It is an imbecilic statement to say that Ikas were not regarded as Ndigbo until after the war. As early as 1917, Mr Nyandel has writen books about his experience in Ika Igbo areas. He rightly saw Ika people as Igbo people.

Andre Uweh:

What anti-Igbo elements are writing here have been thrashed out severally on nairaland. No one realy cares to read your junk as you all have got less than 100 posts.
The current Obi of Onitsha-Igwe Achebe has disclaimed Bini ancestry of Onitsha. Stop that old and silly Bini ancestry of Onitsha. Onitsha people are proud Igbo people. Onitsha has so many meanings and Azikiwe's mother gave another meaning of Onitsha in Igbo. If at all you have read Azikiwe's book which one of the new kids of nairaland mentioned, you will know where I am coming from.
Also on Onitsha, Azikiwe in his book did not categorically state that Onitsha people are Binis, but he was only quoting what his illiterate grand-mother told him. Did that illiterate old woman conduct any research on Onitsha ancestry?.
Point of correction, What Jim Ovia received was Ikenga award for the best Igbo banker of last year. It is not Aka-Ikenga award. Without denial, he is a proud Ika and proud Igbo man.
Another correction, Nri kingdom is the oldest Kingdom in Nigeria. I also wish to let all of you with less than a hundred posts understand that Ndiigbo east of the Niger do not care much about their ancestry. But they see each other as one.
I think it will be wise for all the non-Igbo elements in Ikaigbo to pay taxes on the land they are occupying.

the findings in nri is dated to between the 9th and 10th century , so it is not the oldest kingdom, many acheological findings in iwo eleru and ifa and some other parts of yoruba land is older than nri findings .the oldest acheological findings in nigeria is calle the nok culture up north around kaduna area dating to about 50,000 years , so please do not confuse us , if we ikas refuse to join you igbos why are you so hurt by that ,our culture and tradition is different from yours and our ways of doing things are not the same .make do with other communities in delta who belong to your meetings and agbor kingdom has existed with a proper kingship and good system of rulership for thousands of years , it is still more unique than nri ,agbor throne is in its third dynasty .and it is a world famous kingdom,which has been written about by many early european explorers and other native historians,the king of agbor does not behave like others , but others try to copy agbor .agbor kingdom cannot be compared to any quasi- kingdom in the east, and the eze nri is not a king in itself , but a priestly authority . the igbos are republican people , but in an attempt to copy some other communities they created kingship.we as ikas do not hate igbos ,but we deserve to be left alone to decided who we are .and we say we are ika people , and no proper ika person who knows his ancestory will say he is igbo , we forbid it and oselobue will never allow that.
have you ever seen any ika man of repute in igbo ethnic group? the answer is capital no. jim ovia whom you are saying received an award from aka -ikenga also received many awards from many yoruba groups ,but does that make him yoruba ? the answer is no, and he was even made a member of lagos state university board is he yoruba ? the answer is no .
what ethnic meeting does jim ovia attend and belong to ? the answer is ogua and onu ika .period , so please stop deceiving your self , ikas will and cannever join igbos,our tradition , culture and history is quite different.please be igbo , while we will be ika.
the vast majority of ikas ,will never join any igbo , and we are clearly miles.we will appreciate if they leave us alone,and for those ikas whose ancestory lies deep in igboland , they should join igbo groups if they like .but they should stop presenting false hood about ika people ,whom they know will not have any thing to do with joining any igbo organisation.the truth is that ika noble kings cannever join with people of less noble birth , it is a taboo.
no amount of intimidation will make majority of ikas join igbo group,even the ill-fated biafra should be a lesson that the vast majority of ikas are not ready to joni any igbo groupings.

ikas cannot be intimidated , we are different from igbos, so you can decided to write whatever you like , or say whatever you like, when the chips are down a proper ika man will never go with an igbo man , and we do not want our tradition and culture to be destroyed .we have proper history we did not create our history in modern times.we have existed as our own people for thousands of years and no tribe can force us to be what we are not ,we are ikas and that is it.
go with your igbo agenda and let us go with our ika agenda.

those writing that anti igbo people should live ika are writing thrash , you know why , in ika land it is the king that owns the land.we are a people with a respectable monarchical system,if people should live ika , it is the strangers who just migrated in less than three hundred years, i am from the royal lineage as one of my ancestors called igbegidi no gidigan ( igbegidi the great warrior ) was king in owa.we the idumuezomor people belong to his lineage and my sakpomagori( great ,great ,great ancestor ) father of omigie who was the father of imade,imade was father of ozolua,who was the father of obakpolor ,who was the father of aggey,who was the father of ogbe,who was the father of ojezua,who was the father of aghedo,who was the father obaseki,who was the father of osafile, who was the father of oturu ,who was the father of igbudu,who was the father of mgbejume ,so i am a son of the soil, we have privileges that other citizens of owa will not have in the royal palace.so those who are not from original owa should pack and rather go to igbo land,as ika belongs to ikas.

@abotean,i and other sons of ika are proud of u,just like in other threads about the ika issue,i have tried but if fell on most block headed igbos chaird by andre. They are trying 2 make matters long.And u knw silence is the best answer to a fool,as to no matter what we say here can change their perceptiom,and for those saying that ika has no oil,i wuld like 2 let u knw that my village umunede is blessed with crude oil,my grand mother and my mother said that it sprang up in their farm and til date dat land is unproductive,also in owa,few years ago oil was discoverd there,so i see no reason why u have 2 keep say that the igbons hav nothing 2 gain fro claiming ika,we knw wat u want,u want to add delta,rivers,edo cros river to ur day dreaming biafra so as to be knwn as a small oil rich nation,any way keep dreaming,ika is not and wil never be igbon(slaves),i had all my education in the east and even wrote igbo in my waec and had a pass,i hav many igbo guys,but dat doesnt make me igbo,talking about ohaneze ndigbo havin people frm ika joining them,i tell that it is a lie,here in aba,we have a meeting for ikas called otu ika,another is O.N.I.A(oshimili,ndokwa,ika and aniocha)meetings,in ph,we have u.p.u.(umunede progresive union)all these stil exist abroad.So ur claims are baseless,i can never be an igbon,IKA FOR EVER.Thanks.@other ika guys i have a thread created at the culture section we can meet there.Nwe ebon.Ika rii nma! Ori ni enyile

agbotaen:

ikas cannot be intimidated , we are different from igbos, so you can decided to write whatever you like , or say whatever you like, when the chips are down a proper ika man will never go with an igbo man , and we do not want our tradition and culture to be destroyed .we have proper history we did not create our history in modern times.we have existed as our own people for thousands of years and no tribe can force us to be what we are not ,we are ikas and that is it.
go with your igbo agenda and let us go with our ika agenda.

sonya4all:

@abotean,i and other sons of ika are proud of u,just like in other threads about the ika issue,i have tried but if fell on most block headed igbos chaird by andre. They are trying 2 make matters long.And u knw silence is the best answer to a fool,as to no matter what we say here can change their perceptiom,and for those saying that ika has no oil,i wuld like 2 let u knw that my village umunede is blessed with crude oil,my grand mother and my mother said that it sprang up in their farm and til date dat land is unproductive,also in owa,few years ago oil was discoverd there,so i see no reason why u have 2 keep say that the igbons hav nothing 2 gain fro claiming ika,we knw wat u want,u want to add delta,rivers,edo cros river to your day dreaming biafra so as to be knwn as a small oil rich nation,any way keep dreaming,ika is not and wil never be igbon(slaves),i had all my education in the east and even wrote igbo in my waec and had a pass,i hav many igbo guys,but dat doesnt make me igbo,talking about ohaneze ndigbo havin people frm ika joining them,i tell that it is a lie,here in aba,we have a meeting for ikas called otu ika,another is O.N.I.A(oshimili,ndokwa,ika and aniocha)meetings,in ph,we have u.p.u.(umunede progresive union)all these stil exist abroad.So your claims are baseless,i can never be an igbon,IKA FOR EVER.Thanks.@other ika guys i have a thread created at the culture section we can meet there.Nwe ebon.Ika rii nma! Ori ni enyile

Anybody reading can judge the intelligence of the above posters from their spelling, after that make up your mind whether you should listen to anything they say.

@ agbotaen, I understand your passion. Since you have a royal lineage, definitely you're a descendant of a Bini man. But Ika is Igbo; no one classifies groups out of passion or sentiment. We're all linked together by our language, Igbo. Ika is simply a dialect of Igbo.

A dialect is defined as a form of a language that is spoken in one area with grammar, words, and pronunciation that may be different from other forms of the same language.

What Jim Ovia received was Ikenga award for the best Igbo banker of the year. Does that tell you something?

You, as a bini descendant, may object to it but you shouldn't stop those that want to join Igbo groups from joining. Your kings may chose not to join because they are Binis but they shouldn't stop their subjects from joining Igbo groups.

Ika is a member of A (Aniocha) : N (Ndokwa) : I (Ika) : O (Oshimili) : M : A; and ANIOMA (Good Land) is a member of Ohaneze.

There are other Anioma people in the East that include: Onitsha, Oguta, Oba, Ogbaru,  Ozobulu, Akwukwu, Oraifite and Obosi. My ancestor was from Ozobulu before he moved to our new location so, indirectly, I am Anioma too. Coincidently, my Local Govenment in Anambra is Anaoma LG.

the findings in nri is dated to between the 9th and 10th century , so it is not the oldest kingdom, many acheological findings in iwo eleru and ifa and some other parts of yoruba land is older than nri findings .the oldest acheological findings in nigeria is calle the nok culture up north around kaduna area dating to about 50,000 years , so please do not confuse us , if we ikas refuse to join you igbos why are you so hurt by that ,our culture and tradition is different from yours and our ways of doing things are not the same .make do with other communities in delta who belong to your meetings and agbor kingdom has existed with a proper kingship and good system of rulership for thousands of years , it is still more unique than nri ,agbor throne is in its third dynasty .and it is a world famous kingdom,which has been written about by many early european explorers and other native historians,the king of agbor does not behave like others , but others try to copy agbor .agbor kingdom cannot be compared to any quasi- kingdom in the east, and the eze nri is not a king in itself , but a priestly authority . the igbos are republican people , but in an attempt to copy some other communities they created kingship.we as ikas do not hate igbos ,but we deserve to be left alone to decided who we are .and we say we are ika people , and no proper ika person who knows his ancestory will say he is igbo , we forbid it and oselobue will never allow that.
have you ever seen any ika man of repute in igbo ethnic group? the answer is capital no. jim ovia whom you are saying received an award from aka -ikenga also received many awards from many yoruba groups ,but does that make him yoruba ? the answer is no, and he was even made a member of lagos state university board is he yoruba ? the answer is no .
what ethnic meeting does jim ovia attend and belong to ? the answer is ogua and onu ika .period , so please stop deceiving your self , ikas will and cannever join igbos,our tradition , culture and history is quite different.please be igbo , while we will be ika.
the vast majority of ikas ,will never join any igbo , and we are clearly miles.we will appreciate if they leave us alone,and for those ikas whose ancestory lies deep in igboland , they should join igbo groups if they like .but they should stop presenting false hood about ika people ,whom they know will not have any thing to do with joining any igbo organisation.the truth is that ika noble kings cannever join with people of less noble birth , it is a taboo.
no amount of intimidation will make majority of ikas join igbo group,even the ill-fated biafra should be a lesson that the vast majority of ikas are not ready to joni any igbo groupings.

and u buhaaaaaaaaaa, the closest u could come up to egypt is IGBO UKWU;Nri right? and that the source of nok so what a hell are yall escalatetors talking about and by the way me personally seen a lot of igbos like that hha;lots of Ogbalors and Onitsha love to claim they arent igbos but there u go; cuz united igbo will burn all yall something

by the way can anyone tell me where Hon Chief Osita Osadebe RIP hometown is

tiger take it easy plz

It was April last year at the Anioma culturefest held at Asaba that The Delta State Commisioner for culture-Richard Mofe-Damijo praised the Igbo culture which he witnessed. He poured encomiums to the Igbo culture. The Ika monarchs were present and they never objected being called Igbo people.
If Ika Obis can not object to being called Igbo, why are the Bini elements complaining?.

@agbotaen  & sonya4all

You guys should calm down please. Believe me when I tell you that there is not much to be worked up over here. Since Nigeria became a country there has never been any tussle that I know of between the Igbo and other groups in delta over land issues. How you guys jumped to land, oil and Biafra beats me! Biafra was EAST not Midwest, though Biafra enjoyed sympathy from Igbo elements in the midwest, nonetheless it was EAST and will remain East until things change, if ever.
Ndigbo are an emotional group and tend to extend inclusion, acceptance and love to all who identify with them. It does not mean that there is complete sameness even within the larger Igbo nation. There are various groups within the Igbo.
I don't know where you guys got the idea that Ndigbo are interested in your oil or land. We have both in abundance in other self identified parts of Igboland. So, lets drop this childishness. There is an entire clan in Nsukka that is partly Igalla. That did not make them deny their Igbo leanings. In fact they could be classified as Igalla, but chose otherwise.
While you may want to be identified as more Bini, there are others (like my former classmate at UNN) who is from Ika too, who proudly identify with Igbo. So, let's not try to force people. Igbo would NEVER force anyone to accept being Igbo. We are a very proud group.

Thanks for listening.

no ika man want to be identified as bini or igbo ,what we are saying is that we are ika. we have long recognised our igbo and bini heritage.but we are a seperate people ,the igbos are our brothers ,just like the binis are also our brother ,but what we are saying is that our right of self determination should be respected.there was a time that the british lumped the isokos with uhrobos in ugheli division and called them uhrobos ,it later took the bravery and courage of chief otobho a nationalist from isoko land to pull the isokos away and right now isoko is respected as a sperate ethnic group.
prince nduka obaigbena was granted an interview in new york times last year and he was called the duke of journalism in nigeria,his was refered to as a man from ika a small nigeria tribe.this is to say no true ika person want to be called anything less than ika.
many nigerians out of ignorant keep saying hausa-fulani tribe,and there is no tribe like that , you are either fulani or hausa period
just like ika -igbo , what does that mean does it mean you are ika in half and igbo in half ? you are either ika or igbo period.
the problem we have in nigeria is that we do not research or read enough ,have any body studied ika people well , what is our way of life , where do we come from ? how do we live in our villages ? what festivals do we perform ? what is our nature and philosophy ? who do ikas say they are ?
and for those who may be occassionally meet some few ikas who tell them they are igbo ,i would want them to go to ika villages and ask many people , even those that are not lettered who they say they are and they would be shocked , they will tell them they are ika.

just like i say most times if it is by language alone that you determine who belongs to a tribe , then itsekiri will be yoruba, ishan will be bini, isoko will be uhrobo,brazil will be portuguese and americans will become englishmen.

@Sonya or what ever dumb name you are called, you must be an I.DI.OT for spelling Igbon instead of Igbo. You beast of no gender should quit posting as your plague-filled moronic brain has got nothing to offer. I spit on your post and will soon spit on your grave. slowpoke.

agbotaen:

no ika man want to be identified as bini or igbo ,what we are saying is that we are ika. we have long recognised our igbo and bini heritage.but we are a seperate people ,the igbos are our brothers ,just like the binis are also our brother ,but what we are saying is that our right of self determination should be respected.there was a time that the british lumped the isokos with uhrobos in ugheli division and called them uhrobos ,it later took the bravery and courage of chief otobho a nationalist from isoko land to pull the isokos away and right now isoko is respected as a sperate ethnic group.
prince nduka obaigbena was granted an interview in new york times last year and he was called the duke of journalism in nigeria,his was refered to as a man from ika a small nigeria tribe.this is to say no true ika person want to be called anything less than ika.
many nigerians out of ignorant keep saying hausa-fulani tribe,and there is no tribe like that , you are either fulani or hausa period
just like ika -igbo , what does that mean does it mean you are ika in half and igbo in half ? you are either ika or igbo period.
the problem we have in nigeria is that we do not research or read enough ,have any body studied ika people well , what is our way of life , where do we come from ? how do we live in our villages ? what festivals do we perform ? what is our nature and philosophy ? who do ikas say they are ?
and for those who may be occassionally meet some few ikas who tell them they are igbo ,i would want them to go to ika villages and ask many people , even those that are not lettered who they say they are and they would be shocked , they will tell them they are ika.

just like i say most times if it is by language alone that you determine who belongs to a tribe , then itsekiri will be yoruba, ishan will be bini, isoko will be uhrobo,brazil will be portuguese and americans will become englishmen.

Spot on

Yet Offa, Ilorin, Ondo, Kaba, Egba, Ijebu, and Ekiti people are all regarded as Yorubas. So what is wrong with the Igbo groups?. Take it or leave it, Ika people are Igbo people just as Mbaise, Asaba, Ngwa, Udi, Afikpo and Ndoki are Igbo.

Isoko is Urhobo.
Itsekiri can't deny their Yoruba heritage hence they attend Afenifere meetings

Sonya,
Iwu isi ede. When ppl say Ika-Igbo, Aro-Igbo, Ikwerre-Igbo, Enugu-Igbo they are simply stating what part of Igbo land the ppl are from.

Hausa-Fulani is not said the same way. People only say it coz both groups have intermarried so much there isn't much difference.

Arochukwu, Abiriba are a mix of Igbo, Efik-Ibibio groups I don't see them saying we are only Aro. They say Igbo only or Igbo and Efik-Ibibio.

Ika areas like Igbanke got the mix of both Igbo (dominant) and Bini heritage. They are Igbo and can also claim both Igbo and Bini. Its that simple.

the man that said isoko is uhrobo has showed that they man is not from delta state , if you say it where an isoko man is what you will get is a cutlas cut on your head .isokos are different from uhrobos .please go and learn isoko history .ikas cannever be igbos , because they are ikas.please make do with those igboic towns in delta that belongs to igbo ethnic meetings.
itsekiris are a seperate ethnic group from yoruba or edo , although they still keep their relationship with the two groups.they are proud of their heritage.we ikas are proud too,of our ancestry and culture.
till the world will end ikas know they are not igbos, why struggle with a group of people that have taken a distance from you .do you see any ika king going near any igbo ethnic meeting as in joining ? the answer is no , if a king from ika does that , he will loose face with the vast majority of ikas.
any way this is an internet group, so people can show all forms of sentiment, i have children and i have told them they are ikas , just like my father told me ,and his own father told him.so you see .the ikas will continue to be ika ,and those who are not ika will never be ika,if you are not nwaebon , then you are not ika.
if your ancestors did not worship olokun, did not worship ogun or idigun, did not perform igue festival, did not dance udje, did not bear the ancestral igu mark of osigu, did not believe in ehi -as guardian spirit,did not live in idumu, and ogbe , did not attend ogua as -a palace and did not have the three- levels of chiefthancy - the town chiefs, palace and hereditory chiefs system and did not have an obi in the edaiken system, does not speak ika language and did not believe in the supreme GOD -as oselobue,or osenobue ,and does not come from same AGBON- lineage as other ikas , then you are not ika and it will be good if you refraine from talking about ikas ,because you do not know who ikas are.

agbotaen:

the  man that  said  isoko is uhrobo has showed that they  man is not from delta state , if you say it where an isoko man  is what you will get  is a cutlas cut on your head .isokos are different from uhrobos .please go  and learn isoko history .ikas cannever be  igbos , because they are ikas.please make do  with those igboic towns in delta that belongs to  igbo ethnic meetings.
    itsekiris are a seperate ethnic group from yoruba or edo , although they still keep their relationship with the two groups.they are proud of their heritage.we  ikas are proud too,of our ancestry and culture.
       till the world will end ikas know they are not igbos, why struggle with a group of people that have taken a distance from you .do you see any  ika king going near any igbo ethnic meeting as in joining ? the  answer is no , if a king from ika does that , he will loose face with the vast majority of ikas.
             any way this is an internet group, so people can show all forms  of sentiment, i have children and i have told them they are ikas , just like my father told me ,and his own father told him.so you see .the ikas will continue to  be  ika ,and those who  are not ika will never be ika,if you are not nwaebon , then you are not  ika.
       if your ancestors did not worship olokun, did not worship ogun or idigun, did not  perform igue festival, did not dance udje, did not bear the ancestral igu mark of osigu, did not believe in ehi -as guardian spirit,did not live in idumu, and ogbe , did not attend ogua as -a palace and did not have the three- levels of  chiefthancy - the town chiefs, palace and hereditory chiefs system and did not have an  obi in the edaiken  system, does not speak ika language and did not believe in the supreme GOD -as oselobue,or osenobue ,and does not come from same AGBON- lineage as other ikas , then you are not ika and  it  will be good if you refraine from talking about ikas ,because you do  not know who  ikas are.

I hope you understand that because the Ika is a group existing at the borders of two different tribes -Igbo and Bini- that there will always be elements within it that identify with either tribe. That is why this is a tricky subject for us Igbo. Our civil war experience makes us emotional and we feel an obligation to "welcome and protect" anyone identifying as Igbo. Believe me, that is the only reason this conversation is still going on.  There are people from that area that identify themselves as Igbo, and Ndigbo will always claim them as Igbo no matter what you might feel about it. Until the Ika collectively passes a resolution disavowing their Igbo lineage, Ndigbo will never stop identifying with them as Igbo.

Like I've said before, Igbo do not need to expand westwards. There is NOTHING NEW to gain from that. Absolutely nothing. So, let's calm down and realize that other peoples feelings are also involved. You feel this way passionately, other people inside the same Ika area might feel the opposite!
So the easiest way for you to achieve your aim is to mobilize at home and pass that resolution, not here on nairaland.

Ika bu Igbo kpomkwem.

Isoko bu Urhobo.

Stop dragging the Isoko into ur mess and that foolish Isoko man will get a beat down trust me.
Beaf is Isoko and has no problem identifying with Urhobo. Yeye man.

ikas have already passed that resolution a long time ago, we call ourself ika nation ,and we have our own ethnic organisations called onu ika and ogua ika and otu -ika. over 96 percent of ikas subscribe to this organisation.that is why all ika leaders ,kings , intelligesia and even common men belong to this organisation .and you cannot find any ika monarch is any other organisation than ika group , or anioma groupings.
we are a strict monarchical people who will not disobey our obis( kings) and deins.becasue there are traditional sanctions for that.so if occassionally we have one or two elements in ika land who say they belong to igbo, it is also welcomed ,because not every one reasons a like.but that person knows he or she is on thier own, and thus not have the backing of the vast majority of their town or village.we have the ika national hall in agbor , and we move the annual ogua ika lecture round the different kingdoms in ika land .to talk about the progress of ika and how to bring development in ika land.
our people have spoken and they know they are ika.
we have been ikas for thousands of years, we have built our kingdom,by ourself , we have been protected and shielded by our courage and God almighty osenobue ,even when the mighty benin kingdom was at the height of her power , our ancestors survived and built an enviable kingdom.so we have continued today as our own people , irrespective of others who want to tell us our history.and especially those that are not even from delta state , who still want to tell an owa or agbor man his history.
long live ika land ,agbon ni igidi, owa adagba ni ikoha.

@Mazi Agbotaen: With due respect, your posts are interesting to read, but try to avoid repetitions. From your day one here, you have not written any thing different till this day.
It is agreed that their are non-Igbo Ikas such as you but let the Ikas who see themselves as Igbo have peace.
In Igboland there are so many town union organisations such as Otu Ika, Ezumezu Mbaise, Ogbako Mbano, Nzuko Obowu, Ihitte-Etiti Mbaasa, etc. You can belong to this organisation as well as belong to the general Igbo organisation anywhere you are.
Also, it is very wrong for you to say that Ika people can not belong to any organisation except Ika organisations. That shows you do not travel at all or you have not travelled wide.
November 2008, The late Obi of Akumazi was one of the monarchs who endorsed Amb R. Uwaechue as candidate from Anioma to vie for the post of Ohanaeze president-general.
As people learn from you, yu also have to learn from people. Nobody knows all but accept your own limitations of knowledge. Peace.

^^^

This agbotaen's post is in every site where Ika is discussed. Same thing and very boring.

my post might be boring but i am trying to extricate my people from al l those who wish to impose an ethnic group that we do not belong to .as many of our people are not on the post , so i am their mouth pieces for majority of ikas ,but we do also have ikas that feel they are igbo,that ok, they can join any igbo organisation of their choice , but our kings , chiefs , noble men and intelligessia have taken a stance and that is that they are ikas and not igbo

agbotaen:

my post might be boring but i am trying to extricate my people from al l those who wish to impose an ethnic group that we do not belong to .as many of our people are not on the post , so i am their mouth pieces for majority of ikas ,but we do also have ikas that feel they are igbo,that ok, they can join any igbo organisation of their choice , but our kings , chiefs , noble men and intelligessia have taken a stance and that is that they are ikas and not igbo

Did you say Ika Kings?. What was your response when it came to your knowledge that a prominent Ika Obi (king) was a father of the day at Iri ji festival of Igbo youths in the UK some years ago?.