By staff reporter Rukevwe Odeh

PATANI, Delta State — The Traditional Council of Chiefs of Tarakiri Kingdom in Patani Local Government Area of Delta State has rejected claims circulating on social media that Odorubu and Uduophori communities in Delta State, as well as Ofoni in Bayelsa State, are under the authority of the Ovie of Ughelli Kingdom.

The council described the claim as historically inaccurate and called for the correction of what it considers a misrepresentation of the ancestral identities and traditional affiliations of the three communities.

In a statement released over the weekend and signed by the Chairman of the council, High Chief Ukubri Benson, the traditional institution demanded a public apology to the affected communities and the Ebenana-owei of Tarakiri Kingdom, HRM (Dr.) Owoupele Danladi Foubiri, MD, PhD (Urology), Angulu.

According to the council, the historical connection between Tarakiri Kingdom and Ughelli dates back to Tarakiriowei, whom it identified as the progenitor of the Tarakiri people in present-day Delta and Bayelsa states.

The chiefs stated that Tarakiriowei was the biological father of Ogele, also known as Ogelegban-owei, whom they identified as the ancestor of the Ughelli Kingdom.

The council further argued that Ogele was originally an Ijaw name which later became Ughelli following the influence of the Urhobo language. It cited the continued existence of Ogele Primary School, Ughelli, as an example of the historical name.

The chiefs explained that Tarakiriowei married an Urhobo woman identified as Emete-arhuere, who gave birth to Ogelegban-owei. According to the account, Ogelegban-owei later moved from his father’s ancestral territory and settled in Otovwodo, in the area now known as Ughelli.

The council said Ogelegban-owei eventually had three sons who returned to their father’s ancestral homeland after discovering their paternal connection to Tarakiri. According to the chiefs, the descendants subsequently founded Odorubu, Uduophori and Ofoni.

The traditional council also referenced historical and administrative records from the colonial and post-colonial periods to support its position.

It said that following the 1976 state creation exercise and boundary adjustments, Odorubu and Uduophori remained within the then Bendel State, while several other Tarakiri communities became part of the old Rivers State, with Ofoni eventually falling within present-day Bayelsa State.

The council further stated that the prescribed authority appointed Chief J.K. Ekpejuku, an indigene of Uduophori and spokesman of the Tarakiri Kingdom, to the Bomadi/Burutu Council of Chiefs in the former Bendel State.

It cited Bendel State Gazette No. 51, Vol. 14, dated September 15, 1977, as documentary evidence.

According to the chiefs, another recognition followed in 1983 when the former Bendel State Government approved autonomous traditional stools for various clans, including Tarakiri, Kabowei, Kumbowei, Gbaramatu and Ogbe-Ijoh, to represent their respective clans on the Bomadi/Burutu Traditional Council of Chiefs.

The council referenced Bendel State Gazette No. 29, Vol. 20, dated June 23, 1983, in connection with the development.

It added that the Delta State Government subsequently recognised the Ebenana-owei stool of Tarakiri Kingdom in 1999, citing Gazette No. 3, Vol. 9, dated January 1999.

The council further stated that the stool was later recognised under the Traditional Rulers Council and Chiefs Law, Cap T2, Laws of Delta State, 2008.

The Tarakiri chiefs maintained that available historical records, including accounts dating from the colonial period, support their assertion that Odorubu, Uduophori and Ofoni are Ijaw communities connected to Tarakiri Kingdom and were not historically subjects of the Ovie of Ughelli.

The council, however, acknowledged the communities’ Urhobo-speaking character, attributing it to their maternal connection with Ogele of Ughelli.

It maintained that the relationship should be understood through both paternal ancestry and maternal cultural influence.

The chiefs therefore described the Ovie of Ughelli as a descendant of Tarakiri through the paternal line, while arguing that he settled within his maternal homeland.

They also described Agbarha-Otor, Ogor and Orogun as relations through marriage, based on their claimed connection to Emete-arhuere.

The council concluded by challenging anyone with contrary historical documentation to produce such records for public examination, insisting that its position is supported by traditional, historical and government records.