The leadership of Kantu, also known as Ikantu, has strongly reaffirmed the community’s identity as an integral part of the Ijaw ethnic nationality, dismissing recent assertions linking the community to the Itsekiri nation as “misguided and historically inaccurate.”
At a press conference held on Friday at the Kantu Town Hall in Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State, community leaders emphasized their deep ancestral roots within the Ijaw nation, tracing their lineage back to the 11th century. According to them, the community’s founding ancestor, Oweizibiri, was a full-blooded Ijaw man from Oporoza—the traditional seat of the Gbaramatu Kingdom.
Leading the reaffirmation was Pa. Edwin Atikan Atemubagha, the Ama-Okosuwei (traditional head) of Kantu. He declared that no distortion of facts could erase the community’s identity as Ijaw. “We reject in totality any attempt to rebrand our heritage. Kantu is, and has always been, Ijaw,” he stated.
Supporting the historical account, Mr. Windfree Atemubaghan, Chairman of Kantu Community, acknowledged that intermarriage between Oweizibiri’s male descendants and Itsekiri women over the centuries led to some linguistic blending. However, he stressed that such developments do not redefine the community’s ethnicity.
“Language adaptation due to environmental interaction is not a transformation of heritage,” Atemubaghan said. “Our bloodline, origin, and allegiance remain undeniably Ijaw.”
Community leaders also condemned the actions of individuals allegedly attempting to affiliate Kantu with the Itsekiri nation. They warned that such efforts not only distort history but also risk undermining peace within the Gbaramatu Kingdom and across the Niger Delta region.
In a final declaration, Kantu leadership reiterated their unwavering loyalty to His Royal Majesty, Oboro Gbaraun II, Aketekpe, Agadagba, the Pere of Gbaramatu Kingdom. They called for continued unity among Niger Delta ethnic groups and emphasized that any attempts to alter Kantu’s cultural and historical identity would be peacefully resisted.
“Kantu was never, and will never be, part of the Itsekiri ethnic group,” the leaders affirmed. “We stand firmly as Ijaw.”
