The Okpe Interest Group has issued a strong rejoinder to a publication by Emmanuel Oritsejolomi Uduaghan, who identifies himself as the Alema of Warri Kingdom, over the proposed foundation-laying ceremony of an Okpe Sub-Palace in Sapele, Delta State.

In a statement signed by Comrade Ejomafume Akpomevine on behalf of the group, the Okpe Interest Group expressed “deep concern” over what it described as historical misrepresentation and provocative claims regarding land ownership and traditional authority in Sapele.

The group reaffirmed that Sapele lies within Okpe ancestral territory, insisting that the Okpe people are neither settlers nor tenants in the town. According to the statement, Sapele developed as an urban centre on Okpe land, while other ethnic groups, including Itsekiri, Ijaw and Hausa, were accommodated over time under what the group described as Okpe traditions of hospitality and peaceful coexistence.

Addressing boundary issues, the group stated that there is a “clear, natural and historically recognised boundary” between Sapele and Abigborodo at Hole Creek along the Benin River, near the bridge linking the two communities. It warned that attempts to blur or reinterpret the boundary for political or ethnic reasons could be destabilising.

The Okpe Interest Group also criticised what it termed the selective use of colonial intelligence reports to support territorial claims. It argued that such documents were administrative in nature and did not transfer land ownership, maintaining that no colonial record ceded Sapele from the Okpe people to any other ethnic group.

On the long-standing legal dispute often referenced in boundary debates, the group rejected interpretations of the judgment in Chief Ayomano v. Ginuwa II that allegedly restrict Okpe authority in Sapele to 510 acres. The statement described such interpretations as misleading and maintained that the judgment neither declared Sapele as Itsekiri land nor extinguished Okpe territorial rights.

The group further asserted that the Orodje of Okpe Kingdom remains the constitutionally recognised and historically legitimate traditional ruler with authority over Okpe land, including Sapele. It described the planned Okpe Sub-Palace as an internal cultural and administrative matter of the Okpe Kingdom.

In a personal reference, the statement questioned the credibility of the Alema’s claims, noting that his identification with his ancestral village became public only after the death of his father in 2015, following issues surrounding burial rites. The group described it as ironic that he would now seek to lecture the Okpe people on land ownership and history.

While emphasising their commitment to peace, the Okpe Interest Group warned against what it described as provocation and historical ingratitude. It cautioned that peaceful coexistence should not be mistaken for weakness or interpreted as surrender of ancestral rights.

The group also called on the Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse III, to caution his subjects against statements capable of provoking communal tension or undermining established territorial boundaries, urging traditional institutions to act as custodians of peace and restraint.

The statement concluded with a reaffirmation of the Okpe people’s commitment to dialogue and lawful engagement, while insisting they would not remain silent in the face of what they described as falsehoods or territorial misrepresentation.

“Sapele is Okpe land,” the group stated, adding that hospitality should never be mistaken for forfeiture of ancestral rights