Rivers community rejects Kalabari tag, insists on distinct identity

The people of Tombia in Degema Local Council of Rivers State have vehemently rejected claims of being part of the Kalabari Ethnic Nationality.

At a press conference in Port Harcourt, the community leaders stressed their distinct identity and called on Governor Siminalayi Fubara to intervene in the matter.

According to Chief Peniel Omubo-Idonibo, Vice Chairman of the Tombia Council of Chiefs, the community has co-existed peacefully with the Kalabari people for decades, having migrated from Ekpetiama-be-Tombia in present-day Bayelsa State. However, they have never been subordinate to the Kalabari Kingdom.

The community took issue with Alhaji Mujahid Asari-Dokubo, the newly installed Amanyanabo of the Elem-Kalabari Kingdom, who allegedly claimed that some communities in Tombia Kingdom, particularly those around the Cawthorne Channel Area, belong to the Kalabari people.

Omubo-Idonibo listed the affected communities, including Igboboko, Elegbe-Ama, and Mbikiri-Ama, among others. He suspected that Asari-Dokubo’s motives might be driven by the rich mineral resources in the area.

The community cited relevant court judgments, such as PHC/1842/2001, delivered on 12th November 2018 by Justice E.N. Ogbuji of the Rivers State High Court, wherein he ruled that where Cawthorne Channel Area 1 is located is the bonafide property of Tombia Kingdom. They also referenced DHC/5/2011, between the late King Theophilus Princewill versus Tombia Kingdom and SPDC, delivered by Justice S.O. Benson.

He said: “The ultimate purpose of this press conference is for peace, unity, and brotherliness to reign in the kingdoms of Tombia and Kalabari. We are, therefore, once again appealing to the King of Elem-Kalabari to use his newly acquired position to promote peace, unity, and brotherliness as his predecessors did for the benefit of all of us. Tombia are friends of Kalabari and can never be her enemies, but let the truth be told always, and let us accord that respect for each other.

“We are, therefore, calling on the Governor of the State, Siminalayi Fubara, to kindly call to order Alhaji Asari-Dokubo, whom he most recently recognized as the king of Elem-Kalabari, not to toy with the people of Tombia Kingdom by trying to annex the communities and settlements of Tombia Kingdom to Kalabari Kingdom.”

The people of Tombia urged Governor Fubara to call Asari-Dokubo to order, warning that his actions could disrupt the long-standing peaceful relations between the two kingdoms. They also appealed to the governor to recognize the Tombia stool, as he has done for other stools in the area.