The Real Truth: Are Ikwerre People Igbos Or Not?

THE REAL TRUTH: ARE IKWERRE PEOPLE IGBOS OR NOT?

There has been an unending argument about the Ikwerre people of Rivers State being ‘runaway Igbos,’ and it is quite interesting to an observer, seeing the Igbos vehemently chasing after their so-called lost brothers while the Ikwerre folk keep running and hiding deeper into their mangrove forests. Imagine the debate: “You are my brother, whether you like it or not” versus “I am not your brother, whether you like or not.”

Perhaps, an Igbo reader would frown at the word ‘chase’ because that would be condescending. I mean, why would they ‘chase’ after Ikwerre people? Who goes them? But in actual sense, that is exactly what they do. How so? In an interview published by The Punch (12^th May 2024), a former Secretary General of Ohaneze Ndigbo Uche Okwukwu made a very strong statement that “…the Igbo will not surrender Ikwerre to anyone or tribe…. Any attempt to remove Ikwerre land from the Igbo will be resisted.” Indeed, they are chasing after Ikwerre.

                  A Clash of History

It is therefore glaring that the ethnic debate has gone beyond road-side banter because intellectuals and academics are involved, historicizing the origins of the Ikwerre people and their ‘language’ just to prove that they are Igbos. For the Ikwerre naysayers, it is a handicap fight. The Igbo group is large, one of the Big Three in Nigeria and having up to five states, while the Ikwerre group is what now, just four local governments in one state. So, if the debate needs to be settled by history and research, one can trust there would be more materials from the Igbos who should naturally have more resources and manpower for that.

However, one should ask: as important as history is, what should we trust as the real identity of a man? Is it what his father told him about their ancestry or what a stranger has written from miles away? You decide. Again, what if his father lied to him? Am I staging a war between oral history and the written? Perhaps yes. Perhaps no. But that is beside my point.

In historicizing their origins, the Ikwerres trace their ancestry to the ancient Benin empire. Perhaps, they are right. On the other hand, the Igbos believe Ikwerres are descendants of an Igbo migration, and they have language and name similarities in their arsenal. Perhaps, they too are right, making this a clash of two rights. Who is ‘righter?’ Yet again, that is beside my point.

In another essay, I raised a question that is still relevant here. What do the ‘loving’ Igbos want with ‘stubborn’ Ikwerre? Are they saying Ikwerre are Igbo based on the love they have for their lost brothers and want them back in the Igbo fold for purely affectionate purposes? This question is crucial because the sentiments expressed by Igbos subtly suggest otherwise, and this is one of the reasons Ikwerres keep resisting the Igbo tag. Yes, the language may be Igbo; yes, their names may be Igbo, but they don’t want to be Igbo-called because the inclusion is suspiciously more expansionist than fraternal. Another statement from Okwukwu simply pumps blood to the veins of that suspicion. According to him, “No nation will want itself to be cut off from the sea. Ikwerre land is the tongue of the Igbo nation to the sea.” In the end, is it Ikwerre land (whether peopled or not) or Ikwerre people (‘landed’ or landless) that are Igbo? To add, statements like this in forceful tones of only create more apprehension in the hearts of the lost brothers. If there is anything to learn from how Igbos handle these matters, it is how to mishandle such matters.

Let the People Be!

In the words of Lenrie Peters, “What does it cost to be loved and left alone?”

To be honest, I neither follow the Ekpeye-Benin historical theory nor the Igbo-migration theory of Ikwerre origin because, like I said, it is history and any of them may be right. What is of concern to me in the din of historical correctness is the negligence of what the Ikwerre people want. What is the will of the people? No matter the veracity of your version of history, which is your last card in court to claim ownership, as it were, of a stubborn group of people –or their land— you should pause at some point to ask yourself your purpose for wanting to win this debate. Are you trying to enslave these people? You are so sure these are your brothers, and you probably pretend that you genuinely want them. Have you asked if they, too, want you? Do you enjoy forced relationships?

From the endless history-slinging hullabaloo, it is clear that many Ikwerre people want everything but to be Igbo-known. Perhaps that is their own loss. Perhaps, they are just too naïve to see that they are better off with the Igbos. Yet, they need to be left alone. When you want someone who does not want you, there are only two options to follow: you either woo or you go away. In this case, the Igbos have created a third option, moving from ethnic colonization to ethnic harassment. Talk about smothering Ikwerre with ‘Igboly love.’

The Igbos long lost the battle of brotherhood –or ownership— since Rivers State was created and the Ikwerre lands and rivers were cut off from Igbo hold. To regain that hold, I believe dialogue and diplomacy should be key, not the brazenness of kinship at gunpoint: your brotherhood or your life! Like, agree that we are brothers and share your land, or I ‘keel’ you and take the land.

Lol.

-McDike Dimkpa
The Oracle