The Ugborodo Graduates Association has rejected a recent publication by the Gbaramatu Female Graduates Association claiming ownership of Sahara, a land the Ugborodo community insists has always belonged to the Itsekiri people.
In an open letter signed by the association’s president, Comr. Dogho Besidone, and its PRO, Onogho Gbubemi, the group said it would ordinarily not respond but felt compelled to do so because the statement, in their view, was influenced by actors beyond those who signed it.
They dismissed the existence of any community known as “Sarabubor,” insisting that the area in question—Sahara—is Ugborodo ancestral land backed by documented history, traditional ownership, and uninterrupted use “from time immemorial.”
The association accused some Gbaramatu interests of making similar claims in the past, citing Okerenghigho, Omidudun, Kantu, and Ijaghala communities as examples. It described these as repeated attempts to appropriate Itsekiri lands despite what it said was clear historical and cultural evidence of ownership.
According to the group, the latest claim to the Sahara is “unacceptable and will not be tolerated,” stressing that the Ugborodo people have never ceded the land and have no intention of doing so.
They urged the Gbaramatu Female Graduates Association to seek guidance from their elders, saying the true boundaries and patterns of ownership in the area are well known and should not be distorted.
Reaffirming its position, the Ugborodo Graduates Association maintained that Sahara “is, has always been, and will remain” Ugborodo land, while calling for mutual respect, truthfulness, and peaceful coexistence grounded in verifiable history.
