BY HOPE AKAEZUE/SAPELE
THE Okpe Union and the Sapele- Okpe Community have urged Delta State Government to intervene in the alleged attempt to install an Itsekiri Olaraja (most senior man) in Sapele; an action they denounce as an aberration.
In a statement issued to our correspondent, the President-General of Okpe Union Worldwide, Godwin Atose, raised alarm about the planned installation of one Evang. David Benedeshe as the Olaraja on December 13, 2025.
According to Atose, ‘’To set the records straight, Sapele is among the 13 districts of Okpe Kingdom. The land belongs to the Okpe people, and the Itsekiris are settlers in Sapele.”
“We were shocked to hear that the Itsekiris are planning to install a senior man, as we, the indigenes of Sapele, have an existing senior man in the person of Pa Morris Ogodo. We cannot have two senior men in a town; it is an aberration.
“The attempt to install an Olaraja in Sapele is unacceptable to the Okpe people of Delta State. Okpes are the most peaceful in the world; other tribes living in Sapele, which include Hausa, Yoruba, and Isoko, have never challenged the authority of the Okpe people.
“We warn those planning the installation of an Olaraja never to execute it, and we appeal to the security agencies to note that the Okpe man is peaceful. However, the extent
