We have a tradition in Ngwa that talks about the founding of Ikwere. Until now I don't know the details regarding it, as it was only mentioned to me, in passing, but I will definitely dig into it.

ChinenyeN:

We have a tradition in Ngwa that talks about the founding of Ikwere. Until now I don't know the details regarding it, as it was only mentioned to me, in passing, but I will definitely dig into it.

All the documents about Ikwerre origin links 60% of Ikwerres come from Ngwaland. Another 30% from other parts of Igboland and another 10% outside Igboland.

Just got link

http://independentmonitorng.com/index1.html

FEATURES:History, As Orji Ascends Omagwa Royal Stool
Acommunity or village without a leader is like sheep without shepherd. It was on this premise that Omagwa Community in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State gathered at St. Martins School  playground to coronate Chief Jacob Wagorchi Orji as the Royal Highness of Omagwa community last Saturday, September 5, 2009.
The event which started on 25th August, 2009 at Obiri Awuse (Ancestral hall), where Chief Jacob Wagorchi Orji was formally presented by Agwawirie Royal House, through Oha Rufus Amadi (the Owhor holder), as paramount ruler elect.
On Saturday 5th September 2009, coronation began at 11.15am as the Chief elect was heralded into the arena with twelve gunshots while prominent citizens council of chiefs were already seated, as various cultural groups entertained the guests.
In a welcome address, the secretary of the council, Chief Alfred N. O. Wiche traced the origin of the stool to 28th January 1901, when Sir Walter Egerton of the then British High Commissioner, Owerri province crowned Chief Orji Wori of Agwawirie Omagwa as the paramount ruler of Omagwa clan. He noted that the stool has come a long way and should have been given recognition as first class, hinting also that Agwa, as it was called then, and now Omagwa, came from the lineage of Okpo Wagidi and Agwa was the last son of the family.
The secretary disclosed that Isiokpo, Elele, Omuanwa, Ibaa and others are of the same lineage and have their stool separated  leaving Omagwa stool that was  recognized in 1901 to remain merged with three other communities of Omademe, Ozuaha and Ipo under four town with one second class stool which Chief Wichie described as an artificial creation which he said lacked succession and originality.
He urged Rivers State Government under Governor Chibuike Amaechi to recognize  first class stool for Omagwa under Chief  Jacob Wagorchi Orji. He stated that Omagwa deserve first class stool by virtue of government presence in the community such as the International Airport, the proposed Greater Port Harcourt City and the Industrial Estate, just to mention but few.
Speaking at the occasion, Hon. Kerian Wobodo, chairman Ikwerre Local Government Area and also the chairman of the occasion expressed his happiness with the turnout to the event which he said suggested that Chief Jacob Wagorchi Orji is a consensus candidate of the community. Hon. Wobodo however expressed surprise that a stool which colonial master recognize is not given the attention it deserve, promising that it is a fight for all of us even if  he is out of government because according to him, if it were in other small towns in the state, it would have been given recognition to first class stool.
The Local Government chairman warned those who want to foment trouble to steer clear but rather join hand with the new paramount ruler to ensure the peace and mutual understanding.
He advised the paramount ruler to respect the opinion of council of chiefs as he was called to serve and not as a king.
The HRH Eze Jacob was crowned at exactly 12.58pm by Chief James  N. Amadi, chairman Ohanu Eze Omagwa, immediately after coronation, Eze Jacob  moved for procession around the arena to express happiness with the people which attracted wide ovation.
In his acceptance speech, the new paramount ruler, Chief Jacob Wagorchi Orji expressed joy with the successful coronation and lauded the people of Omagwa clan for the opportunity given him to serve. He promised to serve the community diligently to ensure the promotion of unity. Cooperation and progress among the community.
Eze Orji stated that the period of pervasion of justice and all forms of misdeed is now a thing of the past and protection of widows. He warned those airport landlord committee who shortchanged our people to think twice.
He called on cult boys who fled the committee as a result of cult related activities to avail themselves of the federal government amnesty and return to the village for oat taking and settlement.
In a chat with newsmen, Hon. Ndubuisi Nwanosike former councilor ward 9 Omagwa stated that he was delighted with the peaceful atmosphere during the occasion and thanked God for the relative peace that is being enjoyed by his clan. He advised the community to support the new paramount ruler to carry out his functions effectively in order to bring development to the town.
On the alleged court injunction to frustrate the coronation, Hon. Nwanosike stated that the court order was illegal because it was not duly signed and stamped by a judge of a high court and therefore should not have had any effect on the coronation.
He enjoined all those who want to send the hands of the clock backward to rather team up with the paramount ruler to move the community forward.
Also speaking, the chairman of Omagwa council of chiefs, Chief James n. Amadi expressed his happiness with the successful coronation of Eze Wagorchi Orji and trace the first installation in 1901 and thereafter late Ikpoka Elendu took over the mantle of leadership until it was merged as four towns which brought late Ismael Ikpo who later died and the stool remained vacant. He stated that in a bid to make a possible replacement  has always ended in law court.
He thanked God that the matter has been resolved by the coronation of Eze Jacob Orji. He added that the choice of Chief Orji as paramount ruler was a consensus opinion of entire Omagwa adding that the court injunction which he was served does not have any merit as it lacks due process.
Speaking on behalf of women group, Mrs. Nne Daddy Onyegbule and Mrs. R. A. Ibekwe jointly expressed joy for what they described as a good omen, the coronation. They lauded the community to have given them a leader of their time, adding that the community for years now had stayed without a ruler, pointing out that the new ruler will front the community before government.
The CDC chairman in the community, Chief Amesi Okolokpa said their dreams have been realized, hinting that the paramount rulership stool was supposed to have been recognized before the outbreak of civil war in Nigeria but regretted that the reverse was the case.
He described Eze Wagorchi Orji as a man of proven integrity who has all it takes to lead the community.
The highlight of the occasion include coronation, presentation of gifts and  display of various cultural groups in the community.

duplicate removed

there is a very clear tradition about the founding of Canada Australia and the USA today they are Canadians Australians and Americans and NOT something else.
The Ikwerres have told Nigerians in VERY CLEAR terms that they want to be seen as Ikwerre and that is that.
They have chosen to have THEIR OWN translation of the Bible e.g. rejecting external impositions by irredentists
The issue is not one of Origin but status quo
Barack Obama is American NOT Kenyan

There is a difference between wanting to be recognized Aas 'Ikwere' (which of course I completely understand) Aand actively lying about one's historical and kinship links.

aribisala0:

there is a very clear tradition about the founding of Canada Australia and the USA today they are Canadians Australians and Americans and NOT something else.
The Ikwerres have told Nigerians in VERY CLEAR terms that they want to be seen as Ikwerre and that is that.
They have chosen to have THEIR OWN translation of the Bible e.g. rejecting external impositions by irredentists
The issue is not one of Origin but status quo
Barack Obama is American NOT Kenyan

Abagworo's post shows that this people are Igbo.
@Aribisala, my wife and her Ikwerre family are proud Igbo people.
I have never for one day seen my wife as any other ethnic group other than Igbo.
Stop dividing us.

Andre Uweh:

Worse than those Yorubas who are angry about kwarans, even in their mode of dressings as well the caps they put on their heads.

what are you on about ??
only unenlightened yorubas subscribe to the concept of ONE yoruba nation the Kwara issue is a concern of Oyo people who might be the ones appropriately called Yorubas. Otherwise we are several nations who find utility in the concept of Yoruba within the confines of Nigeria. The whole idea of a Yoruba people is a colonial one. Ijebus for example were NEVER part of that before the British came. We have commonality in tracing origin to Oduduwa/Ife but the Yoruba thing is as artificial as i suspect the Igbo thing is too.
However it serves a useful purpose now

funny how our minds work so that is all it takes to demonstrate who is Igbo. one post from abagworo  the sage
you could have fooled me

Andre Uweh:

Abagworo's post shows that this people are Igbo.
@Aribisala, my wife and her Ikwerre family are proud Igbo people.
I have never for one day seen my wife as any other ethnic group other than Igbo.
Stop dividing us.

you really are not a bright guy and i suspect you are that Ngodigha character. you are wasting my time and have nothing stimulating to offer

http://www.ikwerredevelopmentassociation.com/Documents/History%20Volume%20One.pdf

PAGE 21

Secondly and crucially. from time immemorial and despite the attempted
pandering to the vicissitudes of political fortune. the Ikwerre have always
regarded themselves as a group distinct and different from their immediate
neighbours. Thus. while they refer to themselves as Iwhuroha their
neighOOurs are variously referred to as (nde) Ekpeye. Abua. Rukwo (=
Ijaw). agoni (- Eleme. agoni. etc.). Etche and. crucially. Isoma or Mgbom (-
Ibo). Interestingly. none of the other groups mentioned herein has attempted
to assimilate the Ikwerre to themselves - except. of course. the Ibo. Such selfawareness
and dogged assertion of group identity as manifested by the
Ikwerre over the centuries constitute part of the bricks with which the edifice
of national or ethnic identity is built. The strength and durability of such an
edifice is. usually. dependent on a number of factors. some of which (e.g ,
military conquest. deportation. etc.) may be beyond the control of the national
or ethnic group concerned.

aribisala0:

funny how our minds work so that is all it takes to demonstrate who is Igbo. one post from abagworo the sage ;Dcould have fooled me you really are not a bright guy and i suspect you are that Ngodigha character. you are wasting my time and have nothing stimulating to offer

You are the one wasting your own time. You have no business in Igbo affairs.
Am happily married to an Ikwerre lady. She is a proud Igbo so is her family.
Fact: Some Ikwerres do not see themselves as Igbo. But that is in the minority. Moreover, this denial is in decline since the new dispensation.

http://www.ikwerredevelopmentassociation.com/Documents/History%20Volume%20One.pdf

Yet after over half a century of virtually uninterrupted spread of Ibo
influence, culture and hegemony among the neighbouring ethnic groups, such
a spread even aided and abetted by the various forces of Western
imperialism, it was a veritable bolt from the blue when Kay Williamson's
linguistic studies raised at'a high intellectual level the question of the
lingUistic relationship between Igbo and the languages of the Northern part of
Rivers State, for example Ikwerre, Etche, Ogba, Ekpeye, and so on. On the
basis of a lexicostatistical study of the areas concerned, she arrived at the
conclusion that instead of regarding Ikwerre and the other languages as
dialects of Igbo, it is best to regard them as related languages in what she
terms "The Lower Niger group" of languages12 (excluding the southern part
of the Niger Delta). Although it was far from her intentions, Kay
Williamson's paper had a devastating effect, as it challenged certain
preconceived ideas13 and the political attitudes and ambitions based on
them, For our purposes in this research seminar, the impertance of Kay
Williamson's flnding lies not in its being a definitive pronouncement on the
status of Ikwerre vis-a-vis other related languages, especially Igbo; rather it
lies in the fact that' it has once again opened avenues of fruitful research,
which had previously been prematurely closed.

[size=18pt]ikwerre development association[/size]

http://www.ikwerredevelopmentassociation.com/Documents/History%20Volume%20One.pdf

CONCLUSION
pages 31-32

Ikwerre is made of Clans. Kindreds. Towns. Villages and hamlets. The
geographical spread of Ikwerre covers all of the Ikwerre portion of the Ikwerre-
Etche Local Government Area. the Obio. Rebisi and Akpor Clans and
Kindreds in the Port Harcourt Local Government Area and the Ikwerre
speaking
32
areas of Ohaji in Imo State.
The Ikwerres are ~ small but distinct tribe. The Ikwerres have distinct
linguistic, social and cultural traits and formations that distinguish them from
other close neighbouring tribes like the Ijaws and the lbas.
Majority of the Ikwerre settlements have their routes traceable from the old
Benin Empire. Akalaka and Ochichi (half-brothers) migrated from the area of
Ben;.n Empire. Akalaka had two children - Ekpeye and Akugba (Ogba or
Omoku). Ochichi and his younger brother Wezena crossed the Sombreiro to
settle at Elele. His (OchichU sons were Ele (Omerele, now Elele), elu
(Elumuoha, now Omerelu), Egbe (Egbeda) and Mini (Alimini, Isiokpo).
Wezena later on moved Southwards towards Ohelle, Ibaa, Rumuji, Emohua
and finally settled at Ogbakiri.
There is much room for more detailed research work in the area of the
evolution of lkwerre as a people. Greater effort should be exerted by patriotic
and forward-looking Ikwerre individuals and organisations to dig more into the
archives of Ikwerre History so as to put such facts together to enhance an
authentic and reliable write-up on THE EVOLUTION OF IKWERRE AS A
PEOPLE.

RIGHTLY OR WRONGLY THIS IS WHAT THEY WISH TO BELIEVE
let them be
this articke was written when there was still Ikwerr-Etche LGA the Etche are NOT Ikwerre

Ikwerre is made of Clans. Kindreds. Towns. Villages and hamlets. The
geographical spread of Ikwerre covers all of the Ikwerre portion of the Ikwerre-
Etche Local Government Area. the Obio. Rebisi and Akpor Clans and
Kindreds in the Port Harcourt Local Government Area and the Ikwerre
speaking
32
areas of Ohaji in Imo State.

@aribisala0. If you observe well what I posted is from the Eze's palace and well written. It is normally done across Africa that during coronation and other traditional ceremonies there is an incantation of lineage which is usually the basis of tradition of origin. The Owhor(Ofor) holder is a symbol of truth and justice and cannot lie.

There is nothing Benin about Ikwerre.It was recently manufactured.It is rather my own home town of Oguta alongside Egbema,Ogba and Ekpeye that have traditions of Benin migration. I have stated earlier that from my own studies it seems more like an already Igbo speaking people crossed over from Aboh and not Benin. If you visit these area, we have some evidences of Benin link including linguistics. My own Mother is from Ikwerre so I know that nothing Benin exists in Ikwerre.

That said Ikwerre has rights to ethnic independence as agreed by everyone but there is no need to lie about your ancestry.

aribisala0:

there is a very clear tradition about the founding of Canada Australia and the USA today they are Canadians Australians and Americans and NOT something else.
The Ikwerres have told Nigerians in VERY CLEAR terms that they want to be seen as Ikwerre and that is that.
They have chosen to have THEIR OWN translation of the Bible e.g. rejecting external impositions by irredentists
The issue is not one of Origin but status quo
Barack Obama is American NOT Kenyan

I think you need to tell that to Uche okwukwu,former ACN chairman in rivers state,he recently told news men that he is an igboman and that ikwerre people are igbo.

pazienza:

I think you need to tell that to Uche okwukwu,former ACN chairman in rivers state,he recently told news men that he is an igboman and that ikwerre people are igbo.

Here's a link that adds credence to your assertion http://www.thetidenewsonline.com/?p=28864

Abagworo:

@aribisala0. If you observe well what I posted is from the Eze's palace and well written. It is normally done across Africa that during coronation and other traditional ceremonies there is an incantation of lineage which is usually the basis of tradition of origin. The Owhor(Ofor) holder is a symbol of truth and justice and cannot lie.

There is nothing Benin about Ikwerre.It was recently manufactured.It is rather my own home town of Oguta alongside Egbema,Ogba and Ekpeye that have traditions of Benin migration. I have stated earlier that from my own studies it seems more like an already Igbo speaking people crossed over from Aboh and not Benin. If you visit these area, we have some evidences of Benin link including linguistics.  My own Mother is from Ikwerre so I know that nothing Benin exists in Ikwerre.

That said Ikwerre has rights to ethnic independence as agreed by everyone but there is no need to lie about your ancestry.

Don't mind the cunny yoruba man,he would rather have a divided igbo land.

Abagworo,can you help me to post that interview where uche okwukwu said ikwerre are igbo, just google in "uche okwukwu is an igbo man" or the title of the interview which is: I GAVE THE LAST 4.4 ACN  to DR  SEIKIBO.

afam4eva:


Here's a link that adds credence to your assertion http://www.thetidenewsonline.com/?p=28864

Afam,may your days be long.

afam4eva:


Here's a link that adds credence to your assertion http://www.thetidenewsonline.com/?p=28864

Afam,that is good one,but thats not the one i had i mind,he spoke more on the ikwerre being igbo on the interview i have in mind,pls check out the reply i gave to abagworo for a lead to the link,pls help me to post it,thanks.

pazienza:

Afam,that is good one,but thats not the one i had i mind,he spoke more on the ikwerre being igbo on the interview i have in mind,pls check out the reply i gave to abagworo for a lead to the link,pls help me to post it,thanks.

Here you have it  http://www.thetidenewsonline.com/?p=28944

That man is a hardcore Igboist.

This is another proud Ikwerre-Igboist.

http://www.nigeriavillagesquare.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=9072

Barrister Uche Okwukwu you are known by many people for different things, controversial is one of them. Once, you were quoted as saying that Ikwerres are Igbos just as you were also quoted as supporting the MASSOB struggle at a time. Can you react to these sayings?


Yes, my name is Uchechukwu Okwukwu. I am an Igbo man. I have said it in different fora, the Willink report is available, the Ph’D work of Late Chief Aguma in University of Ibadan 1977 is available, other reports are also available. There is a fundamental difference between a nation and a tribe. A tribe speaks a dialect, a Nation speaks a language. Some Ikwerre people agreed that they are from Igbo, some say they are from Benin heritage. Scientifically, there are parameters we use to determine things, the sociological, spiritual, geographical and historical. If you say you are from Benin, come with your proof and show us how you came from Benin. There is no common thing that trace Ikwerre lineage to Benin. There is no single common Edo language in the Ikwerre land. None. So, those who, in falsification of languages, say other wise, should come forward with their proof.
In a study carried out by the Niger Delta group in 1976, under the Niger Delta spirit, edited by Prof Alagoa, the Ikwerre was clearly pointed out as Igbos. See, to lose a war is bad-the post-war Nigeria saw the two groups, the Igbos and Niger Delta as conquered people and the victorious North and the West clearly, unequal partners in a new relationship that eventually emerged and in that unequal relationship, like the law of Osmosis, weaker solution is naturally drawn by the stronger solution. What happened was that if you said then, you’re an Igbo, you are hated because you’re a Biafran you committed a crime, your master is in Cote d’Ivoire  you raised up arms  against the  Federal Government, forgetting that according to Gabriel Onyeke’s  Commission of enquiry 30,000  Easterners were massacred. So everybody said I am not Igbo purely as a survival syndrome. Why would you say you are Igbo, when you were not wanted?  Of course, my name is Uche Okwukwu, so you can ask me my name and I will say’ am not Igbo, because if I say I was Igbo, I will be punished, but you would agree with me in this state that the great and mighty of Ikwerre land agreed that they were all Igbos. They include late Francis Ellah, former Secretary to the Rivers State government who said he was an Igbo man, the late Okugbule Wonodi, former registrar of the University of Port Harcourt said the same. Chief C. C. Nwuche said he is an Igboman, so what crime has Uchechukwu Okwukwu committed?


What is the contention of Ogbakor Ikwerre on this? Do you belong to Ogbakor Ikwerre?
Ogbakor Ikweere is an umbrella socio-cultural body, it has never said no Ikwerre man should have a different opinion on any issue.
Do they agree with you on this issue?


No, Ogbakor Ikwerre doesn’t  need to agree with me because, it has never, ever driven any Ikweere man for identifying with the Igbos or one who said, he is an Igbo man.
We hope they will not sanction you?
They never drove away Okugbule Wonodi, they are not thinking of that because there are available records to show, everybody wrote with his own hand writing. When people who went to school wrote in their own handwriting, when they were not biased, people wrote tribe and nation, such records are available. What happens in this country is that we like to suppress truth. Believe me, this is the biggest shame coming from this part of the black race, it is not a courageous race ,the race is  always very petty. Today’s US President Barack Obama told American voters I am pure Black American” be said, my father came here to get scholarship to study Medicine, because of internal crisis, and then government received Obama’s  father into the US.
The Kenyan’s son said my name is Barack Obama ,my background is Kenya. He never said I come from America and I will answer Bush or White. ,if it were in Nigeria, he would start answering another name or remove Barack Hussein Obama, because America had problem with the Muslim extremists, then


http://www.thetidenewsonline.com/?p=28944

Thanks Pazienza. You know I have argued about this with my cousins who were brainwashed into the Benin lies. I tell them to come to Oguta, they will see names like Nworisa,Nwadei,Ossai,Adizua,Abagoro and more.A variance of these names might be found in Urhobo,Isoko, and Benin.It is quite disgusting to deny the obvious. Ikwerres have no history of Kingship.They are ruled by Oha with Opara and oldest man being the Ofor holder. Kingship was introduced under the indirect rule system adopted by the Colonial masters. I have searched for differences with other Igbos but found none other than geo-political zone not being in South-east. Another one I noticed was a change of surname with Igbo suffix or prefix like Igbokwe. I am sure of a family known as Igbokwe that changed their name to Weli.

I still put it that Ikwerre can be regarded as a separate ethnic group on grounds of the way the people view themselves. However manufacturing lies to distance yourself from your root is a wrong way to go about that.

Abagworo:

Thanks Pazienza. You know I have argued about this with my cousins who were brainwashed into the Benin lies. I tell them to come to Oguta, they will see names like Nworisa,Nwadei,Ossai,Adizua,Abagoro and more.A variance of these names might be found in Urhobo,Isoko, and Benin.It is quite disgusting to deny the obvious. Ikwerres have no history of Kingship.They are ruled by Oha with Opara and oldest man being the Ofor holder. Kingship was introduced under the indirect rule system adopted by the Colonial masters. I have searched for differences with other Igbos but found none other than geo-political zone not being in South-east. Another one I noticed was a change of surname with Igbo suffix or prefix like Igbokwe. I am sure of a family known as Igbokwe that changed their name to Weli.

I still put it that Ikwerre can be regarded as a separate ethnic group on grounds of the way the people view themselves. However manufacturing lies to distance yourself from your root is a wrong way to go about that.

Nwannem,you are welcome,no matter how fast lies travel,truth will always overtake it.

afam4eva:

Here you have it  http://www.thetidenewsonline.com/?p=28944

That man is a hardcore Igboist.

Afam thank you,this is exactly the interview i have in mind.

Abagworo:

Thanks Pazienza. You know I have argued about this with my cousins who were brainwashed into the Benin lies. I tell them to come to Oguta, they will see names like Nworisa,Nwadei,Ossai,Adizua,Abagoro and more.A variance of these names might be found in Urhobo,Isoko, and Benin.It is quite disgusting to deny the obvious. Ikwerres have no history of Kingship.They are ruled by Oha with Opara and oldest man being the Ofor holder. Kingship was introduced under the indirect rule system adopted by the Colonial masters. I have searched for differences with other Igbos but found none other than geo-political zone not being in South-east. Another one I noticed was a change of surname with Igbo suffix or prefix like Igbokwe. I am sure of a family known as Igbokwe that changed their name to Weli.

I still put it that Ikwerre can be regarded as a separate ethnic group on grounds of the way the people view themselves. However manufacturing lies to distance yourself from your root is a wrong way to go about that.

How do you mean by the words in bold?

I've heard claims of having a different mentality from the SE Igbos. I still dont understand tho. Are all members of a particular ethnic group supposed to behave alike?

aribisala0:

[size=18pt]ikwerre development association[/size]

http://www.ikwerredevelopmentassociation.com/Documents/History%20Volume%20One.pdf

CONCLUSION
pages 31-32

Ikwerre is made of Clans. Kindreds. Towns. Villages and hamlets. The
geographical spread of Ikwerre covers all of the Ikwerre portion of the Ikwerre-
Etche Local Government Area. the Obio. Rebisi and Akpor Clans and
Kindreds in the Port Harcourt Local Government Area and the Ikwerre
speaking
32
areas of Ohaji in Imo State.
The Ikwerres are ~ small but distinct tribe. The Ikwerres have distinct
linguistic, social and cultural traits and formations that distinguish them from
other close neighbouring tribes like the Ijaws and the lbas.
[flash=200,200]http://Majority of the Ikwerre settlements have their routes traceable from the old
Benin Empire. Akalaka and Ochichi (half-brothers) migrated from the area of
Ben;.n Empire. Akalaka had two children - Ekpeye and Akugba (Ogba or
Omoku).[/flash] Ochichi and his younger brother Wezena crossed the Sombreiro to
settle at Elele. His (OchichU sons were Ele (Omerele, now Elele), elu
(Elumuoha, now Omerelu), Egbe (Egbeda) and Mini (Alimini, Isiokpo).
Wezena later on moved Southwards towards Ohelle, Ibaa, Rumuji, Emohua
and finally settled at Ogbakiri.
There is much room for more detailed research work in the area of the
evolution of lkwerre as a people. Greater effort should be exerted by patriotic
and forward-looking Ikwerre individuals and organisations to dig more into the
archives of Ikwerre History so as to put such facts together to enhance an
authentic and reliable write-up on THE EVOLUTION OF IKWERRE AS A
PEOPLE.

RIGHTLY OR WRONGLY THIS IS WHAT THEY WISH TO BELIEVE
let them be
this articke was written when there was still Ikwerr-Etche LGA the Etche are NOT Ikwerre

The bolded is falsity. The majority of ikwere NEVER traced their history back to the Benin Empire. Akalaka(An Ukwuani) did not go past Ekpeyeland which means there is nothing like Benin in those people. Even the the way they dress doent reflect anything of Benin influence. The "Benin" lineage that they are refering to,which they have nothing to do with, is Igbo too,lol. . .It is the Igbo part of the Benin Empire(I even question this benin empire thingy). With that being said, even if they do want to be Igbo they would still be claiming Igbo ancestry unknowingly, lol

mbatuku2:

How do you mean by the words in bold?

I've heard claims of having a different mentality from the SE Igbos. I still dont understand tho. Are all members of a particular ethnic group supposed to behave alike?

SE Igbos do not even behave alike. My point is that you cannot impose ethnicity on anyone even if no single difference exists. It is a thing of choice. Ezza and Izzi which is more deviated prefer being Igbos while Ikwerre which has little or no difference prefer being Ikwerre.

I am not Ikwerre but I know the Ikwerre very well because I lived and grew up there.
An Ikwerre man NEVER introduces himself as Igbo
This issue is not one for arguments or name calling.
It is one that calls for examination of FACTS as they are.

1. The Ikwerre people today chose to be regarded as Ikwerre and sought to be recognized as a group distinct from ANY OTHER within Nigeria they were so recognized within the Nigerian constitution
2. They decided they[b] would rather have an Ikwerre Bible [/b]than be forced to read the Igbo Bible as was the case during the colonial era and immediately post- independence
3. There are lexicostatistal studies  that show that Ikwerre and Igbo while mutually intelligible to some extent, are distinct Languages
4. Laguage of itself proves nothing. any one who has lived in Ireland,Wales or Scotland will know that it is almost impossible to find yound people who speak Irish,Welsh or Gaelic AT ALL. Invariably they speak English but that does Not make them English.

Ultimately the issue is for the Ikwerre people to determine what they want to be .
IT IS NOT AN IGBO ISSUE BUT AN IKWERRE one.
IT IS NOT EVEN AN ISSUE OF ORIGIN but rather one of choice.
I am sure most of the commentators here have never set foot in Ikwerre land but just parrot what they hear.
Before the war most of Diobu in Port Harcourt was Occupied by Igbo traders and that is very much the case now.
there is one point of note; they are NOT Ikwere and in fact they tend to look down on Ikwerre .That was the case before the war and now. It is the case that the greatest theatre of the "abandoned property imbroglio was Port Harcourt" WHY?
If there really is such cordial fraternity why did Igbos flee Port Harcourt?
Did anyone teach the Ikwerres before they renamed Oyigbo or Umu to Rumu. ? They know that under an Igbo Hegemony all things Ikwerre will very quickly disappear and be forgotten.
Truth is they want to preserve their identity as Ikwerre and NOT DISSOLVE into a bigger pot which they do not identify with.
Like I pointed out before origin is irrelevant to status quo. The Ndebeles came from the Zulus everyone knows but they are NOT zulus. The Americans ,Australians, Canadians all have their origins well documented as is the case for BOERS(Afrikaans) in South Africa. They are new nations/peoples now.
Until the Ikwerre people get up and tell Nigerians to Delete Ikwerre from the constitution we shall continue to call them Ikwerre

@aribisala
Why not back off and allow Ikwerre people to decide what they are. The two men in the links i provided are Ikwerre and are proud to call themselves Igbo. There are also Igbos like Elechi Amadi who detest being referred to as Igbo. So, i guess it's a matter of choice. Let's not force ethnicity down anybody's throat. Even if all Ikwerres claim not to be Igbo, that will not stop them from seeing Igbos as their brothers before any other group.

it really does NOT matter whether their claims are true or NOT. frankly it is irrelevant . there are many who claim their ancestors came from the sky.
what matters is that today they want to be called Ikwerre