By Staff Reporter.
A fresh disagreement has emerged between Mosogar and Idjerhe kingdoms in Ethiope West Local Government Area of Delta State over the ownership and traditional identity of the land where the tragic Jesse Fire Disaster occurred on October 17, 1998.
The disagreement followed a memorial ceremony reportedly organised by the Ovie of Idjerhe Kingdom and some indigenes of the kingdom at the disaster site on Saturday, October 17, 2026.
The Mosogar Kingdom has expressed displeasure over the description of the location as Atiwor, insisting that the land falls within its ancestral territory.
In a press statement made available to journalists, signed by Chief Napoleon Emefe, Esq., Otota of Mosogar Kingdom, and Chief Silver Anuwa, Secretary of the Ovie-in-Council, the kingdom said it recognised the importance of remembering those who lost their lives in the tragedy but cautioned against allowing memorial activities to determine or reinforce disputed territorial claims.
The statement stressed that commemorating the victims and establishing the ownership or territorial identity of the disaster site were two separate issues that should be treated independently.
According to the Mosogar traditional authorities, the historical relationship between the two kingdoms should not automatically be interpreted as proof of ownership of every parcel of land within the former Idjerhe traditional administrative structure.
The statement recalled that, at the time of the 1998 disaster, Mosogar, Jesse Central, Onyobru and Boboroku were sub-clans within the then Idjerhe Clan.
However, it argued that traditional affiliation and administrative relationships were distinct from customary landholding rights, ancestral inheritance and ownership of specific parcels of land.
Mosogar maintained that the historical ownership of the disputed location should be examined through relevant ancestral records, customary occupation, family inheritance, community recognition and other established landholding arrangements.
For its part, the kingdom identified the Origheyegha-Omene family of Orokpokpor, Akpobome Community, in Mosogar Kingdom, as the ancestral owners of the land on which the disaster occurred.
It further argued that the historical identity of the land should not be determined solely by the geographical name adopted during a public gathering.
Describing the use of the name Atiwor for the location as a misapplication of its geographical identity, the Mosogar leadership called for due recognition of what it described as the area’s ancestral ownership history.
The statement also emphasised that the kingdom’s position was not intended to undermine the right of families and communities affected by the disaster to mourn their departed relatives.
Rather, it maintained that any determination of the disputed location’s territorial identity should be guided by credible historical evidence, appropriate consultation and respect for the interests of all affected communities.
The October 17, 1998 Jesse Fire Disaster remains one of the most devastating tragedies in the history of the area, with accounts of the incident putting the death toll at more than 1,082 people.
The latest disagreement has therefore brought renewed attention to the historical and traditional relationship between the neighbouring Urhobo kingdoms, as well as the need to establish the identity and ownership of the disaster site through credible historical and customary evidence.
As the controversy unfolds, the central issues remain the recognition of the victims, the historical identity of the disaster location and the respective positions of the two neighbouring kingdoms.
