Kingdom of Warri


The Kingdom Of Warri or Iwerre Kingdom is a part of the traditional state based in the town of Warri in Delta State, Nigeria. Warri is an inland port on one of the Niger River channels in the Niger Delta.

History

According to Bini and Itsekiri histories, Olu Ginuwa, a prince of Benin Kingdom founded the Warri kingdom about 1480.
In the 15th century it 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.
Olu Erejuwa, who reigned from about 1720 to 1800, expanded the kingdom politically and commercially, using the Portuguese to further it's independence of Bini and to establish control over a wider area.
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.
Warri was established as a provincial headquarters by the British in the early 20th century.

Recent events

In 1997, the Federal Government under General Sani Abacha created a Warri South-West Local Government Council, with headquarters at Ogidigben an Itsekiri community in Warri. Due to political pressure, the headquarters was relocated to Ogbe ijoh by the State Government but still not recognized by the Federal Government. Riots ensued, hundreds died, and six Shell Nigeria installations were taken over by youths. The crisis is known as the "Warri Crisis".

Kings of Warri Kingdom, 1480 to present

The Kingdom of Warri has remained predominantly Christian since the coronation of its first Christian King Olu Atorongboye also known as King Sebastian I in 1570, within a century of the foundation of the iwere Kingdom. Below is a list of the rulers of the Warri Kingdom from inception. Note that written records began with the coronation of Olu Atorongboye Sebastian I in 1570.