Deadly clash erupts as Olu of Warri, Chief Ayiri Emami reignite traditional feud
The longstanding conflict between the Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse III, and Chief Ayiri Emami, an influential business figure and APC chieftain in Delta state, has escalated, resulting in a tragic confrontation that claimed two lives.
The feud, initiated since the monarch’s coronation and Emami’s removal as the Ologbotsere of Warri Kingdom, has deepened divisions, notably in Okere community, Warri South Local Government Area of Delta state.
An attempt by the monarch to visit the community, believed to be Chief Emami’s stronghold, on Saturday faced fierce resistance from local youths, culminating in the unfortunate death of two individuals, Macaulay Uku and Daniel Grey. Additionally, several others, identified as Emami’s loyalists, sustained injuries during the violent clash.
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Sources reveal that the fatalities occurred due to gunfire from soldiers deployed from the 3 Battalion, Nigerian Army, Effurun, Delta state.
The incident unfolded as a faction of youths in the Okere community opposed the monarch’s intention to perform a traditional rite, protesting against the alleged desecration of a shrine by pouring anointing oil as libation on the ancient grove housing an ancestral shrine.
According to an insider, the deceased individuals, considered harmless, were fatally shot at close range during the confrontation with the soldiers.
“Some youths had stopped the monarch from entering the community to perform the rite, prompting the deployment of soldiers to the area. Their main grouse was that the monarch was planning to pour anointing oil on the shrine against the established customary rites that the people were used to,” the source explained.
Contradictorily, a palace chief, requesting anonymity, asserted, “The monarch has authority over lands and waters in Warri, and as such, his movement cannot be resisted in his kingdom. The truth is that those youths from Okere community are those loyal to Chief Emami and opposed to the monarch.”
While Major A. Ohegbe, the Commanding Officer of the Barrack, confirmed the heavy security presence during the Olu of Warri’s visit to the community, he claimed no knowledge of any shooting, attributing the soldiers’ deployment to the resistance faced by the monarch.
