Chief Dore Numa and the British Government, “Chief Rita Lori Ogbebor’s forefathers Ogisi and Ereku whom she said owned the whole Warri were nowhere to be found.”
”They were never part of these cases either as parties on record or witnesses. No land was taken from them either by Chief Dore or the British Government,” the petition stated, raising questions about the historical basis of current ownership claims.
The Pessu Family suggested that Ogbebor may be “trying to take undue advantage of the tension regarding the delineation to grab land that do not belong to her family.”
Political observers in Delta State have expressed concern that the land dispute could complicate an already complex electoral boundary review process that has generated significant tension among various ethnic groups in the Warri area.
Call for President Tinubu’s Intervention
The Pessu Family made several specific requests to President Tinubu including:
- Complete disregard of claims that Pessu Town/Community are tenants to the Ereku/Ogisi family
- Investigation of the false claims and alleged harassment
- Public clarification that the government does not endorse unsubstantiated land ownership claims
- Protection of legitimate land ownership rights from continued intimidation
The dispute highlights ongoing challenges in Nigeria’s Niger Delta region, where competing claims to valuable land resources often intersect with ethnic tensions and political competition. Warri, as a major oil-producing area, has historically experienced various forms of community conflicts over land and resource control.
Legal experts note that colonial-era court records, such as those cited by the Pessu Family, often carry significant weight in contemporary land dispute cases in Nigeria, where customary land ownership predates modern legal frameworks.
Community Response
Community leaders in Warri have called for calm and urged all parties to pursue peaceful resolution of their differences. Traditional rulers are reportedly working behind the scenes to prevent escalation of the dispute.
”We cannot afford to allow land disputes to divide our communities, especially during this sensitive period of boundary review,” said a community elder who requested anonymity.
Legal observers suggest that if the dispute cannot be resolved through traditional mediation, it may eventually require formal legal adjudication in state or federal courts.
The INEC ward delineation exercise continues despite the controversy, with electoral officials emphasizing that boundary reviews are based on population and administrative considerations rather than land ownership disputes.
Historical Context
The current dispute reflects broader patterns of land ownership controversies that have characterized the Niger Delta region since the colonial period. The interaction between traditional ownership systems, colonial administrative policies, and modern legal frameworks continues to generate conflicts across the region.
Warri itself has a complex ethnic composition, with Itsekiri, Ijaw, and Urhobo communities all maintaining significant presence and historical claims to various parts of the area.
INEC DELINEATION EXERCISE IN WARRI SPARKS LAND DISPUTE:
