By Emmanuel Kanayo
Fresh tension is brewing over waterfront ownership in Port Harcourt following a declaration by the Kalabari socio-cultural group, Kalabari SE, that Abonnema Wharf, Njemanze and Elechi Beach belong to the Kalabari people.
The group made its position known on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, at a world press conference held at Nyemoni Iwo-Ama, Abonnema Wharf, where it accused neighbouring Ikwerre and Okrika communities of distorting history.
Residents of the affected waterfronts, who have witnessed several eviction threats and inter-community disputes in recent years, expressed fears that the renewed claim could trigger another round of crisis if not handled by the Rivers State Government.
Presenting a document titled "Rebalancing the Narrative: The Unassailable Historical and Legal Truth of Kalabari Ownership of Abonnema Wharf (Now Nyemoni-Iwo-Ama), Njemanze, and Elechi Beach," the leadership of Kalabari SE said the intervention was long overdue.
According to the group, the Kalabari people, known for fishing and maritime trade, had occupied the riverbanks, creeks and waterways long before Port Harcourt was established in 1913.
It explained that the area now called Abonnema Wharf was originally known as Iwo-Ama and later as Angala Pele-Poku, stretching from the Magcobar area through the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) Wharf and Abonnema Wharf Jetty to Kidney Island, Njemanze and Elechi Beach.
The group argued that the British colonial acquisition of Diobu lands for railway lines, warehouses and residential quarters in the early 20th century did not include the waterfront settlements, which it insists remain Kalabari ancestral territory.
Kalabari SE said its position is supported by customary land rights, historical documents and judicial precedents, including the 1949/50 Commission of Enquiry into the Okrika-Kalabari dispute by Justice G. G. Robinson.
The group vowed to resist any attempt to encroach on the lands and called on the Rivers State Government, security agencies and the general public to disregard competing claims by Ikwerre and Okrika communities.
As of the time of filing this report, neither the Okrika nor Ikwerre groups had responded to the Kalabari declaration.
