A legal practitioner, Sunday Enegbuma, has called on the Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo to restrict the Ogieaga of The Three Ivie clan to his domains.
Enegbuma accused the monarch of ascribing the title of Ogieaga of Ivie, instead of Ogieaga of The Three Ivie to himself.
The Edo State Traditional law, according to Enegbuma, restricts the monarch to only Three Ivie and not the entire Ivie that extends to other territories, including Okpekpe Clan.
He advised “that the traditional leadership of The Ogieaga of The Three Ivie Clan restricts himself to his territory or domain as provided for under the Edo State Traditional Rulers Law.”
The petitioner, in a letter to the governor dated November 10, 2025 and received on November 13, 2025, said, “my humble prayers and the humble prayers of the people of Okpekpe Clan are that there is no lawful traditional title known as The Ogieaga of Ivie.”
He said that the so-called title of “The Ogieaga of Ivie” signified the overlordship of “The Ogieaga of Ivie” over all the people of Ivie everywhere including the territory or domain of the Onwueweko of Okpekpe Clan.”
Establishing his basis for the petition, Enegbuma said he was an Ivie man from Okpekpe Clan in Etsako East Local Government Local Government Area of Edo State.
He said it had been brought to his attention and to the attention of the public, particularly, the people of Ivie in the entire Etsako East Local Government Area and the people of Ivie in Nigeria and in the Diaspora that the traditional leadership of the Three Ivie Clan, led by The Ogieaga, held a meeting in Imiegba town on the 18th October, 2025.
According to him, “arising from the meeting, a Communique was issued that purportedly altered the traditional title of ‘The Ogieaga of the Three Ivie Clan’ to ‘The Ogieaga of Ivie’.”
Enegbuma said the communique dated 29th October, 2025, arose from a meeting held in the Ogieaga’s Palace at Imiegba town on the same date.
The Communique, he said, was published in some local newspapers, particularly, Uptown Press of 30th October, 2025.
He, however, noted that the disclaimer from the Ogieaga’s Palace, Imiegba town, was also published in a local newspaper, particularly, The Authority Newspaper of 6th November, 2025.
According to Enegbuma, the communique or disclaimer notwithstanding, the Ogieaga of The Three Ivie Clan still held the impression, albeit wrongly, that the lawful traditional title of The Ogieaga of the Three Ivie Clan had been proscribed by the Ogieaga’s Palace and substituted it with an unlawful traditional title of “The Ogieaga of Ivie”.
Insisting that the monarch’s explanation amounted to impersonation, Enegbuma said, “To do so, in my humble opinion, amounts to impersonation.”
He recalled that Ivie people migrated from Benin Kingdom some centuries ago, adding that the people of Ivie were divided into North Ivie and South Ivie.
According to him, “”The South Ivie people can be found within Etsako West Local Government Area. The North Ivie people comprising the people of Okpekpe, Itsukwui, Imiakebu, Ugbamhe and Imiegba communities became known as North Ivie Clan in the present Etsako East Local Government Area of Edo State. Unfortunately, the Ugbamhe community has gone extinct.
” The split of North Ivie Clan: In 1954, following the agitation of some of these communities, the colonial Administration split the North Ivie Clan into two clans to wit:
“(a) Okpekpe Clan: comprising Okpekpe community only with a Clan Head known then as either The Ede of Okpekpe Clan or The Apa of Okpekpe Clan or now as The Onwueweko of Okpekpe Clan.
“(b) Three Ivie Clan: comprising Itsukwui, Imiakebu, and Imiegba communities with a Clan Head known as The Ogieaga of the Three Ivie Clan. The Clan Headship rotates among these communities. The current clan head is from Imiegba community.
“Your Excellency, it should please be noted that traditional titles are annexed to the towns or villages and not to the identity of the people.
“In other words, no traditional title has ever been ascribed to the identity or tribe of the people. Instead, it is ascribed to the domain the traditional ruler reigns.
“The connotation of the word Ivie or what it denotes: (a) The word Ivie connotes a race or a people.
“(b) The North Ivie Clan or South Ivie Clan or The Three Ivies connotes a territory or a domain.
“The North Ivie Clan and the South Ivie Clan do not have the same territory. They are not even contiguous, though from the same ancestry. The word “Ivie” is more to a people than to a territory. As such, any reference to North Ivie or South Ivie or The Three Ivies Clan, is classified as a territory. And when a territory is abandoned as The Ogieaga of The Three Ivies contemplates, it now refers to a people or race.
“And it will certainly mislead the entire Ivie people that the so-called The Ogieaga of Ivie extends beyond the domain of the clan Head of The Three Ivie Clan and that it is inclusive of the entire Ivie race.
“This roughshod conduct or apparent misconduct is likely to cause friction, discontent and ultimately culminate into a dispute or communal crisis.”
Enegbuma sent copies of the letter to the Speaker, Edo State House of Assembly, Benin City; Commissioner of Local Government & Chieftaincy Affairs, Edo State Government, Benin-City, Ag. Chairman, Etsako East Local Government Area, Agenebode; the Clan Head, HRH, the Onwueweko of Okpekpe Clan, Okpekpe, and the Ogieaga of The Three Ivie Clan, Ogieaga’s Palace, Imiegba town.
He also also copied the Village Head of Itsukwui Community, the Oghieoechi, Itsukwui; and the Village Head of Imiakebu Community, The Azamanodu III, Imiakebu.
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