A prince from Benin
By Itsekiri tradition, the kingdom was founded around 1480 by Ginuwa, a son of Oba Olua of Benin, who left Benin with a royal entourage and settled in the creeks of the western Delta. The kingdom grew by drawing in communities with their own histories, among them Yoruba migrants from Ijebu and Ijaw neighbours.
Its capital, Ode-Itsekiri, also called Big Warri, sits on an island a boat ride from the modern city. Every Olu is crowned there.
Portugal and the Church
The Itsekiri were among the first people in the region to trade with the Portuguese. Augustinian missionaries worked at the capital, which the Portuguese called Santo Agostinho, in the early 1570s, and an Olu was baptised Sebastião.
In 1600 his son Domingos was sent to Portugal, where the Portuguese crown paid for his education. He was away more than ten years and later reigned as Olu Atuwatse I. Crosses, rosaries and processions stayed part of court life, and the Olu's crown is still topped with a cross.
Eighty-eight years without a king
When Olu Akengbuwa died on 14 June 1848, his sons died soon after without agreeing a successor, and the kingdom went nearly 88 years without a crowned Olu. Merchant governors, Nana Olomu the best known of them, led Itsekiri affairs and trade in the meantime.
The throne was restored on 7 February 1936 with Ginuwa II, a great-grandson of Akengbuwa.
Olu of Warri
The colonial government first recognised the restored king as Olu of Itsekiri, because Warri was also the name of a multi-ethnic colonial province. The Itsekiri Native Authority adopted the title Olu of Warri in 1945, and the Western Region government approved it as the official title in May 1952.
The Olus today
Ginuwa II reigned until 1949 and was followed by Erejuwa II, then Atuwatse II from 1987 to 2015 and Ikenwoli from 2015 to 2020. Ogiame Atuwatse III was crowned the 21st Olu at Ode-Itsekiri on 21 August 2021, and the kingdom marks the anniversary every August with a royal boat regatta and homage from Itsekiri communities.
Warri's history is told differently by its Itsekiri, Urhobo and Ijaw communities, including who first settled the land where the city stands. This page tells the Warri Kingdom's story; the Urhobo and Ijaw pages tell theirs.
Visit it
Warri South
Read next
Sources
- Kingdom of Warri (Wikipedia)
- Itsekiri history (Office of the Olu of Warri)
- Itsekiri people (Wikipedia)
- Why we coronate Olu of Warri at Ode-Itsekiri (The Guardian Nigeria)
- Ogiame Atuwatse III (Wikipedia)
Last checked 10 September 2026. Spotted something out of date? Tell us on WhatsApp.
