The leadership of Kantu (also known as Ikantu) Community in Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State has reaffirmed its ancestral roots as an integral part of the Ijaw ethnic nationality, strongly rejecting what it described as “misguided claims” that the community belongs to the Itsekiri nation.
In a press conference held at the Kantu Town Hall on Friday, June 6, 2025, the community leaders traced their history to the 11th century, emphasizing that their founding ancestor, Oweizibiri, was a full-blooded Ijaw man from Oporoza, the traditional seat of Gbaramatu Kingdom. Pa. Edwin Atikan Atemubagha, the Ama-Okosuwei (traditional head) of Kantu, led the affirmation, stressing that “no historical distortion will erase the Ijaw identity of our people.”
The community acknowledged that intermarriages between Oweizibiri’s male descendants and Itsekiri women over generations introduced linguistic influences, but insisted that such developments do not redefine their ethnicity. “Language adoption due to environment is not a transformation of heritage,” declared Mr. Windfree Atemubaghan, Chairman of Kantu Community. “Our bloodline, origin, and allegiance remain Ijaw.”
The leadership condemned the activities of some individuals seeking to affiliate the community with the Itsekiri nationality, saying such actions only stir unnecessary conflict and threaten the peace and unity within Gbaramatu Kingdom and the broader Ijaw nation. They warned that any attempt to alter Kantu’s historical and cultural identity would be resisted through peaceful and lawful means.
In a final declaration, the community reiterated its unwavering loyalty to His Royal Majesty, Oboro Gbaraun II, Aketekpe, Agadagba, the Pere of Gbaramatu Kingdom. The leaders called for unity among Niger Delta ethnic nationalities while affirming: “Kantu was never and will never be part of the Itsekiri ethnic group. We stand firmly as Ijaw.”
