Warri Crisis

While the Itsekiris and the Ijaws have lived alongside each other for centuries, for the most part harmoniously,[5] the Itsekiris were first to make contact with European traders, as early as the 16th century, and they were more aggressive both in seeking Western education and in using the knowledge acquired to press their commercial advantages. Until the arrival of Sir George Goldie's National Africa Company (later renamed the Royal Niger Company) in 1879, Itsekiri chieftains monopolized trade with Europeans in the Western Niger region. Despite the loss of their monopoly, the advantages already held by the Itsekiri ensured that they continued to enjoy an advantaged position relative to that held by the Ijaw. The departure of the British upon independence did not lead to a decrease in tensions between the Ijaw and the Itsekiri. With the discovery of large oil reserves in the Niger Delta region in the early 1960s, a new bone of contention was introduced, as the ability to claim ownership of a given piece of land now promised to yield immense benefits in terms of jobs and infrastructural benefits to be provided by the oil companies.[6][7] Despite this new factor, rivalry between the Itsekiri and the Ijaw did not actually escalate to the level of violent conflict between the two groups until the late 1990s, when the death of General Sani Abacha in 1998 led to a re-emergence of local politics.

When the title of the Itsekiri traditional ruler, Olu Of Warri, was changed by Awolowo's Western Nigeria government from Olu of Itsekiri to Olu of Warri in 1952,[8] to reflect its original and historical title, members of the other tribes (Urhobos, Isokos and Ijaws) saw this as an attempt to impose an Itsekiri ruler over them because over 80% of the present Delta State was referred to as Warri Province at that time.[9] The title dispute has led to series of clashes between the tribes in Warri over sovereignty.

In 1997, The Federal Government under the late Gen. Sani Abacha created a number of local government areas, including Warri South-West Local Government Council, whose headquarters is located at Ogbe-Ijoh, in the Ijaw area of Warri. But due to Political pressure by the Itsekiri people on the State Government, the headquarters of the same local government council was relocated to Ogidigben, an Itsekiri area of the Warri environ. With the burning down of the residence of Chief E. K Clark supposedly by Itsekiri people, violence broke out. The Ijaw-Itsekiri conflict in Delta State, including time period, causes, whether the authorities intervened, whether the police support the Ijaw or Itsekiri and the current situation ]

Riots ensued, hundreds died, and six Shell Nigeria (SPDC) installations were taken over, led to a drop in oil production. The crisis is known as the "Warri Crisis".[9][10] The headquarters have since been relocated to Ogbe Ijoh by the Delta State House of Assembly, a decision that brought relative peace back to the city.

The issue of local government ward allocation has proven particularly contentious. Control of the city of Warri, the largest metropolitan area in Delta State and therefore a prime source of political patronage, has been an especially fiercely contested area. This has given birth to heated disputes between the Itsekiri, the Ijaw and the Urhobo about which of the three groups are "truly" indigenous to the Warri region, with the underlying presumption being that the "real" indigenes should have control of the levers of power, regardless of the fact that all three groups enjoy ostensibly equal political rights in their places of residence.

The Itsekiris, an ethnic minority and newest to arrive into the Warri metropolitan area always sought to claim ownership of lands belonging to other tribes, and this has led to series of clashes and long standing litigations

• The Warri Crisis: Fueling Violence, report by Human Rights Watch.