In November 1936, Urhobo had her first land dispute with one of her closest neighbours, the Itsekiris. The dispute was centered on who owns WARRI. While Urhobo maintained that the Agbarha-Warri people are the original owners of Warri and that the Itsekiris had only come from Ode-Itsekiri to settle in a land that was already being dominated by a people, the Itsekiris however believed that Urhobo ethnic group had no place in Warri. This is why the Urhobo people till date has refused the designation “OLU OF WARRI” and preferred it be addressed as “OLU OF ITSEKIRI”.
According to the aged Urhobo people, it was the late Obafemi Awolowo that had imposed this unaccepted tittle of OLU OF WARRI on the people in 1953 for Urhobo refusal to vote for his chosen political party. In all, Urhobo first court tussle was the 1937 case with the Itsekiris over ownership of Warri, a matter that was later settled in the HOUSE OF LORDS in the UK on the grounds of no favourism.
One interesting thing about that case was that the Itsekiris were the only ethnic group in today’s South-South Region that could boast of a Lawyer at the time. Other ethnic groups had not even one. Urhobo went to far Yoruba land to hire a Lawyer and you will agree with me that the closeness between the Yorubas and the Itsekiri is likened to the mouth and the teeth.
The above analysis compelled an Urhobo first ever known philanthropist, successful businessman, Joseph Akpolo Ikutegbe to award an oversea scholarship to Umukoro Borke to study Law in the UK. Ikutegbe took the pain of his people as his. Borke left Nigeria in August 1937 for the UK for a Law degree but he however could not round off the much needed course due to health issues. A few years after Borke had left, Gabriel Ayo Irikefe journeyed en route to the UK for a Law degree and was subsequently called to the English Bar in 1952. He was called to the English Bar with his Urhobo brother, Ovie Whiskey.
Ikutegbe’s scholarship to Borke opened the door for more Lawyers. Other Urhobo Lawyers such as M. Edewor, Aghoghobia, Mudiaga Odje SAN, Akpofure SAN had since followed. Ayo Irikefe rose to become Nigeria’s Chief Justice. Irikefe is the only Urhobo to have risen to the height of a Supreme Court Judge. Ovie Whiskey was FEDECO (now INEC) Chairman.
Odje was the first Urhobo to be appointed a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and the first Lawyer in Nigeria’s legal history to persuade a Supreme Court to overrule a previous matter. Many Urhobo Lawyers have been judges. The likes of Aghoghobia, Omo-Agege, Akpovi, Okungbonwa, Bazimo, Umukoro were judges in Bendel State. Odje, Akpofure, Okpoko, Mowoe, Ohwovoriole, Akpofure jnr, Akpomudje, Akpedeye, Utuama, Keyamo, Ekemejero, Mrapor, Abugu and Emukpoerue have been Senior Advocates of Nigeria.
Assin Godstime is the Publisher, Up-to-date Current Affairs on Urhobo Nation.
