₦airaland Forum

WorWorBoy:
You are the ones who are obsessed, dragging people who don't want anything to do with you.
SlayerForever's I hope you are reading? If you brother have courage tell him to post anything Igbo on Okrika group I dare him

Bonny and Opobo aren't for you. Okrirka on the other hand, we are simply showing them the genuine history so you don't level down the original inhabitants of the kingdom and call them slaves. .

And the Igbo tribe was a vast nation, some on the farm, some good in fishing , blacksmithing and the rest.

We all know its now a lie in which your tribe say the Igbos hated the water. ... We have numerous fishing tribes in Igbo nation, so there's a likelihood that most of them may have made camps there, but the wrong they did is bringing in Ijaws ,(if time could be changed so they would tell you people to leave) ... That said, the ancestors of Okrirka were Igbos that's a fact, and no one is claiming any Okrirka.

WorWorBoy:
But is it by force to be brothers

Those are Ijaws talking, so I don't get. Are those Okrirka, Bonny or Opobo people?

Eastlink:
Below are the disgraced Theist Humanist monikers.
Worworboy
Allen102
Blackadam
Blacksaint

Chisus. This Ijaws are obsessed.

Alabo7978:
Lol, this porn star said the slaves in Bonny and okrika and Opobo settled there because they feel more safer than in Bayelsa, bayelsa a political entity created 25 years ago.
F00l
Focus on porn.

Anyways, the berbice were infact an ijaw people too from kalabari. Ijaws only sold ijaws who were trouble makers or armed robbers or notorious gamblers, and they were very few.
I won't respond to you again because you are daft.
Focus on your only fan page.

Call me a porn star or whatever as you wish. I have passed the level of condemning anyone, whether a theif or anyone who according to the world is immoral . As I'll say like Jesus, "If you have no sin, be the first to cast the stone."
That said, Ijaws never partook in the slavery, and even if they were they were the actual theives and robbers you're talking about who raided innocent traders like they still do today. It has been documented. So we all know now the sea piracy isn't a new thing, Ijaw has been in the game since.

And Igbos were the ones who took Ijaws and sold them, nothing else. Who were Ijaws that Igbos would be scared of them. Is it the Aros, the Anioma people or even Ikwere your neighbor. So, stop trying to rub your ego that much.

That said, the few reasonable Ijaws that ever partook in the slave trade (if they were) were simply handy boys at the beck and call of the Igbo traders, and nothing more. I believe Ijaws do not use inductive reasoning to decipher things rather they love, "Once upon a time....' stories

Alabo7978:
Little by little they will all agree they were slaves.
Igbos dreaded the large water bodies, the enculturated igbos were slaves who were brought against their wills.
Thank God for slave abolition, we would have still be exporting Wawa people across the Atlantic.

Stop letting the success of the Igbos make you feel less. You're way more than that. I've read books, several of them and I've seen the Jo of Ijaw men sold as slaves too. Igbo is prominent becuase they have the population as they still have today. But your short sight woun't make you see that. How did the extinct Berbice Ijaw language come to Guyana? You need to look into this too, in fact perhaps the Igbos bought Ijaws as househelps or servants on their lands, but becuase they were very few, you don't see Igbos shouting it. And thsoe servants were assimilated into the Igbo race quickly. It's only Ijaws that pride themselves that they were the imaginary middlemen in the slave trade.

From the source of the slave trade, were Igbos, middlemen were Igbos and buyers were Whites.

The slaves in the Bonny and Opobo, and Okrirka areas settled there because they felt safer with their kinsmen than settling in Bayelsa.

Ask yourself this, didn't Kolkuma have rivers to the Atlantic or any town in Bayelsa, but why didn't Igbo traders trade with them that much as they did to Bonny, Opobo and Okrirka, if you can settle down and use inductive reasoning, you'll get the truth yourself. Not those fairytale you share to make yourself feel bigger than the Igbos, when in all actuality you no reach.

Igbos traded with Calabar becuase they had a personal relationship with the Igbos, but the Ijaws have none, so stop trying to attach yourself by all means.

BlackSaints:
Your comment makes no sense,and don't mention me again Obori.

Ndi beribe

BlackSaints:
Any igbos in Okrika are alien to that land oga,so your documents are false.

Because I'm speaking fact to you and not the village fairytale by Alagoa, so you become God and trying to change my gender. I wonder how you will feel if a woman called you a small girl ... Okay, continue to read Mr. Alagoa who was there 800 years ago and tried to tell the ancestors they are not Igbos. So he transported himself through a time portal to address the mistakes the Okrirka forefathers made. Now it's making sense. ...Ozu.

BSsniffer:
Can't beg for dog sh!t.

... Speak for yourself. Mr. Dot hating the Largest DOT. Who knows your tribe in the whole world more than the Igbos. Head to every country now, and they know what is called Igbo. ... That's just a chip of the iceberg.

WorWorBoy:
The explores or whatever are wrong very wrong! Our ancestors were never igbo to begin with I don't get you people tho,have you been to Okrika kingdom before? has any Okrikan come out to tell you or anyone that their ancestors were igbos? Okrika people don't speak Igbo or practice igbo culture,so I don't understand where you get that idea from. And lastly, there's no Igbo Okrika or whatever, what we have is Okrika and we are 100% an ijaw clan.

Well, some Okrirkans don't follow that, and historical documents do say the opposite.

BSsniffer:
The only large thing is your shapeless dirty black ass....

A lot of your gender are begging on the streets for it and I know you're indirectly doing so, sorry not for you smallie. ... As I said Largest DOT in the Republic.

BlackSaints:
Any igbos you see in Okrika are descendants of Igbo slaves no two ways about it. There are no Igbo Okrika, saying that Okrika people have Igbo Origin is an insult to Wakirike people spit.

That's your opinion, but we've seen Igbo Okrirkans who say they are indigenous to the lands and the historical documents goes in line with their statements. I'm not refuting the fact they were slaves of a measurable number, but they were still Igbo indigenes of Okrirka who were among the progenitors of the state.

BSsniffer:
Nyamiris are dot in a circle.....

Hian. .... The largest DOT ever making waves in all societies.

WorWorBoy:
You sha must find a way anyway possible way to drag Okrika people into your whatever,can't you igbos just do your thing with Bonny people and leave Okrika people out of it?
And has any Okrikan tell you that he or she have identity crisis or something that you are trying to twist and change the history of my people? Why are you guys so obsessed about my people anyway? Oga what is up their about my people is nothing but hogwash, Okrikans are ijaws who migrated from the Delta and share nothing in common with igbos apart from doing trades ( including slave trade) So saying that all Okrika people have Igbo Origin is an insane joke taken too far.

My dear one, you being Okrirka-Ijaw in the land, doesn't change the fact that the ancestors were Igbos as rightly reported by the explorers and ethnologist at that time. No one is denying your ijawness, but some things need to be put straight, for those in Bonny, Okrirka and Opobo who are asking the question, why do we have Igbo customs and culture? It can't be becuase of the slavery?

And those who feel lost, but need more genuine proofs on why they share cultural affinities with the Igbos other than the Ijaws. If Okrirka wants to be with Ijaw, no one is dragging it with them, and Godforbid Igbos would ever drag Okrirka, Bonny and Opobo, but this is for people, the Okrirka Igbos (and not the one who came through slave as you people foster) but the Igbo indigenes of Okrirka, Bonny and Opobo shouldn't be relegated to slaves, just becuase they had more of their type of people upland who shared their languages and culture to them to swell the population of this city states.

I do hope you get it.

SlayerForever:
INTRODUCTION TO BONNY HISTORY

Chapter 2 - CULTURE

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Introduction.

2. Culture of historical Bonny Kingdom.

2.1 Perception of the Supreme Being amongst the Bonny people in history.

2.2 Other traditional practices of the Bonny people in history.

- Iguana worship.

- New Yam festival.

- Shaving as act of mourning.

- Symbolism of the elephant tusk.

- Iria ceremony.

- Hunting expeditions.


INTRODUCTION

In this chapter we look at the core cultural and traditional practices of the Bonny people as recorded in the 17th and 18th centuries. These practices were observed by various scholars of that era, and consequently recorded as first-hand information, the sources of which include, in some cases, discussions and interviews with the Pepple kings.

Before we proceed however, we customarily access the viewpoints of some academic giants in the subject of interest. Professor Jones M. Jaja, Professor of African and social history, institute of foundation studies, Rivers state university of science and technology, whilst speaking about Ibani culture in the academic release "Ibani dieties and methods of worship...", informs us as follows, "The Ibani trace linkages through the kitchen lineages called "Burusoyo" or "Burusu". Lineage is also traced through the ereji blade. The ereji refers to the matriarch who ritually admitted new slaves into the family...” (pg. 34406) ¹.

The above submission paints the picture of a matriarchal society, and therefore by consequence would mean that the Ibani people, Bonny and Opobo, are a matriarchal race. This generally is in agreement with the matrilineal perception of the ijaw people traditionally.
Professor Jones continuing on Ibani culture presents that, "Eremina-Ogbo (Ere-Ogbo) is a female dance group with a few men who beat the drums. Eremina-Ogbo is the dance group associated with the Iria-bo womanhood rites” (pg 34406) ¹.

Above mentioned is the Iria ceremony (Iriabo). The Iria ceremony is a feminine cultural practice that celebrates the coming of age of a young woman amongst the people of Bonny, Opobo, Okrika, Kalabari etc which in recent times has gained international coverage from several reputable media.


In getting a clearer understanding of the Ijaw feminine concept of divinity we are aided by the work of Professor Christopher Abraham Ajueyitsi titled "God: Male, female or asexual?", an inaugural lecture presented at the Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma in 2004. According to Professor Christopher Ajueyitsi, "the classical example of this feminine concept of God in Africa is found among the Ijaw people of the Niger Delta of Nigeria, who speak of God STRICTLY in feminine terms. All their names and attributes for God are strictly feminine, and they apply to Her alone. They have four names for the Supreme Being, namely, Temearau (Tamara), moulder of the universe. Tamuno is the Kalabari variant of Temearau. The second name is Ayebaarau..."the foundress of the universe”, (thirdly) Woyingi or Oyin, “our mother” and Oginarau, "she who dwells in the heavens.." (pg 10) ²

Hence we can observe the strictly feminine nature of the supreme being as perceived by the Ijaw Ethnicity. Another worthy mention is the devotion to water spirits which is also a fundamental feature in the Ijaw traditional religion.


CULTURE OF HISTORICAL BONNY KINGDOM

Unlike origin which is usually a static point, culture bears the capacity to reshape, absorb and drop aspects of itself with the passing of time. It is observed that the current cultural practices of a people in the present may vary greatly from what was obtainable centuries ago. This mostly is due to an array of circumstances, many beyond the control of man. However, the practices of the long past paint a clearer picture of the heritage of a people, before several distortions over time, and helps to better understand, piece together and appreciate the present.

In view of the above stated fact, we once more look into the earliest documented history of Bonny as recorded centuries ago.


PERCEPTION OF THE SUPREME BEING AMONGST THE BONNY PEOPLE IN HISTORY

Perhaps of the greatest significance in evaluating Bonny's perception of a supreme diety was the recorded conversation between King Pepple and Trade Captain John Smith circa 1835. In this interesting exchange, Pepple shares his desire to kill God if he can, because according to him, if he succeeds in killing God then he Pepple, can live forever. Apparently, in Pepple’s estimation, God is the one who takes a man's life (Pg 90) ³.

An abridged representation of Pepple's conversation with John Smith is captured below :

Pepple : Suppose God was here I must kill him one minute!

John Smith : You can not kill God.

Pepple : I know I cannot kill him but suppose I could kill him, I would.

John Smith : And suppose you could, why would you kill him.
Pepple : Because he makes men to die.

From the above discourse it is very clear that the traditional religion of Pepple and consequentially, his subjects, was one that identified their Supreme Being as a male manifestation rather than a female, and Pepple wished to physically subdue Him if he ever got the chance, as any man would wish towards an adversary. The conversation however did not end there.

John Smith may be credited as the first European to forward the notion of a Christian God to a Pepple King, and by consequence to the Bonny people. John Smith, during the tricky conversation captured above, goes ahead to carefully describe the tenets of Christianity to a Pepple he knew very well could be very obstinate and unyielding to a foreign tradition. He shares the Bible creation story which Pepple enjoys while expressing his opinion that the serpent should have been destroyed immediately. Afterwards, John presents the gospel of the messiah.

It is worthy of note that while John Smith shares the Christian belief of a God who is a Father and his son who is the messiah, no where does Pepple ever interject in the conversation that God is indeed a woman (Pg 94) ³, as would have been the case if that was the belief he held. Pepple and indeed most of the Bonnians were not known to keep mute when the very core of their tradition was being challenged. If the God Creator of the Bonny people was a woman, Pepple would definitely have challenged the Christian notion of a masculine God.

Also of a strong note is the fact that across hundreds of books written in that era, hardly any one of the scholars recorded a matriarchal trado-religion for the Bonny people. Such a detail would never have escaped the very meticulous scholars if such was the case. Instead they all record the Bonnians as believing in a more regular masculine Deity, and also a patriarchal system of inheritance as obtainable within any other Igbo community. The foreign matriarchal inheritance system adopted by some Bonnians of today is a source of contention and turbulence within the Bonny society.


OTHER TRADITIONAL PRACTICES OF THE BONNY PEOPLE IN HISTORY

Numerous practices were observed amongst the Bonny people, however for the sake of brevity and focus we consider the core traditional elements.

IGUANA WORSHIP : One of the most frequently mentioned practices of the Bonny people was the worship of the iguana. The iguana was the tutelary diety of the Bonny people until its destruction in the wake of Bonny’s acceptance of Christianity. However, before the adoption of the iguana as the national emblem, the Bonny people were noted to have revered the monkey, as recorded by John Smith (pg 61) ³ and Major Arthur Glynn (pg 280) ⁴. Reverence of the monkey is of consequence and points to the fact that though the Bonnians had adapted to life on the coast, their original ancestors were most likely forest dwellers. This is generally in agreement with the established fact that the Bonnians originally came from the forest regions of the Igbo hinterland.

NEW YAM FESTIVAL: Another practice of note observed amongst the Bonny people is the New Yam festival. According to Crow, "On occasion of planting the yam, which is a principal article of food, and also when it is dug up, a grand ceremony is performed, intended as an expression of thankfulness to Providence for its bountiful supply of the fruits of the earth" (pg 223) ⁵.

From the above we are able to appreciate the ancient life of the Bonny people, in their traditional way of celebrating the yam. This is one traditional practice that is at the very foundation of Igbo tradition. There is arguably nowhere else in the entire world that yam holds the extolled position it does amongst the Igbos, hence for the Bonny people to have celebrated both the beginning of the yam planting season and the festival of the new yam, it is indeed a no-brainer that Bonny was like any other Igbo community. Observe also that the writer informs us that not only is yam celebrated, but also it is a principal meal amongst the early Bonnians. In addition to yam, cassava was also identified as a staple food of the Bonny people (pg 252) ⁵. A common feature in the Igbo diet.

SHAVING AS AN ACT OF MOURNING : Another practice of note was the burial rites observed on occasion of death. One of the major rites as documented, was the shaving of the hair and wearing of specified clothes in mourning of a deceased relation (pg 72) ³. A traditional practice still very common amongst the Igbos to this day.

SYMBOLISM OF THE ELEPHANT TUSK : As far back as 300 years ago the reverence of the elephant tusk amongst the Bonny people had already been well established. During Barbot's stay at Bandy (French adaptation of Bonny) in 1699, he observed the symbolic use of elephant tusks. According to John Barbot, "Thus with much patience all our matters were adjusted indifferently....The king ordered the public cryer to proclaim the permission (of his people to/) of trade with us, with the noise of his trumpets, being elephant's teeth..." (pg 459) ⁶.

Over a hundred years later, John Smith will also observe and record the significant use of the elephant tusk amongst the Bonny people as means of making key announcements (pg 120) ³. Exactly as obtainable in the general Igbo society.
But perhaps the most illustrative of the high significance of the elephant tusk in Bonny culture is its use by its most prominent person, the King. Bonny kings from time immemorial have been known to carry the Ọdụ mkpa alọ (Odu as called in Bonny to this day) as a symbol of their authority. This practice is steeped in tradition, Igbo tradition to be precise, where a bearer of the Odu is regarded as having attained the pinnacle of societal achievements.
The Ọdụ, till this day is carried by the Kings of Bonny and Opobo as their symbol of authority over their domain.

IRIA CEREMONY : The Iria ceremony as observed amongst the Bonny people and the neighboring tribes of Okrika and Kalabari is a cultural practice that has attained wide recognition in recent times. The Iria is celebrated amongst the women folk at different stages of their lives from early youth through adulthood.

Whilst the ceremony has continued to gain recognition, little is researched on as regards its origin. This had lead to a situation where it is erroneously linked to the Ijaw Ethnicity of Nigeria.
The Iria ceremony has as its original traditional name : Ị rụ Mgbede (coming of age/maturity). A keen eye can quickly observe how time and circumstances have worn and distorted the original Igbo words of Ị rụ (to attain/to reach) to Iria, while the Mgbede (maturity) has been casually discarded. Hence the current name of “Iria” could be argued to be meaningless, or at best a poor reproduction of the original. The Iru Mgbede ceremony is an age long female coming of age ceremony found amongst several Igbo communities. The ceremony was usually practiced as soon as the girl child attained puberty. At this time the girl(s) go into seclusion as the traditional rites begin in earnest. According to Igbo culture the men were never allowed into the seclusion area.

For the stipulated time of seclusion, usually about 3 months, the girls are closely tended and taught in clear details how to manage their homes by mostly aged mothers. Also the girls are fattened and their shapes worked upon such that they are irresistible to the male folk on completion of Iru Mgbede.
On completion of their time in Ị rụ Mgbede the girls were made to go through the ceremony of "Ipu Ama" i.e stepping out/public display, in some cases at the village square or at the market, with her body beautifully adorned in uli (camwood).
At the completion of this the girls were now completely qualified to be espoused.

lru Mgbede also served to ensure that girls did not engage in premarital engagements as it was a taboo for a girl to be impregnated before her Iru Mgbede ceremony.
In the Ngwa and Ukwa-Ngwa areas of Igbo land where Bonny people descend from, the ceremony bears the exact name as captured above : Ị rụ Mgbede, as against other variations of the name to be found in other parts of Igbo land like Ida Mgbede, Ịnọ Mkpuke, Ikwaezi in Mgbidi, Ibauke in Umuahia. The neighboring communities to Bonny where Iria is celebrated today which include Okrika, Kalabari (New Calabar), are all recorded to originally have Igbo ancestry, Okrika being from Afam Ndoki (pg 24) ⁴ and New Calabar descended from Arochukwu and a section of the Efik from the Duke Ephraim family of Calabar (pg 265) ⁷ and (pg 25) ⁴ with elements of both Igbo and Efik culture still observable in New Calabar. Until the modern era it was still the practice in new Calabar to take a deceased chief to Arochukwu to be buried.

The claims in some quarters that the Iru Mgbede now Iria and also the Nwaotam forest masquerade of the Igbo race are mediums of connecting to the water spirits, are bogus and should be consequently disregarded. The culturally inclined can observe there is no connection to water divinities whatsoever in both ceremonies, and there are no basis for such whatsoever.

HUNTING EXPEDITION : Great hunting expeditions were recorded amongst the ancient Bonny people by writers and other observers of the time. Until the modern era, every year the great chiefs and men of Bonny held a hunting festival. As reported by Richard Francis Burton, “Once a year every great house with its chief repairs to the bush and makes a surround of men and boys to trap gazelles and antelopes...the evening of the battue is spent in devouring its proceeds and in hard striving with strong drinks” (pg 293) ⁷. John Smith also reports on this annual hunting festival, “...After a successful battue when more deer have been captured than suffice to satisfy their appetites, they (deer) are laid about in their rooms with their four legs tied together...” (pg 153) ³.

Great hunting expeditions into the outlying forests were a commonplace event in the Igbo society and both the young and older men looked upon this hunting expeditions as an opportunity to show their hunting prowess to the admiration of the community. Great hunters were given high recognition amongst the Igbo people.
In recent times though hunting expeditions have declined with the rise in modernisation.
Most of the aforementioned points which have been discussed above are major cultural elements of the Bonny people, some of which are still observed even to this day. These cultural elements as investigated, stand side by side with practices obtainable across the rest of the Igbo nation.


REFERENCES

1. Jones M. Jaja (2015). Ibani Dieties and Methods of Worship : A survey of extinct traditions in the Niger Delta.

2. Dime, C. A. (2004). God: Male, female or asexual? Inaugural Lecture. Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma.

3. John Smith (1851). Trade and travels In The Gulf of Guinea, Western Africa. Simpkin, Marshall and Co, Stationers Hall Court, And Thomas Gill, Easingworld.

4. Major Arthur Glynn Leonard (1906). The Lower Niger And It’s Tribes. London : Macmillan and Co. Limited.

5. Hugh Crow (1830). Memoirs of the late Captain Crow of Liverpool. London : Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown and Green; And G. And J. Robinson , Liverpool.

6. John Barbot (1746). A Description of the Coasts of North and South Guinea. London : Assignment from Messrs Churchill.

7. Richard Francis Burton (1863). Wanderings in West Africa Volume II. London : Tinsley Brothers.

Father Lord!!! This one is highly detailed, no gaps or fluffs. And it's coherent. Bonny and Opobo has been swindled for a long while.

WriterNig:
@Lord_Of_Saarl tweeted;



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Feel free to add yours ❤️❤️

I go there on the weekends. If you have the money spend it

Igbo man to marry or nothing. .. if you see good thing, say it's good thing.

Rugaria:
This is what I don't understand. I find this attitude of the yorubas here very annoying. Once you showcase a historical event or place from your part of the country, especially from the former Eastern Nigeria, they automatically get triggered! All of them will wriggle out from their wet holes to tell you how it happened first in Oyo or ogbomosho.. it's annoying. Every thread, they're desperately trying to convince you that they were the first own this..., talking about how they were the first to do this or that... Very very annoying..

They want to bam bam, they want to run with the big boys.... I no talk ooo .... It's simple dear, inferiority complex.

BKayy:
In other words, you can't stop hiding under Minorities skirt.
As for the level stuff, this was how you Afonjas deceived the Ijaw to challenge the lions that they ended up disgraced.

You know why you are hiding. You know within you that your pathetic nation cannot stand toe to toe with the great Ndigbo.

Looking back at your history, you know that your notable kingdom (Oyo) was dismantled by teenage girls of Dahomey who raped and took your men as slaves then turned the entire Yorubaland to slave poultry until Britain liberated you.

So knowing this, I won't blame you for hiding under Minorities skirt because they didn't have it as bad as the Yorubas did.

Ewwwwweeeee .... Chisus.

WesternOligarch:
https://mobile.twitter.com/renoomokri/status/1489322181171589122

Beauty is a standard. And she is beautiful to someone. Don't know Reno's meaning to beauty, when he's talking if beauty I guess he wants the fake eyelash or full geared make-up. Something of his spec of women. But not all women love having makeup and fake eye lashes on their face.

Wisdomkosi:
TRENDING!!! Big Elephant Spotted In Oyo State (Photos)

A big elephant has been spotted on a farm in Oyo state, after it took a stroll from the Benin Republic, Igbere TV reports.

According to Adesope Habeeb Olamide who share it on Facebook, "Excited farmers gathered to take selfies with their unexpected visitor".

https://igberetvnews.com/1413884/trending-big-elephant-spotted-oyo-state-photos/

I love animals more than humans. Why?

BornorBang:
Update from SIGGY .ng

The Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti has released a new dress code for students of the institution, Siggy reports.

The school listed a number of fashion statements that will no longer be allowed including colored hair, face caps, tattoos, folded sleeves, amongst others.

Source: SIGGY

Mummy G.O has talked with the VC

Eastlink:
By: Eng. Fubara Banigo
Chairman Bonny United Front

The attention of Bonny United Front has been drawn to a press release by the Brown Major House 24th January 2022 with the title “Position Statement By The Buoye Omuso Brown Major House On The Incident of The Invasion of Finima with Armed Thugs On The Instruction of The King of Bonny on 22nd January 2022 at Finima”.

While the governing council of the Brown house have an inalienable right to state their grouse concerning the installation of Chief Clement Evans as Se-Alabo by the Bonny Chief’s Council, we equally want to put the records straight on other issues brought forward in the press release.

The statement alleged that the King of Bonny, Edward Asimini William Dappa Pepple III, Perekule XI and some members of his Chiefs’ Council in conjunction with some persons in Finima instigated a breakdown of law and order, causing the destruction of lives and properties in Finima Community. This never happened. What happened was that a duly capped Chief was attacked while returning home to Finima after his installation as Head of the Brown house Opuwari.

The incident occurred about 5:00pm on 22nd January 2022, when Se-Alabo Evan Clement Brown was returning home to Finima, after his official presentation to the Amayanabo-In-Council. The army escorted the convoy to the Buoye Omuso Roundabout Finima and turned back. On approaching Longhouse, there were sounds of gunshots as the crowd that escorted Chief Evans ran for their lives, giving way to armed thugs from Brown house who emerged from their ambush in company of some recognized Kalabari and Ijaw boys. The armed boys went straight to the car and dragged Chief Evans out, brutalized, stabbed and collected his crown and staff before taking to their heels.

The mastermind of the attack rather than own up to their misdeeds are still concerned with dragging the King of Bonny into their campaign of calumny. For the records, the King is a man of peace and will never be found on the wrong side supporting mischief. As the royal father of the Ibani people, traditions and customs vests the King with the power to install Chief’s in his Kingdom. The Bonny Chiefs’ Council is the undisputed and authentic custodian of the custom and culture of Bonny and therefore is in a position to define and implement the tradition of our people. The inglorious actions of a handful of some persons of the Brown Chieftaincy House to install an alien Amadabo in Finima — a stool never heard of in the history of Bonny is not only a deliberate ploy to rewrite history but a terrible attempt to balkanize and cause strive in the peaceful Bonny Kingdom.

In the case of the Brown Chieftaincy, tradition demands that the Hart House cap the Head of the Brown Opuwari before presenting him to the King. This has been the custom since the time of Omuso to the late Se-Alabo Henry Buowari Brown and this was done with Chief Evans Brown. However this was not the case with the purported installation that was done on the 12th of January 2022 with one Engr. Dagogo Lambert Brown as ‘’Chief and Head of Bouye Omuso Brown Chieftaincy House and Amadabo of Finima’’ did not follow the tradition and remains a farce.

For the avoidance of doubt and to clarify history, there is no Chieftaincy House in Bonny Kingdom known as ‘’Bouye Omuso Brown Chieftaincy House’’. Such a house does not exist. The true and authentic name is Brown House. A group of persons therefore cannot create a Chieftaincy House of their own within the Bonny Kingdom and expect it to stand. All existing 34 Chieftaincy Houses which include the Brown House are creations of the Perekule Dynasty. The Brown Chieftaincy House is among the 14 Major Houses of Bonny Kingdom.

Second, the references to suit PHC/174/72, Alagoa and Fumbo (Page 65) and the book by G. I. Jones, (Trading States of Oil Rivers, page 129) to buttress Brown ownership to Finima proves that truly non-natives who make up sections of the Brown House are the ones instigating trouble in the community, as they know nothing of the history of the place they claim to come from. For clarity, the mentioned chapter in Jones' book never talked about the founders of Finima, nor about the Brown House nor the ownership of Finima. So, that claim is mischievous.

Similarly, the suit brought up was over a parcel of land between Bonny and Finima and owned by the Browns and the Jumbos. The land in the case PHC/174/72 is the land lying between Finima and Bonny which host the NLNG. The Jumbos are not part of the Finima Community and so lost the case. But in 1974, in Suit No. PHC/29/74, when the Browns took the Tobins to court over a parcel of land that is located right at the centre of Finima — the property in question was a vast land owned by the Tobin House which was half the size of Finima. After presenting the judgment over the Jumbos in the suit of 1972, ably led by the Chief of Brown House, Late Se-Alabo Idamieibi Brown who was also a witness in the former case, the trial Judge made it clear that the said land in the 1972 judgment was a parcel of land between Finima and Bonny while the land in this case of 1974 is a land that is right at the centre of Finima. They (Brown House) lost the case to the Tobins as they had no title to present.

For Alagoa and Fombo, their account was written with less regards to verifiable sources and cannot be used as evidence in matters to judge ownership of Finima. Bonny history tells that the founder of Finima was Torukubo, a direct ancestor of Chief S.O Tobin. Torukubo begat Waribo who begat Konibo who begat Awanta. Awanta founded Tobin House and was its first Chief and also a powerful juju priest. For the Brown, their true ancestor was Ukwu who was renamed Buo. Ukwu was a son to Nwulu (Wolu) who was brought from Okrika by Onyeasolam. Onyeasolam himself was invited by Sono, a follower of Torukubo. Ukwu also called Buo begat Buo-Ogbulu, Taria, Ofo, Omuso, and Bibiorubo. Omuso the youngest son was sold into slavery by his eldest brothers. While he was on the slave ship, he saw King Fubara who was visiting the Captain in company of (Adango) Hart. He called out to them and was rescued by the King who handed him over to Hart to care for. The King gave two slaves in exchange for young Omuso.

On the supposition that the Bonny community doesn't speak Ibani nor understand the meaning of their names and cultures is laughable. It shows desperations by those with nothing to hold on to in their dance of shame. For the umpteenth time, Bonny Kingdom has a dual origin and culture. Our origin tells of two major migrations into the Rio Real. One version tells of an origin from Alagbariya, a great hunter from the Ibo hinterland and another version of a migration from Kolokuma. The spoken Ibo language is unique to us and has been in Bonny since antiquity, same as Ibani-Ijaw. No one knows which group came first nor do we know which language was first spoken. But what we know of ourselves is that we are unique in culture which has made Bonny great from historical times till the present. This greatness stands Bonny tall among tribes in the Niger-Delta. While the majority of our houses and names are Ijaw styled, the main language remains Ibo. This does not relegate Ibani which is spoken in Bonny, nor does it mean Ibo names and houses don't exist as well.

Finally, his majesty King Perekule XI, will alway stand by the principles as enshrined by the Bonny customs and traditions. Just as his ancestor Perekule I who led the Kingdom into greatness, with his military exploits and reforms that made men equals, King Edward exudes such chivalry knowing that his subjects trust him to chart Bonny into a prosperous and united course. Allegations of despotic leadership from his traducers are mere fabrications to taint our noble father and should be disregarded.

https://www.opinionnigeria.com/rejoinder-to-the-press-release-by-the-brown-major-house-on-the-22nd-january-2022-by-fubara-banigo/

Wow, this is excellent. Thank God Bonny and Opobo are waking up to their true identity on not that Ijaw-Ibani identity crisis.

Anonymous15:
I swear on my balls I ain't lieng.
All igbos do not understand each other.
Even the ABRIBA man Language is strange.
My diploma and bachelor degree days were in the east, so I know the east like the back of my palm.
I am even typing currently from the east but I ain't going to disclose the location for security reasons.
If you doubt, I could invite you.

You don't and swearing on your make genitals wouldn't adds anything. It only shows your desperateness in lying. Check out Igbo 3000 BC on Facebook and see how Igbos communicate with each other. They have few variety when it comes to certian words spoken, unlike Ijaw dear.

In essence, I swear to God, that Igbos understand 99.9 percent words they speak with each other. And I'm not swearing on my female genitals but the true God.

Aufbauh:
You're either a novice on this platform or mischievously ignorant.
The guy I am addressing knows himself as Omo Ibo.

He is not, just because he is a truthful Yoruba person you people have tagged him as an impostor. It isn't every one that follows the Yoruba's idealogy.

Anonymous15:
You can imagine this fallacy.
I stoped reading that poo on the third line.
I grew up around Igbo women,
I schooled in a university in Igbo land, and my lodgemates were all igbo students except one igala guy.
I had an abakiliki neighbor who brought 6 other abakiliki students to squat and God have mercy, they speak their Language and laugh out loud to the point that it irritates the landlord and his wife who were umuahia people.
The Enugu and imo students too laugh and make caricature on the abakiliki people..
You don't know what you're saying..
Get lost.. foreigner.

Well, it's lie. All Igbos understand each other. I could see the lie railing in your post. You've met all the whole south east states

There is God ooooo...

JANK23H:
Hello........... I'm not insulting you. I am describing you.

As a man thinketh so is he....you've heard the dictum.
if you have you will know what I'm trying to say.

JANK23H:
I know I'm losing some important brain cells responding to you.

Don't insult me, because you don't want to see me insulting you. Can't you Ijaws have a sane conversation for once. You feel guilt tripped that's why you're trying to make an argument. Or put simply, you lack information or evidence to things, so you succumb to insulting anyone who questions your knowledge of sanity.

JANK23H:
Take your time, go back to Ditari's write-ups and read again. They are quite lengthy, but read again and understand.

You check it out yourself, unless is the same moniker and he has changed what he said.

JANK23H:
Can you name the person? Because I've followed this thread.

Is it Ditari something. The Ijaw advocate on Nairaland.

JANK23H:
You are liar.This isn't the first time I would interact with you on this forum.Most times I ignore you and a certain dolt(I won't want to name so he doesn't feel important) because your intelligence quotient is quite low.

You said it on some earlier thread you haven't met an Ijaw before.

Please tag the time I said so. I want you to earnestly find it.

Her name is Bakosi, don't want to spill her first name. Is the Portuguese name Bakosi not known only in Ijaw here? Am I falsifying anything? Isn't Bakosi Ijaw related in Nigeria?

JANK23H:
Where did you read that Nembe is the central dialect of Ijaws? Didn't you also read where we said we understand ourselves?

The essence of my responding to foolish threads as this is to educate others about my people.The fact we are talked about regularly is a good thing itself.But do not throw lies about or ignorance.

You started first as though you needed a sincere answer, and we provided it.But then you couldn't mask your bias for long.

Read the comments of the thread and you will see were one of your Ijaw kins had made us believe so. Made us believe you people understood each other perfectly. Thank you for making it clear.

JANK23H:
Before you come online do some research so you don't sound silly.Obviously you've allowed these Igbos on Nairaland brainwash you.To think you're even Ghanaian and you speak so confidently with much ignorance about a people you know nothing about.I bet you haven't heard an Ijaw speak or seen one before.

I stated earlier on this thread and was corroborated by my kinsmen that we understand each other regardless of our clans.The essence of a central language is for further integration so the language will continue to survive.With a central dialect we can teach with Ijaw to an Ijaw child anywhere.

I was born here, and my mom is Igbo. Not forgetting that I schooled here. So I know much. And I've heard a lot of Ijaw friends, and know pretty much. So, I don't know where you're driving at.