Dafinone raises concerns over communal crisis in Delta

The lawmaker representing Delta Central in the National Assembly, Senator Ede Dafinone, has raised the alarm on possible communal crisis in Sapele and environs.

Dafinone urged Itsekiri leaders and the Uduaghan family to urgently caution order, Chief Emmanuel Oritsejolomi Uduaghan, the Alema of Warri Kingdom, over what the lawmaker described as “false, provocative and legally settled claims of ownership of Sapele land”.

“Such assertions, if unchecked, pose a serious threat to peace and public order in the historic Delta town”, the lawmaker added.

Dafinone, who is also the Chairman, Sapele Okpe Community Land Trust Association, enjoined all residents to preserve Sapele’s long-standing harmony, warning that, “Peace is sustained by responsibility, not arrogance. What is unacceptable to one ethnic group must not be encouraged against another.”

Dafinone made the assertions in a detailed response to a caveat emptor issued by Chief Uduaghan against the foundation-laying ceremony of the new Sub-Palace of the Orodje of Okpe Kingdom in Sapele on January 24, 2026.

The caveat, widely circulated on social media, questioned the authority of the Okpe monarch over Sapele land.

Dafinone in the signed statement on Tuesday called on security agencies, including the Inspector-General of Police, DSS and Military Intelligence, to treat references to communal crisis in the caveat as “an apparent instigation of inter-ethnic conflict.”

The lawmaker declared that “title to all lands in Sapele Community is vested in the Sapele Okpe Community Land Trust Association”.

He also emphasized that “Sapele is an indigenous Okpe town, notwithstanding its cosmopolitan character”.

Dafinone noted that while people of diverse ethnic backgrounds reside in Sapele, “the Okpe people are the only indigenous ethnic and linguistic group in Sapele Town and indeed the entire Sapele Local Government Area.”

He also expressed concern over recent attempts to impose Itsekiri ethnic leadership structures in Sapele, describing such moves as provocative and contrary to established traditional administration under the Okpe Kingdom.

Citing statutory backing, Dafinone referenced the Delta State Traditional Rulers, Council and Chiefs Law, which recognises only the Orodje of Okpe as the traditional ruler of Sapele Local Government Area.

The lawmaker maintained that “the Olu of Warri has never claimed statutory recognition in Sapele Local Government Area because there is no indigenous Itsekiri community in Sapele.”

Dafinone further dismissed any authority by Chief Uduaghan to question the Okpe monarch, noting that the Alema of Warri is “not a traditional chieftaincy title indigenous to Sapele.”

He recalled that the Orodje of Okpe has maintained a sub-palace in Sapele for decades without objection, even during the lifetime of prominent Itsekiri residents of the town.

On the contentious issue of land ownership, Dafinone stated that “the matter had been conclusively settled by courts of competent jurisdiction”.

He cited the landmark case of Chief Ayomano & Anor v. Ginuwa II (9 WACA 85), in which the Olu of Warri, representing the Itsekiri people of Sapele, challenged Okpe ownership and lost.

“All intelligence reports relied upon by Chief Emmanuel Oritsejolomi Uduaghan have been overtaken and superseded by this judgment. Ownership of Sapele land is now res judicata between the Okpe and Itsekiri peoples. The matter is not open to argument, debate or contestation”, Dafinone said.

Culled from punch