The Olu of Warri, Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse II is dead. Palace sources told our reporter that the present traditional ruler of Itsekiri kingdom in Delta state died at a private hospital in Lagos of an undisclosed illness. Ogiame Has been ruling since 1987.
According to Bini and Itsekiri histories Ginuwa, a prince of Benin founded the Iwerre (Warri) Kingdom about 1480. In the 15th century Warri was visited by Portuguese missionaries. At the beginning of the 17th century,
a son of the reigning Olu was sent to Portugal and returned with a Portuguese wife. Their son Antonio Domingo was Olu of Warri in the 1640s.[1] Olu Erejuwa, who reigned from about 1720 to 1800, expanded Warri politically and commercially, using the Portuguese to further Warri's independence of Benin and to establish control over a wider area.[2]
Later Warri served as the base for Portuguese and Dutch slave traders. Warri became a more important port city during the late 19th century, when it became a centre for the palm oil trade and other major items such as rubber, palm products, cocoa,groundnuts, hides, and skins.[3] Warri was established as a provincial headquarters by the British in the early 20th century.[4] In May 1952 the government of Western Nigeriachanged the title of the Itsekiri ruler from the Olu of Itsekiri to the Olu of Warri, at the request of the Itsekiri. The Ijaw, Urhobo and other people of the community objected to the change, since they felt the new title implied that the Olu was ruler of Warri, not just of the Itsekiri.[5]
| Start | End | Ruler |
|---|---|---|
| Abejioye | ||
| Akenjioye | ||
| c. 1710 | Omagboye | |
| c. 1710 | c. 1735 | Akengboye |
| c. 1735 | Atogbuwa (Manuel Otobia) | |
| c. 1807 | Erejuwa (Sebastião Otobia) | |
| c. 1807 | 14 June 1848 | Akengbuwa (João) (d. 1848) |
| 1848 | 1848 | Ejo |
| 1848 | 1851 | Iye Idolorusan (Regent) |
| 1851 | Eri (Regent) | |
| Atsego (Regent) | ||
| 16 Jan 1921 | Okorofianyegbe (Regent) | |
| 13 Sep 1917 | 24 Sep 1932 | Dogho Numa (d. 1932) |
| 16 Jan 1921 | 1929 | Vacant |
| 1929 | 7 Feb 1936 | Olagbemi Ewolufu (Regent) |
| 7 Feb 1936 | Ginuwa II (Gbesimi Emiko) | |
| 2 April 1987 | Ogiame Atuwatse II |
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