𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐫𝐮𝐛𝐨𝐢𝐝 𝐍𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬, 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐬 𝐑𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐀𝐫𝐞𝐚 𝐀𝐬 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐎𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐇𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐈𝐠𝐛𝐨𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐛𝐨 (𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐡), 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐤𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐤𝐚 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬

1. In the earliest journals and maps of the lower Guinea, Abo was written as “Arbo” and “Arebo. These two spelling are in accordance to Dutch phonemics.

2. According to Dutch phonemics the /Ar/ phoneme in “Arbo” is pronounced as the ‘A’ in apple or ally. (Go here for Dutch-English pronunciation of phoneme https://books.google.com/books/about/A_Manual_of_English_Pronunciation_and_Gr.html?id=_qYOAAAAMAAJ). This pronunciation actually gives the correct pronunciation of Abo, as the native pronounce it.

3. On the other hand the Dutch phoneme /Are/ in “Arebo” is pronounced as the ‘Ẹ’ in Ẹbiriba or similar the ‘A’ in air. In this came it would be spelled Ẹbo. (Go here for Dutch-English pronounciation of phoneme https://books.google.com/books/about/A_Manual_of_English_Pronunciation_and_Gr.html?id=_qYOAAAAMAAJ). This pronunciation of Abo indicates that the Dutch traveler who recorded the name as such may have been in the land of the Ukwuani, a neighboring Igbo group.

4. Although some authors have speculated that Arbo/Arebo were the Abo people, many were unsure giving the location of the people, which was off of the Forcados River, a location they are no longer at, and concluded that it was just a town that faded away with time.

5. Nonetheless, the Arbo/Arebo were the Aboh people. In the book 𝐀 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐕𝐨𝐲𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐬 by Astley Thomas, which was published in 1746 and consists of translated accounts from the 1600s, on Pg. 97, a Dutch traveler recorded his experience of the outdated Igbo cultural practice of the killing of twin that took place at “Arebo”:

“At Arebo, however, they are of a contrary opinion, and treat Twin-bearing Women barbarously, killing both the Mother and Children by Way of Sacrifice to a certain Demon; who, as they believe, inhabits a Wood near the Village. The Man generally redeems the Wife, by offering a Female Slave in her place, but the children are condemned without Mercy.”

6. In another account the system of governance at Arebo is describe as the Obi governance system practiced till date, where the ruler of the kingdom is actually a representative answerable to a council of elders. The account is given in the book 𝐀𝐧 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐥 𝐇𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲, 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 by T. Osborne, published in 1760, on Pg. 359:

“Arebo is a fine, large, and populous city, of an oval figure, the houses larger, but built with the same materials, and in the same taste, as those of Bododo. The city and adjacent country are under the government of a viceroy and council, wirh similar powers as those of Bododo.”

7. In addition to the Igbo cultural practices of the killing of twins and the practicing of the Obiship system, there is the Ofo aspect. Along that same area of the Forcados River, at least 3 bronze Ofos were recovered by archeologists. The Ofo is the Igbo ritual staff of authority. In 1976, Nancy C. Neaher published an article in the African Arts, Vol. 9  called 𝐈𝐠𝐛𝐨 𝐌𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐬 𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐄𝐝𝐨, where she speaks of the recovered Ofos:

“Bronzes recently recovered from sites along the Forcados River included at least threeofo, which are now housed in Belgian collections. The Nigerian museums possess nine ofo, five of which are in the National Museum, Lagos.”

8. To see one of the ancient bronze Ofos recovered off of the Forcados, see Photo #1. Also, see a map showing Arebo’s original location along to Forcados before migrating to their current location, see Photo #2.

9. The Abo made a migration eastwards where they met an aboriginal Igbo group known as the “Akarai” or “Akara” people, whom they largely displaced and cause I mass migration into eastern Nigeria but did allow some to remain in their fatherland.

10. This oral tradition was recorded by Augustus Ferryman Mockler-Ferryman in his book 𝐔𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚 published in 1892 on Pg. 234-235:

 “According to Abo tradition,the town,a century or more ago,belonged to the Akris, one of the numerous Ibo clans, the forefathers of the present possessors being natives of Idu. These latter people revolted against their chief at Idu, and, having been driven from their native town, betook 

themselves to the neighbourhood of Abo. Here they were well received by the Akris, and given a portion of land whereon to build a town, on the understanding that they should give assistance to their friends,if called upon to do so the refugees soon became jealous of the power of the Akris,and determined to make an attempt to get the upper hand. They asked the chiefs and young men of the Akris to meet them at a certain spot in the bush at night, for the purpose,as they asserted,of settling some important affairs of state. The Akris, unsuspecting treachery, agreed, but stipulated that no weapons should be taken by any one,mats and fans being the only things allowed. At the appointed time,the two clans met,each Idu having carefully concealed in his mat a well-sharpened matchet (or chopper).

The Idus opened the discussion by demanding that one of their number should be appointed king of themselves and of the Akris, to which, of course, the latter objected. This was the signal for the Idus to draw their matchets and fall on their former friends, more than 800 of whom they slaughtered on the spot. The Akris were obliged after this to abandon their town,and became scattered about the country, paying a yearly tribute of smoked fish to the new king of Abo.”

11. In the above oral tradition we note that the Abo are reported to have come from the Igbo country name Idu, which is also known as Obodo Idu. They were not from the Olukumi country known as Great Benin (Udo).

12. It can also be noted that the land of the Akara people was on the outskirts of Idu. This would make them a part of the Igbo area described as “Onicha Udo na Idu”: Outskirts of Udo and Idu.

13. The descendants of the dispersed Akara people migrated to the present day states of Anambra, Imo, and Rivers State. Some notable places are Akri-Ogidi (Anambra/Rivers), Akri-Oziza (Anambra), and Akri-Atani (Anambra).

14. It is important to note that, as observed in the writing of Mockler-Ferryman, “Akri” is the anglicized spelling of Akarai. However, there are various Igbo dialectical spellings of Akarai that are correct and they are: Akalai, Akala, Akara, Akili, and Akiri.

15. In regards to Rivers State, the Akarai descendants can be found among the Ekpeye, the Ogba, and the Ndoni. On the case of the migration of the Akara people and their relation to the people of Ndoni, Ndoni anthropologist and Historian, Charles Ikwuazom, writes the following in a 2014 article titled 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐈𝐧 𝐍𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐢:

“The Aboh and Ndoni ancient towns were

first founded by the Igbo-speaking elements from Nri or Awka zone. For Aboh, they were the Akala or Akalai party whose eponymous ancestor was Ogidi who magically invoked down an imposing rock (salvivic water deity) that aided his party to cross the Niger from Isala axis, a reason why the ancestors of Akili never drowned in the river. In Ndoni, they were the Obonya elements, whose ancestor was Awka, father of Aguukwu to Ezenwocha and Anyaogwu. Both Ogidi and the Awka were reputed to have arrived at the banks of the lower Niger about the 10th century or before. History has it that the Onya siblings among the Akalai elements moved downstream and founded the Onya town before Aboh conquered the Akalai people..”

“The name “Akalai or Akili” originated from “akala” or tattoo-marked ichi faces of the ancient Igbo elements at Aboh axis. The word “akala” got corrupted to Akalai, Akarai or Akili with time, movement and linguistic associations of stranger elements in the midst of the people at various locations.”

16. When it comes to the Akara descendants of Ekpeye and Ogba, they are known as the two children of Akaraka. They refer to their original land, fatherland, as Akara-Aka, commonly written as Akaraka or Akalaka. Though Akalaka, Akaraka, and Akaluka all mean “destiny” in the Igbo language, it is not the meaning the name is referring to.

17. The Akalaka of the Ekpeye and Ogba means Akala (Akarai) and Aka (Place): the abode of the Akarai. This is to say their fatherland is Akalai. Although this designation has been personified over the years making many to believe the name means “Destiny” and Akalaka was a father not a fatherland.

18. Interestingly, in an Intelligence Report carried out by W. F. H. Newington, an Administration Officer in Eastern Nigeria during the colonial days, of all the towns and villages visited in Ekpeye, 76 in total, none mentioned a migration from Benin or mentioned the name “Benin” at all; instead, they claimed partial migration from Aboh while their other heritage remained in eastern Nigeria.

19. To square back on the Forcados River, the location is known as the abode of the Yoruba-speaking people the Itsekiri. This is to confirm that the Itsekiri people and the Igbo-speaking people of Abo were once neighbors even during the time of European exploration and trade in the region.

20. We also know from intricate records of the Portuguese and Dutch that Great Benin was an Olukumi-Yoruba speaking kingdom known to the natives as Udo. This Udo in present day Ovia SW, Edo State. See Photo’#3 map from the 1600s showing Benin as west of Ughoton.

21. We know from Dutch records that the Igbo territory known as Obodo Idu, written by Dutch as “Boededoe”, was the neighbor and ally of the Olukumi-Yoruba Kingdom of Great Benin (Udo). And it was made clear that the Edo-speakers were refugees, P.O.W.’s, and servants who were allowed to settle and integrate into the societies of these two Igbo and Yoruba allied territories.

By Dee Chibu