₦airaland Forum

I am studying the Igbo culture, which has been noted
to have unique similarities and parallels with the
culture and history of ancient Israel. So, I can also
say that I am studying ancient Israel. I think that we
can never have a surfeit of studies about ancient
Israel. My own opinion, formed by my experience is
that though much is known about the ancient
Israelites, still much is yet to be known.
Many believe that much of my findings which I have
documented in 6 books is helping to fill the void. I
have been told many times that my presentations of
Igbo culture illuminate the Tanakh, that they make
clear many of what otherwise would seem of no
consequence or importance. On the other hand,
Jewish cultural studies have served as an Igbo
Studies primer to me. As could be seen Jewish
Studies is providing us with help in understanding
the history of some of the customs. As well as
enabling us to fill gaps in our general history. So it’s a
win-win situation for both the Igbos and the Jews.
The Igbo, in older times more commonly referred to
as the Ibo, have been referred to as the Jews of
Africa for a long time. We have been native to 16000
sq miles in the deep south of Nigeria for estimatedly
1000 years.

The Omenana
The Igbo way of life is called Omenana, which if you
translate to English you will get ‘things, laws,
customs, traditions that you have to do or observe in
or on the land’. This I believe will give you a clear
message because the Torah of Israel which is the
basic code of the culture of Israel contains essentially
what/the laws, customs, etc, that the Israelites are to
do/observe on the land..’
300 years or so ago, my family with Udoji my great
grandfather, who was an obi, and an nze, at its head
brought in, and accommodated Nri from Ohaeri,
another Igbo clan, who from all indications; which
include evidence that Igbo migrated from the ‘north’,
are Levites, and if they are not, we would then be
forced to consider the strange possibility that there
were two Israelite entities that were not connected in
any way in ancient times.
My father who was born in 1920 told me that the
family of non Ozubulu ancestry that are our
‘brothers’, because they live on our land, attend
family meetings with us, and are our kinsmen
presently came the following way to join us: Udoji
was sitting on the corridor of his obi one day, around
300 years ago, enjoying the cool breeze, when he
espied a family walking towards him. Getting closer,
they saluted him, and responding he asked who they
were, and they responded that they were Umu Nri;
that they were looking for a place to settle and live.
Udoji invited them in, gave them hospitality, allocated
land to them, and they settled and became members
of his family. They still live with us today. The special
occupation of this family gives us a hint of who they
are. Among the Igbo, like among the Jews, a suicide
was not given a regular burial. The Torah said that a
hanged person is an abomination. Here the English
language I think missed the point of the Torah. Torah
must have meant a person that hanged himself. A
suicide! Hanging was a very regular means of
committing suicide in ancient times. The Igbo believe
that one who committed suicide by hanging -
committed abomination-soiled the land (society),
offended G-d, and that purifications must be
performed before his body could be cut down to be
thrown away. And he or she must not be mourned.
My studies of Jewish traditions show that no Jewish
group accords the suicide a normal, and regular
mourning and burial.
Back to our Levites. This family that Udoji
accommodated came from one of the families/clans
that had authority to perform the required
purification (cleansing). They had right, and freedom
to move around, and to be allocated land by their
brother Igbos to settle and practice their profession,
exactly as the Lord required the biblical Israelites to
do in the case of the Levites, who were also to move
around in Israel, practicing their craft. Among the
Igbo, the major purifications and cleansings have to
be done by the priests of Nri.
Here we have another clincher: the primary family/
clan of the Nri; Agukwu, where I conducted much
research, and met great Igbo sages has the
nickname: ‘Nri enwela ani’: the meaning of this would
shock you. It means that the Nri don’t have lands.
Jacob, the Hebrew Patriarch prophesied that Levi
would have no land in Israel, but would be scattered
in Israel. Moses, the Law-Giver, through whom G-d
instructed Israel directly relayed what G-d said about
the Levites: they were to be scattered in Israel, as the
priests of the Israelites. The Nri are scattered among
the Igbo, as the primary priests. Nri have had this
nickname ‘Nri do not have lands’ since immemorial
times, and most probably most Nri indigenes have
forgotten why they acquired the nickname. Tellingly,
the family of Nri that settled with the Ilona, named
one of their sons Asomba, which means that they can
settle anywhere among their brother Igbos.

The Obi
The obi are the persons who traditionally serve as
the political leaders of Igbo communities. My family
which I have introduced by narrating how it
accommodated a family of Igbo Levites, has provided
the obi for my community, the Egbema, Ozubulu sub-
clan for centuries. The function of an obi includes
provision of the meeting place for the community,
and maintenance of same. In this structure which is
called community obi, the community also gathers
for formal religious activities like prayers, which the
oldest male member of the community leads. The obi
also serves as the ‘court-house’ of the community.
Issues are settled inside it, and sittings are only taken
to the ilo (stadium) if the proceedings would attract
very many people, and its feared that the obi would
not be able to accommodate those that would like to
attend.
The obi would very likely be the person that would
represent the community if there are risky and costly
assignments that the community needs to execute.
For example, if the community needed to fight a
neighboring community, the obi would lead the
community. Also the obi is expected to shoulder the
responsibility of the community, like accommodating
the ‘Levites’ as I have narrated. The obi reminds me
of the Hebrew judges, and kings, who led the people
from the front; were at the forefront of the fights, and
not at the rear. Saul was there at the war front
making the arrangements for tackling Goliath, even
volunteering his armor for the boy-soldier David.
Also the obi who is wrongly misrepresented as ‘king’
today, or traditional ruler, to use what is in the
Nigerian lexicon, reminds an observer of the Israelite
‘king’ whom G-d instructed that he is to still remain
more less an equal of his brethren. The Igbo obi,
unlike the kings (traditional rulers) among the
Yoruba, Benin, Hausa/Fulani, Europeans,etc did not
receive any special treatment from the Igbo. Like King
Ehav, who wanted to buy Naboth’s land, because
unlike real kings, he hadn’t control of the land in
Israel, the Igbo obi has only his own portion of the
ancestral land, and if he needs more, he has to buy.
The obi is empowered so that he can be strong as he
performs his functions. An ofo which will help him to
live a clean life is given to him. The Igbo have a belief
that living sinfully leads to death. To avoid this fate,
the obi who as a prominent person could more easily
stray, is given an ofo, which one is scared of sinning
when one is in possession of it. If the obi is the oldest
man from the oldest family in the community, things
are very simple in regards to the ofo, because it is
the oldest Igbo from the oldest family that possesses
the ofo of a particular community, among the Igbo.
But if he is not, an ofo which will be subordinate to
the main one will be provided for him.

Nze
In the good old days every Igbo goes to be
consecrated, to become an ‘nze’. An nze is
distinguished by the following: he is very careful
about what he eats, and extra careful about what he
does, says and hears. Traditionally the Igbo keep
kosher. Substantial evidence of this exists in the wise
sayings, lore, music of the Igbo, and in the animals
that the Igbo consider as suitable for sacrifice. The
nze goes an extra mile in observing the laws of
kashrut, and general kosher. He can only eat food
prepared in his home, by his wife, and this depends
on her state. So sometimes he prepares his food
himself. He does not say sinful things. And he must
not hear sinful things. In my clan the nze has a bell
that tingles tied to his bag. The purpose of the bell is
to give sufficient warning that a holy man is passing,
whenever he is abroad, so that people will be careful,
because if someone says an unholy thing to his
hearing, he has right to levy a fine, which must be
paid without delay. The nze is distinguished by this
red fez which must always be on his head.
The nze is the Igbo nazarite. Samson was a biblical
model of the nazarite. How many letters are shared
by nze and nazarite?

The OSU or Oruma
The osu, in some sections of Igboland and oru-ma in
the Nsukka area of Igboland are auxiliary priests in
the Igbo religion who lost status, and employment
when the colonial authorities replaced Omenana with
Christianity as the religion of the Igbos. Having being
replaced, and their role and function forgotten and
misunderstood, they presently suffer discrimination
from other Igbos.
The osu have direct parallels in biblical Judaism. It is
completely established and above ambiguity of any
kind among the Igbo that the osu were people whose
ancestors served in the sanctuaries that the Igbos set
up in Igboland.
There were some that were dedicated by other
people to serve G-d in Omenana, forever.
Some also elected to serve G-d as auxiliary priests
in perpetuity.
In ancient Israel, the Gibeonites were dedicated, to
serve in the house of G-d, forever. Samuel was
dedicated by his mother to serve in the house of the
Lord forever. We have seen two examples that
paralleled the Igbo experience. Following is another
one: The Gibeonites were not to be harmed. King
Saul contravened the solemn vow of Joshua, and
killed some of them. Under King David they had their
pound of flesh back. Among the Igbo, one must never
hurt an osu physically. General Joab who sought to
avail himself of this protection and immunity when
King Solomon pursued him, went into the House of
G-d, caught hold of the horns of the Temple, because
ancient Israelite law gave immunity to an Israelite
that sought protection from pursuers by taking
refuge with G-d Remember, some Igbo became
servants/auxiliary priests by running into the
sanctuaries for protection.
These people are in trouble presently. They have
been replaced by Christian priests, their functions
forgotten, misunderstood, scorned as pagan service.
Accordingly they are as I said earlier, discriminated
against. This has taken its toll on the truth that rests
behind the Igbo people’s connection to ancient Israel
and the Jewish people. However, it is not over yet.
The Igbo are realizing that they are not truly like the
rest of the tribes and people that surround them. We
are at our core, a mixture of the lost tribes and those
Judeans that were exiled at the time of the Roman
conquest of the Land of Israel. Josephus recorded
that millions of Judeans were in fact sold into slavery
to Africa. Thank G-d we are returning.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Remy Ilona
Remy Ilona is of Ibo or Igbo extraction. The Ibo are
among the three largest ethnic groups in Nigeria.He
is a lawyer by training, and is also experienced as a
historian of the Ibo. He is also an author who has
published 6 books about the Ibos and their
connections with the Jews and the Land of Israel.He
is among the leaders shepherding the Ibos re-
emerging Judaism. Presently he is in Miami where he
is studying with the famous Professor Tudor Parfitt,
and also working as a graduate assistant at the
Florida International University, Miami.Remy's
groundbreaking books on the Igbo and Israel can be
purchased here: http://www.amazon.com/Remy-
Ilona/e/B00J6M32TO

www.israelrising.com/i-am-an-igbo-i-am-a-jew/

koboko69:

U are a kid honestly. Ordinary hoarding of petroleum products which can be found out easily cos there will be evidence in your tanks....during scarcity, its always difficult to track down, not to talk of forex that u cant tell specifically where it is hoarded.a
Some things are done deliberately by the government. Ebery government does this....u can't understand

Super Story! Then you are a toddler!

Did Ifeanyi Ubah went to their offices searching for hoarded dollars?

If the dullard knew what was going-on,what stops him from issuing public warning to those cabals hoarding dollar months ago just like Mr Ubah did?

Ubah just made a statement on sunday last week on Channels TV,the following day monday naira started appreciating.What happened was that those cabals having known that their secret have been reviewed started releasing the dollar out of fear of exposure by Ubah.

So what is the input of the Dullard in all these? Nothing! Because he is Super Clueless.

It only took Ubah spoken words to achieve this.So is the mouth of your president locked with padlock? Can't he speak?

koboko69:
Lol. Ubah simply repeated what we all know. Ubah knows more that the FG abi?

Ok they fear Ubah? The Cabals...

But why are u deliberately ignoring the fact that the hoarded dollars was because they thought Buhari was gonna devalue the Naira, but seeing he reamined defiant and announced he wouldn't devalue...the hoarded dollars came to light.

You clowns just read a part of the news that suit your senseless hates. Unfortunately, you gonna be doing this for a long time

It is really difficult defending the dullard.

Since FG know what is going-on,what then are they waiting for in all the weeks and months that naira is falling?

They have all the law enforcement agencys in their table to put to an end the dollar hoarding.

The gospel TRUTH is that both Buhari and his Finance Minister don't know what is going on because they are super clueless!

Once again many thanks to Ifeanyi Ubah for saving the masses,while the dullard is drinking in Saudi Arabia!

koboko69:
Lol. U guys are clowns.

What did Ubah do?

Incase you don't
know,he said that the rise on dollar is artificial that
there are people behind it and he will expose
them.He said it on sunday and by monday naira
started appreciating,it is assumed that those cabal
have started removing their devilish hands in the
market due to fear of exposure by Ifeanyi Ubah.Even
in the stock market,a single speech made by players
in it can affect the market positively or negatively.

This effort just saved the dullard from continued embarrassment.Infact the dullard is not even here with us to attend to naira problems.He is far away in Saudi Arabia drinking tea.

So who is the clown?

Many thanks to Dr Ifeanyi Ubah

"7. Allowing the independence of the Judiciary."
They should remove the above immediately!
The Daura President is notorious for disobeying court orders.
Whosoever wrote this rubbish should be arrested for spreading propaganda.

Mylove55:
ifeanyi ubah is a highly criminal, all ipob has criminal tendency in their DNA

Then i read in the other news that Buhari have invited him for help.

Tell your dullard to reject him afterall he is an Ipob.

I hardly comment in such rubbish thread.But you should know that any thread with igbo on it hardly die a natural death,even if the igbos do not comment on it,It will still gain traffic.

Almost only Northerners in attendance!

The title should be "President Buhari Arrives Nigeria's
Embassy,Quarters Riyadh Meets Northerners(Pics))"

funlord:



God needs to assist you with a brain! Because what you have been using to think or reason with all your life Is actually part of your anus!


With all due respect, you are a mong!!!

The world will be a better place if you exterminate your life.Pls kill yourself and save the world!

You have not answered this question: Why is it that during #BringBackOurGirls crisis under Gej,Buhari never offered to assist in the rescue of the girl,rather he scored cheap political points with the crisis?

funlord:




Jewish-igbo blood? Tribal complaints? You forgot to add the "zoo must fall and iseeee" to your senseless rant!


It is so easy nowadays to spot confused ipob apes attempting to wail over nonsense!

It is also easy nowadays to spot demented Apc zombie.

Ifeanyi Ubah should not assist this government,afterall he is an IPOB...A rejected stone.

While Buhari is in London trying to solve Syrian war crisis.
Truly,he is a dullard!

lovings:
IVM is made in Nigeria

Nigeria has expired! If the news is about drug trafficking,you will call us igbo and when goodnews comes out of our land,you will tag us Nigeria.

You are a joke!

This dullard is busy trying to save a life in a war torn
Arab country (Syria),while Boko Haram are burning
little children alive in his backyard (Borno State).

He want to be more Arab than the Arabs.

I hope he will not accept to bring thousands of Syrian refuges into Nigeria.

A classic case of chasing rat while your house is on
fire.

zendy:
When IPOB protested, they were shot at. They said it was because it was Biafra.


Doctors have now protested, they were shot at. What is the excuse this time? They are Biafran Doctors?

The news that Bokoharam members has been re-absolved into the Nigerian Army/Police and posted to the east is REAL.

This dullard is busy trying to save a life in a war torn Arab country (Syria),while Boko Haram are burning little children alive in his backyard (Borno State).

He want to be more Arab than the Arabs.

I hope he will not accept to bring thousands of Syrian refuges into Nigeria?

A classic case of chasing rat while your house is on fire.

What is new here?

SE governors are not in support of Biafra,so what is news if a SS governor is not in support of it?

Biafra is a masses movement and not an elite project.The elite are comfortable with one-Nigeria because it favors them.

That SE governors is against Biafra has not stop the movement in SE likewise in Delta.

All over the world,revolution are carried out by the masses and not the elite.

That man must be a lassa fever patient.

They should quarantine him immediately.

Is like the acronym "IPOB" now give nightmare to every yoruba man?

When will this weak military vow to defeat Boko Haram?

Raymondenyi:
stop being silly small boi... are u okay? Niger deltans. Hate Biafra or what ever d heck ur silly lots call it... we prefer to b with Nigeria, than identify with the greedy villian ibos

Pls go and sit down,nobody knows who you are in Niger Delta.

Buhari should get ready to meet pro-biafra protesters outside the EU building in Strasbourg.

MrSegunAdewole:


these are the real ijaws not some hungry attention /protection seeking nigga looking for crumbs from aisha Fried rice crew.
the dude keeps disgracing himself showing the world how man enough he is to face his opponents

no full blooded SS will support this useless, hopeless incompetent, docile and dumb administration anybody that did is either dumb or a sycophant


TonyeBarcanista will join them

That TonyeBarcanista of a guy is a disgrace.His other name is "Barber's Chair"

Master--Slave Relationship.

The umbrella body of the Ijaw Youths worldwide, the
Ijaw Youths Council (IYC), has concluded plans to
stage a one-million-man protest march against
perceived wrong policies targeted at the Niger Delta
region under the administration of President
Mohammad Buhari.
Some of the policies the Ijaw youths plan to protest
against include the planned closure of the Maritime
University in Korutie community of Warri South-West
local Government area of Delta State.
The protest march, according to the IYC, would be
organized as a Youth Convention at the temporary
site of the Maritime University, in Korutie community
and would involve various Niger Delta communities,
student organizations, sympathizers of development
education, higher institutions of learning in the
region, and local clans.
According to the organisers, the protest is expected
to halt the supposed biased policies of the current
administration against the interests of the Niger
Delta people.
President of the IYC, Udengs Eradiri, who made this
known during an interactive session with the media
in Yenagoa, argued that though the protest was not
targeted against the person and office of President
Muhammadu Buhari, the protest is an open message
to his administration that the people of the region
were tired of what they see as unfavorable policies
against the region and its people.

Eradiri said the modalities for the planned protest
will be announced within a week and that invitations
for the special convention will be sent out.

He explained that the protest will be to show the
world that the President is too busy to closely
monitor what is happening in the Niger Delta region.
On the proposed cancellation of the Niger Delta
Maritime University, Eradiri said the people of the
region should not castigate the former Governor of
Rivers State and Minister of Transport, Mr. Rotimi
Amaechi, for the announcement on planned
cancellation of the University because he (Amaechi)
is only a messenger sent by “some Northern
Powers”.
According to the group, “immediately after Buhari
took office, the first casualty was the NIMASA
Managing Director. Immediately after the Acting DG
took over, the first action he took was to suspend
work on the Maritime University and the second
action was to suspend funding for Nigerians
undergoing studies in foreign universities because of
a vendetta. So, people should not throw tantrums at
Amaechi. This matter started in June and we have
written a series of letters to President Buhari.”

“The administration is ill-informed despite seeing
pictures of the institution on the internet. Buhari
should now know that the claim by its spokesman,
Rotimi Amaechi, that a feasibility study was done
have now been seen to be false. We have met the
Niger Delta Minister and he was perplexed that the
claim was false and that even the N13 billion land
fraud was part of the development in the institution.
Nigeria has spent over N100 billion on the facilities in
the institution and how can you just come and say
you are shutting it down because you suspect fraud.
Are you saying we should shut down office of the
NSA? Or shut down Nigeria because we suspect
fraud?”

https://www.today.ng/news/national/74486/iyc-plans-one-million-man-march-against-buharis-anti-niger-delta-policies

chocho28:
WHY HAVE U DECIDED TO BE DUMB MR MAN. IPOB PROTESTERS CAME TO PH FROM ABA. STOP HATING

Lol you are a joke!

Rivers police arrested some of them during the 1st PH pro-biafra protest.And we saw the list of their names and their tribe here on nairaland.

Ikwerre,etche,ijaw,ogoni etc and even Akwa Ibom residents in Ph were all arrested.

So u are a joke!

This is a lie from the pit of hell.

Why they no write N50,000 in the paper?

Anybody with a computer and a printer can manufacture that paper in his bedroom.

Foolish Blogger

TonyeBarcanista:
So na IPOBians blow oil installation on our land and tried to frame Tompolo? The Nigeria military should deploy every force on these people. In fact, it is high time IPOB is proscribed as a terrorist organisation

Stop living in denial,just admit it that your niger delta brothers are more biafran than the igbos.

Do you know that Port Harcourt was that first city to stage pro-biafra protest?

Nigeria separatists have hijacked a merchant ship
and threatened to blow it up with its foreign crew if
authorities do not release a detained leader agitating
for a breakaway state of Biafra, military officers said
Tuesday.
Maj. Gen. Rabe Abubakar, the Defense Ministry
spokesman, confirmed the hijacking occurred on
Friday and called it “an act of sabotage.” He did not
tell reporters the name of the ship.
Abubakar spoke on Monday. Other officers on
Tuesday told The Associated Press that the navy is in
pursuit of the captured vessel. The officers, who
spoke on condition of anonymity because the issue is
sensitive, said the hijackers have given the
government 31 days to free Kanu or say they will
blow up the ship along with its crew.

The ultimatum was given at the weekend by a militant
identified by the nom de guerre of General Ben. Ben
is not a separatist but “some Niger Delta militants
have shown interest in working with us,” said Uchena
Madu, a leader of the Movement for the Actualization
of a Sovereign State of Biafra.
Advertisement
The hijacking indicates the separatists could be
working with some Niger Delta oil militants blamed
for recent bombings of oil pipelines in the oil-rich
south, escalating conflict in a country already
burdened by Boko Haram’s deadly Islamic uprising in
the northeast and violent ethno-religious
confrontations between farmers and herders in
central Nigeria. Africa’s biggest economy and oil
producer also is battered by slashed petroleum
prices.

Secret police on Oct. 17 detained Nnamdi Kanu,
director of banned Radio Biafra, and since have
accused him of terrorism, sparking protests in which
police are accused of killing several demonstrators.
Nigeria’s Igbo people prosecuted a civil war to create
a separate state of Biafra in the southeast that killed
a million people in the 1960s. Many Igbos charge
they still suffer discrimination.

https://www.today.ng/news/top-news/74349/dhq-confirms-pro-biafra-militants-hijacked-merchant-ship-over-kanus-detention

Retributionn:
You shouldnt have burst their bubble yet na

U for let us play with them small



IPOB fools

Which bubble he burst? Do niger delta militant have an official uniform?