The history of Delta State
Kingdoms older than Nigeria, a river trade that drew ships from Europe, and a state created in 1991. Here is how Delta came to be, people by people and place by place.
Photo: Jay Jay Agbor / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. All photo credits
- State created
- 27 August 1991, from Bendel State
- Capital
- Asaba
- Local government areas
- 25
- Peoples
- Urhobo, Itsekiri, Ijaw, Isoko and the Anioma peoples, among others
Peoples
-
The Itsekiri
Traders of the western creeks, with a language related to Yoruba and a kingdom at Warri.
People -
The Urhobo
Twenty-four kingdoms, from Okpe and Ughelli to Agbarho and Olomu, and one of Nigeria's oldest cultural unions.
People -
People
The Isoko
Nineteen clans in the south of the state, with a language close to Urhobo and land rich in oil.
People -
People
The Ijaw
People of the creeks and the coast, from Gbaramatu and Ogulagha to Patani and Bomadi.
People -
The Anioma peoples
The Igbo-speaking towns west of the Niger, from Asaba and Issele-Uku to Agbor and Kwale.
People
Delta through time
Five centuries in 22 dates, from the founding of the Warri Kingdom to today.
-
c. 1480
By Itsekiri tradition, Ginuwa, a prince of Benin, founds the Warri Kingdom. Read more about The Warri Kingdom
-
1570s
Portuguese Augustinian missionaries work at the Itsekiri royal capital. Read more about The Warri Kingdom
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1600
Domingos, son of the Olu, sails to Portugal to study. He later reigns as Olu Atuwatse I. Read more about The Warri Kingdom
-
1830
Richard and John Lander sail down the Niger past Asaba and prove it reaches the Atlantic. Read more about Lander Brothers Anchorage
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1848
Olu Akengbuwa dies. The Warri Kingdom goes nearly 88 years without a crowned Olu. Read more about The Warri Kingdom
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1884
Nana Olomu and other Itsekiri chiefs sign a treaty of protection with Britain. Read more about Nana Olomu
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1886
The Royal Niger Company receives its charter and makes Asaba its headquarters. Read more about The Royal Niger Company
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1891
Britain opens a vice-consulate at Sapele. Read more about The story of Sapele
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1894
British forces take Nana Olomu's stronghold at Ebrohimi. Read more about Nana Olomu
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1898
The Ekumeku resistance to company and British rule spreads through the Asaba hinterland. It lasts until 1911. Read more about The Anioma peoples
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1900
The Royal Niger Company hands its territory to the British government. Read more about The Royal Niger Company
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1930
The Okpe Union is founded in Lagos. Read more about The Okpe kingdom
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1931
The Urhobo Progress Union is founded in Warri. Read more about The Urhobo
-
1936
The Warri Kingdom's throne is restored with Olu Ginuwa II. Read more about The Warri Kingdom
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1951
Dennis Osadebay coins the name Anioma. Read more about The Anioma peoples
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1963
The area becomes part of the new Mid-Western Region.
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1965
The Niger Bridge between Asaba and Onitsha is completed. Read more about The Niger Bridge
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1967
During the Civil War, federal troops kill hundreds of civilians in Asaba. Read more about October 1967: the Asaba massacre
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1976
The Mid-West becomes Bendel State.
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1978
The Warri Refinery at Ekpan is commissioned. Read more about Oil and gas in the Delta
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1991
Delta State is created from Bendel State on 27 August, with Asaba as its capital. Read more about The story of Asaba
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2021
Ogiame Atuwatse III is crowned the 21st Olu of Warri. Read more about The Warri Kingdom
Kingdoms and towns
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The Warri Kingdom
Five centuries of the Itsekiri kingdom, from its founding prince to the Olu on the throne today.
Kingdom -
The story of Asaba
From a riverside town founded by Nnebisi to the company headquarters of 1886 and the state capital of 1991.
Town -
The Okpe kingdom
A kingdom with its seat at Orerokpe, the Orodje on its throne, and one of Nigeria's oldest cultural unions.
Still researching -
Town
The story of Sapele
A river town where three rivers meet, a colonial timber port and the home of the sapele tree's name.
Still researching -
The Ughelli Kingdom
An Urhobo kingdom founded, by its own tradition, by Ughene, son of the Benin prince Oghwoghwa.
Still researching -
The story of Abraka
An Urhobo town on the clearest stretch of the Ethiope, and a university town.
Still researching
Turning points
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Nana Olomu
The Itsekiri merchant prince who ruled the palm oil trade, defied the British, and came home to Koko.
Person -
The Royal Niger Company
The British company that ran the lower Niger from Asaba, and whose territory became the core of Nigeria.
Colonial era -
Civil War
October 1967: the Asaba massacre
Between 5 and 7 October 1967, federal troops killed hundreds of Asaba's men and boys.
Civil War -
Oil and gas in the Delta
How oil and gas reshaped Delta's towns and creeks, from the Warri Refinery to the fight over who benefits.
Era
How we write history
Much of Delta's history was passed down by word of mouth, and neighbouring peoples often tell the same story differently. We check every fact against at least two sources, name those sources on each page, and say plainly where accounts differ.
Know your town's history, or spotted something we've got wrong? Share what you know or tell us on WhatsApp.
Sources for this page
- Delta State (Wikipedia)
- Kingdom of Warri (Wikipedia)
- Royal Niger Company (Britannica)
- Delta State (Wikipedia)
- Kingdom of Warri (Wikipedia)
- Royal Niger Company (Wikipedia)
- Ekumeku Movement (Wikipedia)
Last checked 10 September 2026. Each history page lists its own sources.