Wulfruna:


Francis, you're not bright. No seriously, this is no longer a joke. If you can ask me this question after all that has been said by me on this matter, you are really not bright.

Let me take you through what has been said by you and by me on this Ubani issue, briefly.

You suggested that Ubani could mean 'wealth of the land'.

I said that is not possible; and I said that if the name means 'wealth of the land', then it would be Ubala or Ubali, given the fact that we are dealing with an axis of the Igbo-speaking world where 'land' is not 'ani' but ala/ala.

My point all along has been this: Ubani does not mean wealth of the land as you suggested.

Now you coming back to ask me why Ubani exists in southern Igboland and not Ubala, after what I have said on the matter indicates to me that I may be chatting with a chipmunk who has learnt to use the internet.

Listen carefully again - Ubani does not mean wealth of land. Ubani is not an Igbo word. Ubani is an Igbo corruption of Ibani, which is the native name of an Ijaw clan in Rivers State

And please, what evidence is there to show that China Ubani actually hails from Anambra State? He worked in Anambra State, and that makes him Anambrarian? Do you know how many Ukwuani people work in the Anambra State Government, in Awka? Please, be wise. Post a link that mentions China Ubani's hometown.

Here's a significant fact. He was a Seventh Day Adventist. You probably won't understand why that is significant, but ChinenyeN will.



No you are slow, and I don't intend that as an insult. You didn't prove anything that every Rivers/Abia man didn't know already.

You need not type out all that long story of yours. It is needless. Rather than answer me directly, you went off-point tackling the Anambra-bearing Ubani that was not part of the question. You keep evading my question. I asked you,

How do you explain the preponderance of Ubani-bearing natives in Abia state, a supposedly southern Igbo axis, and not Ubala or Ubali as you earlier claimed?

I do really think you are the one who needs to brush up their comprehension skills because I made my points and proved all of them.

Please answer this directly. This goes against your earlier claim and proves that THERE ARE INDEED NATIVE UBANI-BEARING NATIVES IN ABIA STATE. If there is anything you are taking home today, it is that.

Wulfruna:


Francis, you're not bright. No seriously, this is no longer a joke. If you can ask me this question after all that has been said by me on this matter, you are really not bright.

Let me take you through what has been said by you and by me on this Ubani issue, briefly.

You suggested that Ubani could mean 'wealth of the land'.

I said that is not possible; and I said that if the name means 'wealth of the land', then it would be Ubala or Ubali, given the fact that we are dealing with an axis of the Igbo-speaking world where 'land' is not 'ani' but ala/ala.

My point all along has been this: Ubani does not mean 'wealth of the land' as you suggested.

Now, you coming back to ask me why Ubani exists in southern Igboland and not Ubala, after what I have said on the matter, indicates to me that I may be chatting with a chipmunk who has learnt to use the internet.

Listen carefully again - Ubani does not mean wealth of land. Ubani is not an Igbo word. Ubani is an Igbo corruption of Ibani, which is the native name of an Ijaw clan in Rivers State

And please, what evidence is there to show that Chima Ubani actually hails from Anambra State? He worked in Anambra State, and that makes him Anambrarian? Do you know how many Ukwuani people work in the Anambra State Government, in Awka? Please, be wise. Post a link that mentions Chima Ubani's hometown.

Here's a significant fact. He was a Seventh Day Adventist. You probably won't understand why that is significant, but ChinenyeN will.



No you are slow, and I don't intend that as an insult. You didn't prove anything that every Rivers/Abia man didn't know already.

Well in my earlier post, I suggested the possible meaning of the Ubani name of Bonny, similar to the popular Ubani used in Igboland. I never said it was definitive. Anybody with a good command of the English language and half a brain knows that there is a difference between possible and definite. You were the one who jumped into conclusion rather too quickly. If there is anyone who needs brushing up on their comprehension skills, it is you actually.

So far I have made my points and backed them all up with concrete evidence. I need not tell you that you should come up with any other solid points if you have any.

omonnakoda:






Hear yasef!!!


Mumu

I don't understand what your point on this thread is. If you have no other useful points to make other than trying to find fault in the definition of 'native language', make way for those with better brains to engage in intelligent discourse.

bigfrancis21:


You need not type out all that long story of yours. It is needless. You keep evading my question. I asked you,



Please answer this directly. This goes against your earlier claim and proves that THERE ARE INDEED NATIVE UBANI-BEARING NATIVES IN ABIA STATE. If there is anything you are taking home today, it is that.

Stop this silliness, please, I NEVER said Ubani and Nwaubani are not names in Abia State, you bleeding nitwit! I said Ubani does not derive from 'Wealth of the Land' - that is what I said. Get off the internet and find some intelligence-enhancing therapy.

Find an Ngwa/Ukwa man who is versed in his people's history and he will readily tell you that the Ubani names are an allusion to the Bonny/Opobo people (the Ibani Clan). That is the etymological source of the name; it has nothing to do with whatever Igbo etymology you want to pull from your ass.

If after this explanation you ask me this again, then you need to be put in a special needs school.

Wulfruna:


More comprehension difficulties. I said Okirika don't use Igbo as a native language. If you say I said they don't speak Igbo, period, point me to where I said it. I await your evidence.

Well, they do. Amadi-Ama is an example of one such town. Oyind simply confirmed that. What do you have to say about that?

Wulfruna:


Stop this silliness, please, I NEVER said Ubani and Nwaubani are not names in Abia State, you bleeding nitwit! I said Ubani does not derive from 'Wealth of the Land' - that is what I said. Get off the internet and find some intelligence-enhancing therapy.

Find an Ngwa/Ukwa man who is versed in his people's history and he will readily tell you that the Ubani names are an allusion to the Bonny/Opobo people (the Ibani Clan). That is the etymological source of the name; it has nothing to do with whatever Igbo etymology you want to pull from your ass.

If after this explanation you ask me this again, then you need to be put in a special needs school.

And how about the Ubanis in Anambra and Enugu state, 'nitwit'?

What evidence do you have to prove that the Ubanis in Abia state are tied to Bonny? Please do not make blanket statements.

Or are you saying there are no Ubanis in Northern Igbo? Some who I have personally come across? Are you this slow?

bigfrancis21:


Well, they do. Amadi-Ama is an example of one such town. Oyind simply confirmed that. What do you have to say about that?

For the billionth time, it is not their native language. They also speak Igbo in Otukpa, Benue, but it is not their native language but a second language. Do you think you can understand this?

bigfrancis21:


And how about the Ubanis in Anambra and Enugu state, 'nitwit'?

Or are you saying there are no Ubanis in Northern Igbo? Some who I have personally come across? Are you this slow?

I hope that by 'those you have come across' you are not referring to the Comrade you brought up earlier, whose hometown is nowhere stated.

Its a funny day when an epically dum.b person such as yourself calls another person 'slow'. Kind of like the proverbial mad man who thinks it is everyone else who is mad.

Bring forward your Enugu and Anambra Ubanis, and I will give you a lesson on your own Igbo history. I do not doubt that you will find a few and only a few (no way as common as in the Ngwa/Ukwa area). I know of an Ajalli man (Anambra) whose grandfather was named Ubani. I know why his grandfather had that name. But I'll wait for you to fool yourself before I school you on that.

Wulfruna:


For the billionth time, it is not their native language. They also speak Igbo in Otukpa, Benue, but it is not their native language but a second language. Do you think you can understand this?

Oh yes, for some parts of Okirika, it is their native language.

You are trying so hard to 'deconvince' me of something I already know of too well. Sorry, I am not buying into your false misrepresentation of facts.

Wulfruna:


I hope that by 'those you have come across' you are not referring to the Comrade you brought up earlier, whose hometown is nowhere stated.

Its a funny day when an epically dum.b person such as yourself calls another person 'slow'. Kind of like the proverbial mad man who thinks it is everyone else who is mad.

Bring forward your Enugu and Anambra Ubanis, and I will give you a lesson on your own Igbo history. I do not doubt that you will find a few and only a few (no way as common as in the Ngwa/Ukwa area). I know of an Ajalli man (Anambra) whose grandfather was named Ubani. I know why his grandfather had that name. But I'll wait for you to fool yourself before I school you on that.

In other words, you know the history of every Ubani-bearing person in Igboland and Ubani in mainstream Igboland, does not mean wealth of the land? And you claim you speak fluent Igbo? Or maybe the Ubas in Igboland are shortened forms of Ubani which must all be linked to Bonny? And you expect me to believe this bullcrap?

The more you talk, the more you keep showing you know nothing of what you are talking about.

I have made my points and none of them were you able to debunk successfully nor provide contradictory evidence. Oh, well.

omonnakoda:

Not only are you ignorant you are also a liar. You have presented two conflicting argumentt
One tha Bonny is now populated by Eboe settlers from the Interior, Two that the Ibani language has died out because they refuse to teach their language to strangers. Both are absurd.
The people of Bonny are Ibani and their language is Ibani a variant of Ijaw. They are Ijaw people
English is spoken all over Nigeria.That does not make us English. Many Nigerians SPEAK ONLY ENGLISH

english is an official language bro.. It s not the same with native dialects. The nigerian speaks english but still knows their local dialects, the Cameroon speaks french and they have not forgotten their local dialects.
The igbos re not known to be a colonists neither re they known to be a language taker,
the english and french re known to be a colonists. So how does the igbo become a wide spread in opobo/bonny,ikwerres,omoku,ogba,ikas still baffle me till date, somebody will give me the excuses that they trade together in business,king jaja of opobo came,igbos population etc, but igbo also engaged in trading with the ibibios,ijaws,yorubas,benin and efiks but they still retained and maintained their languages till date Meanwhile, I am not saying there is no dialect called ibani in bonny, but I guess it maybe the corrupted version of ijaw language but due to relationship or boundary they have with them(ijaws). So few people speaks the language of ibani then, no doubt.
But as it is now,it seem the igbo languages is widely spread as their indigenous dialects more than ibani.


history should not be distorted because biafran lost the war or because propaganda re all over the places painting igbos blacks and red.

We should be proud of our heritage. No matter the circumstances.

It s well.

But why does this happen on every Ijaw thread?

IGBOPRINCE:
english is an official language bro.. It s not the same with native dialects. The nigerian speaks english but still knows their local dialects, the Cameroon speaks french and they have not forgotten their local dialects.
The igbos re not known to be a colonists neither re they known to be a language taker,
the english and french re known to be a colonists. So how does the igbo become a wide spread in opobo/bonny,ikwerres,omoku,ogba,ikas still baffle me till date, somebody will give me the excuses that they trade together in business,king jaja of opobo came,igbos population etc, but igbo also engaged in trading with the ibibios,ijaws,yorubas,benin and efiks but they still retained and maintained their languages till date Meanwhile, I am not saying there is no dialect called ibani in bonny, but I guess it maybe the corrupted version of ijaw language but due to relationship or boundary they have with them(ijaws). So few people speaks the language of ibani then, no doubt.
But as it is now,it seem the igbo languages is widely spread as their indigenous dialects more than ibani.


history should not be distorted because biafran lost the war or because propaganda re all over the places painting igbos blacks and red.

We should be proud of our heritage. No matter the circumstances.

It s well.

I suggest you use Google to check the meaning of Native Language

I wonder what I could possibly have done to deserve this verbigeration that you choose to inflict on me

omonnakoda:


I suggest you use Google to check the meaning of Native Language

I wonder what I could possibly have done to deserve this verbigeration that you choose to inflict on me

what did I inflict on you? Anyway you should be the one to check the meaning of native language. My take on this comment/statement was clear.

Thank q

IGBOPRINCE:
what did I inflict on you?

Verbigeration

Radoillo:
But why does this happen on every Ijaw thread?

Thank you! This is what annoys me the most. And it's not just that it happens. It's that it consistently happens with people who obviously aren't as knowledgeable as they think they are.

ChinenyeN, I know this is probably the wrong thread for this, but please indulge me. I've seen some vague remarks on the Internet that the Otam in Nwaotam refer to an aboriginal people formerly inhabiting Bonny. Do you know anything about this?

All of this meaningless back and forth and thread-hijacking wouldn't happen if people simply refrained from talking about what they do not know. If you don't know enough about something, then don't talk about it. Or at least, don't talk like you know more. Don't talk like your words are infallible.

ChinenyeN:
All of this meaningless back and forth and thread-hijacking wouldn't happen if people simply refrained from talking about what they do not know. If you don't know enough about something, then don't talk about it. Or at least, don't talk like you know more. Don't talk like your words are infallible.

I actually thought this thread would be spared the 'usual' as the present thread is only a matter of Ijoid lects and not a matter of 'migration history'. Apparently I thought wrong.

Radoillo:


I actually thought this thread would be spared the 'usual' as the present thread is only a matter of Ijoid lects and not a matter of 'migration history'. Apparently I thought wrong.

Radoillo nwa awka, I do think that the major issue with most Ijaw threads is the seeming unwillingness to admit, at least, that a few areas of Ijawland are Igbo speaking, just as a few areas also are Yoruba speaking such as the Apoi and Arogbo Ijaw. Bonny and Opobo were initially Ijawland and might still be today but be honest enough to admit that the language of communication in those areas is Igbo. Notice that in the story versions of Bonny and Opobo painted on this forum, the language spoken part is always intentionally left out or to those that are willing to admit that Igbo is spoken present the undiluted Igbo spoken as 'Igbo creole' or 'bastardized Igbo' as if that helps in anyway to Ijaw consciousness. It almost seems that mentioning Yoruba-speaking areas of Ijawland goes unchallenged but the very mention of an Igbo-speaking Bonny or Opobo draws unnecessary ire or attention.

The speaker referred to Bonny and Opobo, especially Opobo where barely no one speaks Ibani as native language, as Ibani speaking and I pointed out to him to exclude those places as Ibani speaking. They are Ibani towns, yes but Ibani speaking, I am not sure about that.

I am someone who loves to put records straight and stand for the truth even when speaking the truth is unpopular. It might generate controversies but I am setting records straight. That's what matters to me.

By the way, how's naija? Are you still there or you moved back to the UK?

ChinenyeN:
All of this meaningless back and forth and thread-hijacking wouldn't happen if people simply refrained from talking about what they do not know. If you don't know enough about something, then don't talk about it. Or at least, don't talk like you know more. Don't talk like your words are infallible.

If you do know what is right, ensure that you make every effort to speak out and correct certain things. Someone on this forum was wrong to include especially Opobo as Igbo-speaking when you and I know that it is not, and I corrected him on that.

Radoillo:
I actually thought this thread would be spared the 'usual' as the present thread is only a matter of Ijoid lects and not a matter of 'migration history'. Apparently I thought wrong.

That's exactly what I was thinking to. That's why even after 6 pages had come and gone, I never stuck my head in this thread. I figured there's be no reason to, unless I wanted to learn more Ijo egere (Ijo language). But I just casually happened to want to look today, and to my disappointment, I stumble upon all this BS. Anyway..

Radoillo:
ChinenyeN, I know this is probably the wrong thread for this, but please indulge me. I've seen some vague remarks on the Internet that the Otam in Nwaotam refer to an aboriginal people formerly inhabiting Bonny. Do you know anything about this?

This would be news to me. Oral traditions from the Umuokobo community do not mention any aboriginal group by that name (they don't mention any aboriginal group at all). Likewise, oral traditions from Bonny about its founding ancestors don't emphasize any significant contacts during its formative years, outside of Umuokobo and some villages in what is now Kalabari.

This is not to say that it isn't possible for another settlement to have been there. In those days, communities weren't made up of hundreds of thousands of people. So, it's possible for a small clan to have been in the area as well (not that I know of any traditions that attest to that). However, for someone to try to claim that the Otam in Nwaotam refers to that [currently unknown] community is another thing altogether.

To begin with, the direction of cultural diffusion of Nwaotam was southward, from the Ngwa-Ndoki axis to Bonny/Opobo-Andoni axis. Whomever is making that remark would have to account for such diffusion. If Nwaotam had diffused northward though, then the remark maybe could have stood some chance of being taken seriously.

Oyind17:

Not main okrika o,

it must not be the main okrika, the tribes they shifted to okrika. (Part).

How was ur day?

The Ijaw ethnic group consists of 50 loosely affiliated clans. These clans are based along kinship lines and/or shared cultural and religious traditions.

Name

State

Akassa Bayelsa Akaha, Akasa
Andoni Rivers Obolo
Apoi (Eastern) Bayelsa
Apoi (Western) Ondo
Arogbo Ondo
Bassan Bayelsa Basan
Bille Rivers Bile, Bili
Bumo Bayelsa Boma, Bomo
Bonny Rivers Ibani, Ubani
Buseni Bayelsa Biseni
Egbema Delta / Edo
Operemor Delta /Bayelsa Operemor, Ekeremo,Ojobo
Ekpetiama Bayelsa
Engenni Rivers Ngeni
Epie-Atissa Bayelsa
Furupagha Edo
Gbaranmatu Delta Gbaranmatu
Gbaran Bayelsa Gbarain
Iduwini Delta]]
Isaba Delta
Kabo Delta Kabowei, Kabou
Kalabari Rivers
Kolokuma Bayelsa
Kula Rivers
Kumbo Delta Kumbowei
Mein Delta
Nembe Bayelsa
Nkoro Rivers Kala Kirika
Obotebe Delta
Odimodi Delta
Ogbe Delta Ogbe-Ijoh
Ogbia Bayelsa
Ogboin Bayelsa
Ogulagha Delta Ogula
Okordia Bayelsa Okodia, Akita
Okrika Rivers Wakirike
Olodiama (East) Bayelsa
Olodiama (West) Edo
Opobo Rivers
Opokuma Bayelsa
Oporoma Bayelsa Oporomo
Oruma Bayelsa Tugbene
Oyakiri Bayelsa Beni
Seimbiri Delta
Tarakiri (East) Bayelsa
Tarakiri (West) Delta
Tungbo Bayelsa
Tuomo Delta
Ukomu Edo
Zarama Bayelsa


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ijaw_people#Origin

@bigfrancis21, kudos for correcting the lies on this thread, as well as supporting your argument with proofs.

Now, anyone looking at this thread will automatically assume that you are arguing with the Ijaws but surprise, surprise, it's the usual ethnic group, who are known to be obsessed with anything Igbo. It's funny how these Yoruba people shamelessly troll different threads, to tell us who is Igbo or not, like their very existence depends on it. Damn! It must really be hurting them deeply, as they realize how much Igbo communities extend into the SS region, hence the meddling into issues like this.

bigfrancis21:


The English language is a different case entirely. English is not native to any of its former colonies. It is only native to where you have its native speakers such as in Britain or the US. In the Igbo-speaking case of Bonny and Opobo, they speak Igbo as a mother tongue. The Igbos were not colonialists neither did they force their language on anyone. Thus, any person who speaks Igbo as first language today is a descendant of an Igbo-speaking ancestor who spoke the language out of his own volition.

in as much as your argument are matured, i must give it to you unlike other sorry to say igbo guys here. I want to reiterate here that we the Bonny indeginous people are Ijaw and never igbo. I speak ibani wit every bonny friend i hav and my family. And the same for everyone here. people here also speak igbo but IT WAS NEVER DUE TO ANY IGBO SETTLERS LIES YOU GUYS FABRICATED because NO IGBO SETTLED HERE, THIS IS NOT AN IGBO TOWN.

omonnakoda:
Verbigeration

then feel or accept the gyration .

Bonny is an Ijaw Town where they speak Ibani.
English LANGUAGE is now NATIVE to ALL of its colonies . There are THOUSANDS of Nigerians in Nigeria who speak ONLY English

IGBOPRINCE:
then feel or accept the gyration .

Go and bail WhoNamedThee

nasoeb:
in as much as your argument are matured, i must give it to you unlike other sorry to say igbo guys here. I want to reiterate here that we the Bonny indeginous people are Ijaw and never igbo. I speak ibani wit every bonny friend i hav and my family. And the same for everyone here. people here also speak igbo but IT WAS NEVER DUE TO ANY IGBO SETTLERS LIES YOU GUYS FABRICATED because NO IGBO SETTLED HERE, THIS IS NOT AN IGBO TOWN.

I understand your point of view. I am wont to think that Ibani speakers you find in Bonny are mostly from neighbouring Ibani-speaking towns (Finima comes to mind) who are living in Bonny. For example, it would be wrong to say that Hausa is not spoken in Owerri because it is spoken in Owerri but by Hausa settlers living in Owerri. This is something I need to further research into.

As for the reason for Igbo language in Bonny, this is due to the large Igbo slave population that settled in Bonny and the unwillingness of the original Ibani inhabitants to teach the settlers the Ibani language. The Ibani people, instead, learned Igbo while keeping their language secret and allowing the Igbos speak their language. This fact is well documented. These Igbos became 'Ijaw' overtime due to acculturation by the adoption of Ibani customs and names to adapt to their environment, but are still mostly Igbo in DNA. To be honest, DNA wise, DNA testing on the people of Bonny town proper would reveal them to be at least 70% Igbo to a full 100%. Heck, the people of Bonny do not accept that they are Ijaw. Whatever they choose to call themselves is irrelevant because genetically speaking, the people are mostly Igbo in make up. The land is Ijaw land but the people of Bonny proper cannot be said to be completely Ijaw, to be honest. And the people all speak Igbo language natively and for some people as a second language.

Now, lets get down to basics. Here in the US, there are DNA testing companies that help African Americans in tracing their ancestry to their very first ancestor to the African tribe they came from. The DNA test utilizes your Y-DNA (every man has a Y chromosome, i.e. XY, which makes him male and females XX) gotten from his father, who got it from his own father, who got it from his own father until down to the very first male ancestor. The Y-DNA is often passed down from generation to generation unchanged and a sample is taken and compared to a large database of Y-DNA samples from the tribes known to be shipped to America for slavery: Igbo, Fon, Ewe, Akan, Congolese, Yoruba etc. and when a match is found, the person is pinned to that tribe. Each tribe in Nigeria has a unique DNA identifier that enables DNA testing companies to pin down samples to specific tribes. For some African Americans, their Y-DNA test comes out European meaning that their very first father was a white person, which is plausible because white plantation owners often slept with their African concubines or slaves to have mixed-breed children (house negroes who often lived with the master in the house while the fully African or black ones were left to work outside in the sun as field negroes). It is said that about 27% of all Y-DNA tests for black Americans come out European and 77% point to African tribes. Meaning that 27% of African Americans today had white fathers. Because females have no Y-chromosome, they often have to get a sample from a male in their family (brother, uncle, father etc.). Then you have the Mitochondrial DNA testing (the mitochondria is a cell in every person which is gotten exclusively from the mother, who got it from her own mother down to the very first maternal ancestor) where a sample is taken and matched against a database of samples taken from the aforementioned tribes and the maternal ancestry is located. Both men and women can provide samples for the MtDNA testing. For maternal testing, it is said that about 92% of all tests come out to be of African origin. You also have the autosomal testing that gives you an overall breakdown of regions in the world you are from. For example, the test conducted on a core Nigerian would come out to be 100% West African. For black Americans, there are often admixtures such as 75% West African, 10% European and 15% Native American etc.

Similarly, the Y-DNA test conducted on the Bonny people, Opobo people and Okirika people will reveal where majority of these people paternally descended from, the paternal line considered more important in most African cultures. I would expect the Y-DNA test results of Bonny and Opobo to point mostly to Igbo ancestry and Okirika to Ijaw ancestries. However, the MtDNA testing of all 3 places would point mostly to Igbo origins because mostly Igbo male and female slaves settled in Bonny and Opobo and in the case of Okirikans, they marry quite a lot from Igboland proper and many Okirikans often have Igbo mothers. Tribal affiliations might change over the years but genetic composition does not change according to the tribe you choose to identify with but remains constant.

Americans today are descended from the English settlers of the 14th century in the US and they all admit to have descended from the English people but are not called English because 'English' is reserved specifically for someone from England.

For the sake of truth, let us all be mature enough declare the truth for what it is. The people of Bonny and environs can be said to be, at best, a mixed Igbo-Ibani breed, who widely speak the Igbo language natively for most and pockets still speak Ibani language. There is no Igbo agenda neither was there any for the language situation in Bonny and Opobo. They all happened out of chance at a time when language did not define your ethnicity neither was there a collective ethnic tag for similar-language speakers. Some non-Igbo communities in the Niger Delta today were founded by Igbos but these communities today will readily denounce any connection to the Igbo people and try to claim ancestry elsewhere.

Now lets put this record straight. Bonny historically has been and remain an IJAW town with Ibani as her "native language. it is common to see Bonny indeginous people speaking other languages like igbo, annang, hausa yoruba due to its cosmopolitant nature. however it is common to find most people speaking igbo. "HOW COME PEOPLE SPEAK IGBO OFTEN MORE" during the era of slave trading, like every other Ijaw clan, the Bonny Ijaw perfected on the act. Bonny poeple are predominantly fishermen and normally take their fishes up north where they meet with mainly the igbos to either sell their fish, buy farm produce or do trade by barter with. but during this period of slavery, the Bonny people began to lay ambush in wait for the ignorant igbo traders, whom were caught, brought to Bonny then later sold as slaves to the whites. but like the hurdles in every business, these slaves are kept in Bonny for some period of time due to NO AVAILABILITY OF SLAVE SHIPS which they will have wait for weeks to months

nasoeb:
Now lets put this record straight. Bonny historically has been and remain an IJAW town with Ibani as her "native language. it is common to see Bonny indeginous people speaking other languages like igbo, annang, hausa yoruba due to its cosmopolitant nature. however it is common to find most people speaking igbo. "HOW COME PEOPLE SPEAK IGBO OFTEN MORE" during the era of slave trading, like every other Ijaw clan, the Bonny Ijaw perfected on the act. Bonny poeple are predominantly fishermen and normally take their fishes up north where they meet with mainly the igbos to either sell their fish, buy farm produce or do trade by barter with. but during this period of slavery, the Bonny people began to lay ambush in wait for the ignorant igbo traders, whom were caught, brought to Bonny then later sold as slaves to the whites. but like the hurdles in every business, these slaves are kept in Bonny for some period of time due to NO AVAILABILITY OF SLAVE SHIPS which they will have wait for weeks to months

Right, Bonny is an Ijaw town with Ibani previously as native language but the large Igbo slave population that settled there and the unwillingness on the part of the Ibanis to teach them the language are the cause of the Ibani language death situation in Bonny today. If Ibani is widely spoken as some people paint a false impression, there would not be an attempt to 'Ibanize' the people if they were already Ibani speaking. It is not due to cosmopolitan issue or whatever. Lagos is cosmopolitan, you have several tribes living there and so many languages spoken however the most commonly heard language still remains Yoruba. Same for Kano or Katsina.

There were Igbo settlers in Bonny, mostly from a large slave population. There is published evidence from the 1800s that records this fact. These are natives of bonny today and are different from relocating Igbo traders from the hinterland living in Bonny, as you have Igbos living in other states of Nigeria. Do not classify the Igbos in Bonny under the modern day concept of 'migrant' Igbo settlers.