Odepo:

HISTORY of aAbua shows that Abua owns Port Harcourt and not as claimed by the Okrikas and the Ikwerres
Because as a people we relied heavily on oral than written tradition, there is not a large body of documentation on our origin. Nonetheless, scholars have used two theories and linguistic analysis to reconstruct the Abua origin and migration over the centuries. These theories are:
(i) The Delta Cross Movement
(ii) The Benin Empire Migration
The Delta Cross Movement Theory
Traditions relate the history of Abua to the migration or movements of the Delta Cross Speakers. Prominent among these theorists are the linguists and university historians such as Murdock (1959), Nair (1972), Alagoa (1972), Williamson (1987), and Faraclas (1989).
The high point in this set of tradition is that given the language the Abuan’s speak, the people may have migrated from the Bantu heartland and moved downwards to the point where they currently occupy through the eastern Niger delta. The traditions of other people with related languages, the culture of the Abua group and a comparison of the linguistic relationship between the central delta group and her immediate neighbors reinforce their view. Some of these views are presented below:
Nair in his account recorded that Abua was among the seven Efut towns that grew out of the seven Efut settlements. The founders were believed according to him to be an offshoot of the Bantu-speaking peoples. These migrated from the neighborhood of Usha Edit (Rio del Rey) in the Cameroon. They left their original place of residence in a convoy of about seven boats and reached the Nigerian coastline.
In summary, this thesis suggest that Abua migrated from the same place with ancestors of the present day Efiks of the Cross Rivers state and that the group probably arrives where they are now in the late 13th century. This view is strongly supported by similarities in the numbering system of Abua, Efik, and Ibibio. It is also supported by some socio-political similarities; Abua, Efik, and Ibibio among others belong to the broad language group known as Delta Cross. Murdock suggests that these three ethnic groups – Ibibio, Efik, and Abua among others belong to the Bantoid sub-group of the Nigritic family based on linguistic evidence. Similarly, Ejituwu (1991) writing about the Obolo (Andoni) which is also a Delta Cross speaking community, suggested that there was a general movement of the Delta Cross speakers from the upper reaches of the Cross river towards its mouth. The movement may have reached the mouth of the river by about 300 B.C. As population pressures mount at the mouth of the Cross river, various groups of Delta Cross speakers started to look for new rivers and creeks into which to expand. To the east, they found themselves blocked by a cluster of other Bantu-speaking groups who were themselves in the process of expansion; to the west however, lay an area, which while not empty, was more sparsely populated. Accordingly, several waves of migrants traveled along the western creeks, some eventually settling down either in the eastern Niger delta or elsewhere in the delta. According to Ejituwu, the central delta group to which Abua belongs is one of the earliest migrants among these Delta Cross speakers.
Clark (1970) maintained that (i) the possession and use of iron technology and (ii) food production were responsible for the Bantu expansion at the time. With the use of iron technology more food was produced consequently, population soared and competition for space set in. These led to expansion, which was also encouraged by better military hardware produced with their iron technology such as spears, sickles, arrowheads and knives.
In summary, this tradition holds that Abua, Odual, Kugbo, Ogbia among others sometimes referred to as Abua group, migrated from Rio del Ray in the Cameroon through the Cross river to the Niger delta. They settled among other place

Abagworo:


[s]Abua people are actually Obolo people same as Andoni, Abuloma, Odual and even parts of Bayelsa and Akwaibom. The greater Obolo ethnic group is quite large but dispersed geographically. I've seen some Abuloma people claim Okrika and even Ijaw right here in Rivers State whereas their ethnicity shouldn't be a debate.[/s]

Odepo:

[s]HISTORY of aAbua shows that Abua owns Port Harcourt and not as claimed by the Okrikas and the Ikwerres
Because as a people we relied heavily on oral than written tradition, there is not a large body of documentation on our origin. Nonetheless, scholars have used two theories and linguistic analysis to reconstruct the Abua origin and migration over the centuries. These theories are:
(i) The Delta Cross Movement
(ii) The Benin Empire Migration
The Delta Cross Movement Theory
Traditions relate the history of Abua to the migration or movements of the Delta Cross Speakers. Prominent among these theorists are the linguists and university historians such as Murdock (1959), Nair (1972), Alagoa (1972), Williamson (1987), and Faraclas (1989).
The high point in this set of tradition is that given the language the Abuan’s speak, the people may have migrated from the Bantu heartland and moved downwards to the point where they currently occupy through the eastern Niger delta. The traditions of other people with related languages, the culture of the Abua group and a comparison of the linguistic relationship between the central delta group and her immediate neighbors reinforce their view. Some of these views are presented below:
Nair in his account recorded that Abua was among the seven Efut towns that grew out of the seven Efut settlements. The founders were believed according to him to be an offshoot of the Bantu-speaking peoples. These migrated from the neighborhood of Usha Edit (Rio del Rey) in the Cameroon. They left their original place of residence in a convoy of about seven boats and reached the Nigerian coastline.
In summary, this thesis suggest that Abua migrated from the same place with ancestors of the present day Efiks of the Cross Rivers state and that the group probably arrives where they are now in the late 13th century. This view is strongly supported by similarities in the numbering system of Abua, Efik, and Ibibio. It is also supported by some socio-political similarities; Abua, Efik, and Ibibio among others belong to the broad language group known as Delta Cross. Murdock suggests that these three ethnic groups – Ibibio, Efik, and Abua among others belong to the Bantoid sub-group of the Nigritic family based on linguistic evidence. Similarly, Ejituwu (1991) writing about the Obolo (Andoni) which is also a Delta Cross speaking community, suggested that there was a general movement of the Delta Cross speakers from the upper reaches of the Cross river towards its mouth. The movement may have reached the mouth of the river by about 300 B.C. As population pressures mount at the mouth of the Cross river, various groups of Delta Cross speakers started to look for new rivers and creeks into which to expand. To the east, they found themselves blocked by a cluster of other Bantu-speaking groups who were themselves in the process of expansion; to the west however, lay an area, which while not empty, was more sparsely populated. Accordingly, several waves of migrants traveled along the western creeks, some eventually settling down either in the eastern Niger delta or elsewhere in the delta. According to Ejituwu, the central delta group to which Abua belongs is one of the earliest migrants among these Delta Cross speakers.
Clark (1970) maintained that (i) the possession and use of iron technology and (ii) food production were responsible for the Bantu expansion at the time. With the use of iron technology more food was produced consequently, population soared and competition for space set in. These led to expansion, which was also encouraged by better military hardware produced with their iron technology such as spears, sickles, arrowheads and knives.
In summary, this tradition holds that Abua, Odual, Kugbo, Ogbia among others sometimes referred to as Abua group, migrated from Rio del Ray in the Cameroon through the Cross river to the Niger delta. They settled among other place[/s]

Odepo:

HISTORY of aAbua shows that Abua owns Port Harcourt and not as claimed by the Okrikas and the Ikwerres
Because as a people we relied heavily on oral than written tradition, there is not a large body of documentation on our origin. Nonetheless, scholars have used two theories and linguistic analysis to reconstruct the Abua origin and migration over the centuries. These theories are:
(i) The Delta Cross Movement
(ii) The Benin Empire Migration
The Delta Cross Movement Theory
Traditions relate the history of Abua to the migration or movements of the Delta Cross Speakers. Prominent among these theorists are the linguists and university historians such as Murdock (1959), Nair (1972), Alagoa (1972), Williamson (1987), and Faraclas (1989).
The high point in this set of tradition is that given the language the Abuan’s speak, the people may have migrated from the Bantu heartland and moved downwards to the point where they currently occupy through the eastern Niger delta. The traditions of other people with related languages, the culture of the Abua group and a comparison of the linguistic relationship between the central delta group and her immediate neighbors reinforce their view. Some of these views are presented below:
Nair in his account recorded that Abua was among the seven Efut towns that grew out of the seven Efut settlements. The founders were believed according to him to be an offshoot of the Bantu-speaking peoples. These migrated from the neighborhood of Usha Edit (Rio del Rey) in the Cameroon. They left their original place of residence in a convoy of about seven boats and reached the Nigerian coastline.
In summary, this thesis suggest that Abua migrated from the same place with ancestors of the present day Efiks of the Cross Rivers state and that the group probably arrives where they are now in the late 13th century. This view is strongly supported by similarities in the numbering system of Abua, Efik, and Ibibio. It is also supported by some socio-political similarities; Abua, Efik, and Ibibio among others belong to the broad language group known as Delta Cross. Murdock suggests that these three ethnic groups – Ibibio, Efik, and Abua among others belong to the Bantoid sub-group of the Nigritic family based on linguistic evidence. Similarly, Ejituwu (1991) writing about the Obolo (Andoni) which is also a Delta Cross speaking community, suggested that there was a general movement of the Delta Cross speakers from the upper reaches of the Cross river towards its mouth. The movement may have reached the mouth of the river by about 300 B.C. As population pressures mount at the mouth of the Cross river, various groups of Delta Cross speakers started to look for new rivers and creeks into which to expand. To the east, they found themselves blocked by a cluster of other Bantu-speaking groups who were themselves in the process of expansion; to the west however, lay an area, which while not empty, was more sparsely populated. Accordingly, several waves of migrants traveled along the western creeks, some eventually settling down either in the eastern Niger delta or elsewhere in the delta. According to Ejituwu, the central delta group to which Abua belongs is one of the earliest migrants among these Delta Cross speakers.
Clark (1970) maintained that (i) the possession and use of iron technology and (ii) food production were responsible for the Bantu expansion at the time. With the use of iron technology more food was produced consequently, population soared and competition for space set in. These led to expansion, which was also encouraged by better military hardware produced with their iron technology such as spears, sickles, arrowheads and knives.
In summary, this tradition holds that Abua, Odual, Kugbo, Ogbia among others sometimes referred to as Abua group, migrated from Rio del Ray in the Cameroon through the Cross river to the Niger delta. They settled among other place