The itsekiri kingdom in Warri dates back to the 15th century, it's history was not documented but can be found in it's cultural artifacts. This kingdom was established by prince Ginuwa from the Benin kingdom.
They are said to be a collection of people with diverse origin, ethnics and races. According to William A. Moore he said "prior to the Advent of Prince Ginuwa the itsekiri consists of the ijaw, and Urobo". When there was war in the Yoruba land the ijebu ode, Akure and Owo people found their way to the itsekiri kingdom which was still the Ukoruara at that time. This explains why the ijebu odes and the itsekiri kingdom have similar language.
Indeed this kingdom is versatile, it all started in the 15th century when prince Ginuwa the eldest son of the 14th oba of Benin Oba Olua terrorised the chiefs and their supporters. He was loved by his father but disliked by the chiefs of the community, their traditions and customs do not sit well with him. Instead of him to wait for his time so he can change the necessary things that seems wrong in his opinion his impatient attitude caused him to organize a crusade against the chiefs and his supporters.
The chiefs who disliked him even loathed him more and vowed to deal with him, they had a meeting headed by the chief minister Iyashe. Then resolved that the prince and his associated should be eliminated. The king's on hearing the impeding danger about to befall his son, consulted the chief priest on how to avert this evil. The Oracle advised the king to make arrangements to smuggle the prince out of the kingdom.
An ark big enough to convey the king's son and the eldest sons of the seventy cheifs of Benin was made. Oba Olua informed the cheifs that he has to send his son Prince Ginuwa, to perform necessary rites to the river goddess Oloku and the cheifs first sons were required to accompany him. No objections were made and the cheifs all agreed, the secret was known to only the king, the cheif priest and one of the attendant that these men were about to embark on a journey of no return.
On the appointed day, the cheifs and the king bade their sons goodluck. The ark was carried by slaves through the forest through Sapele for days at the bank of a river the ark which is named Ginuwa's ark of unity and development was stopped, prince Ginuwa stepped out adorned in his royal regalia and made himself a king without a kingdom. After a long wait, it was dawned on the cheifs that they had been deceived by the king and then sent soldiers to retrieve their sons.
News reached prince Ginuwa and he ordered the evacuation and settled at Ugharegin for a while, the place was not suitable so they launched another voyage. Travelling through the high waves of the focardos river, they arrived at a place called "Amatu". It is a place of beauty and splendor but, food was more important than a place of attraction.
They moved again to Oruselemo where the ijaws were situated, the ijaws were hospitable and accommodating, King Ginuwa married an ijaw woman named Delemo. After several years a dispute between the migrants and some ijaws began, in the course of this fight King Ginuwa killed his wife. This disbanded the cordial relationship between the Ijaws and King Ginuwa and his entourage. They journeyed gloomily to a virgin land which they raised to a town called Ijala and found comfort there.
Not long after the Benin people heard reports of their location and send armies to capture their runaway prince. They heard about the impending danger and had to leave Ijala, but their king could not continue the journey he died and was buried at Ijala. Till date Ijala has become the burial place of the itsekiri kings, his son ijijeh took over from his father and with the help of the idibie(medicine priest) the mobile kingdom was on the run. The idibie threw a magic staff from Ijala which landed at the place which is now the itsekiri kingdom in Warri.
The first church to be built in Nigeria was from the itsekiri kingdom, the place is called Satoni( the western form of Saint Anthony). The British were not only missionaries they were also merchants, they traded with the itsekiri especially through chief Nanna Olomu who was also a great merchant.
Regardless of the fact that the itsekiri people had been through a lot being a mobile Kingdom. Their exposure made them thrive well having their 21st king, Atuwatse III Olu of Warri Kingdom.
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