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/

Na wa oo.

Who is dragging Jew or Israel with you people sef

missKiffy:
Who is dragging Jew or Israel with you people sef

ABEG SHUT IT MISS DUMBO!.
TO COMMENT ON A TOPIC IS NOT BY FORCE, IF DONT KNO WAT TO SAY

What are your thoughts on this?

https://igbocybershrine.com/2012/11/21/a-re-emerging-scam-a-review-of-the-jews-of-nigeria-part-1/

https://igbocybershrine.com/2013/01/23/a-re-emerging-scam-a-review-of-the-jews-of-nigeria-part-2-3/

https://igbocybershrine.com/2013/11/13/a-re-emerging-scam-a-review-of-the-jews-of-nigeria-part-3/

Even in Nigeria some people don't know there origin, some think they fell from heaven...
That's God Almighty pursued them like Satan out of heaven...

I no fit shout...
Isreal abeg free visa for the Igbo Jews that knows/accept their origin abeg.