Prominent rights activist and elder stateswoman, Chief Rita Lori-Ogbebor, has issued a passionate appeal to the Federal Government, calling for the urgent creation of an Itsekiri State in Delta. She made the call during a press briefing in Lagos, where she expressed deep concerns over what she described as the marginalisation and land encroachment faced by her people in Warri South Local Government Area.
According to The Sun Nigeria, Chief Lori-Ogbebor strongly criticized the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for excluding the original landowners—the Ogisi Odion family—in the recent ward delineation exercise in the area. She alleged that the land was wrongfully allocated under the supervision of an Ijaw official, Prof. Rhoda Gumus, accusing her of acting in favour of non-indigenous interests.
Lori-Ogbebor also raised alarm over what she perceives as a growing security threat linked to Tantita Security Services, allegedly backed by ex-militant leader Government Ekpemupolo (Tompolo). She accused the company of illegally planting flags on ancestral Itsekiri lands, urging the Inspector-General of Police to intervene and prevent potential violence.
In her emotional closing remarks, she urged President Bola Tinubu and the National Assembly to consider the establishment of an Itsekiri State, drawing comparisons with states created for other ethnic groups.
Sge said, “My President, Nigeria has left us empty and can be wiped out any day. We appeal, suggest and implore His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the National Assembly; the Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives, that the case of an ‘Itsekiri State’ be urgently and strongly considered and granted. Let the Itsekiri people have their own state on their land, like the case of the Ijaw in Bayelsa State and others, separate from Ijaw and the Urhobo.
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