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 and dispersed them into founding the Akalai Obodo, Akalai-etiti, Akili Ogidi and Akili-Ozizor area of Ogbaru – spreading to Delta and Anambra States. Among the Onya siblings, are those in Onikwu, Atani, Engeni, Okpai and Onuabor, etc. As the Igwe culture follows them along, it is wrong to relate the aborigines of this group to Benin without any linguistic and cultural evidences. 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. Indeed, Ndoni axis was the focal point for the crossing of the then narrow Niger to the Aboh complex by the first Igbo immigrants that enculturated the Aboh-Benin elements with Igbo language. It was as a result of this language that King Boy of Brass in the 18th century, described the Obi Ossai of Aboh as the king of Ibos during the slave trade. Moreso, from Ndoni axis, the group noted as Aguukwu descent moved to found the Odugili town near Ndoni in the 16th century. Historical trend also proved that a descent group noted as uchi elements (umu-nshi or Umu-nri) also came from Nri, crossing the Niger from Ossomala axis to settle in the west bank, which a fractional group (Umu-uchi or Umu-nri) still settled in Ossomala and Odekpe towns first before the Igala immigrants arrived around the 16th century A. D.

For the fact that “Ndoni town” is a place of larger population and wider recognition in the district/area, the name is used to benchmark other smaller neighboring communities in Ndoni District as in Rivers State, hence the former Midwestern state of Nigeria named the district “Ndoni Area” and also called it “A special Area”, meaning (a district across the Niger with petroleum, gas and other natural resources). Ndoni area by 1976 became a district Headquarters administratively headed by an Assistant Divisional Officer (ADO). Despite the fact that the present Councils do not take proper care of the area, it is still one of the Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni or ONELGA outpost headquarters under the surveillance of the Awoh of Ndoni.

According to the Oxford Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary by A. S. Hornby, “Revolution is any attempt to change a system of government, especially by force. It is also defined as any attempt to change any system or condition. Does the traditional coronation ceremony of 23rd November, 2013 represent a systematic subversion of the power of the Awoh or a revolution of the system of kingship in Ndoni District? Either of these may be saturated with sedition, anarchy and cultural hopelessness. In pursuit of the anthropological history of Ndoni Kingdom, the Igwe title of the extinct, ancient and acephalous Obonyan society of the early Igbo stock, was a gerontocratic patriarch (not king) of Obonya, who after the political and military conquest of the Obonya by the Ndoni royal stock in the 15th century, became the title of the Eze –Agana Juju priest, below the Awoh in the entire Ndoni Kingdom, as established by the first Igwe Ezenwocha in the 17th century, just the same way as the Igwe title became of the Onikwu patriarch leader and priest of the Onite (Iguana) deity till date. How then can anybody in Ndoni Kingdom per se, take this priestly title as kingship? At least the Ndoni historians should be consulted before this arrangements; even though kingship in Ndoni must follow the ancestral divine right as all dictionaries of politics cover.

The reigning Awoh kingship in Ndoni kingdom originated with Omeke aborigines of Ndoni who migrated from Benin City through the modern-day Bayelsa State in the 15th Century. The kingship did not originate from Onikwu village either. The title of Igwe Akkah, however, has no cultural empiricism that can be traced back to the past as any existed kingship in the entire Ndoni Kingdom. It only represents ethnical degradation in Ndoni culture, if it sustains.

As for the personality of Chief Victor Odili, he is a figure to reckon with as far as the socio-political history of Ndoni Town and the entire Ndoni area is concerned. However, my contention is that the Awoh of Ndoni kingdom, who is already recognised and coupled with the famous standard of Ndoni in Rivers state and Nigeria, should have been the rightful king to bestow whatever title to him in order to legitimize it, given the ancientness and royalty of Ndoni Kingship, socio-political achievements and personalities that have so far risen from such a kingdom Akwe-Obodo is yet a patriarchal chiefdom, not a kingdom. How can an elder from a non-royal family of a chiefdom crown a person in an existing royal kingdom or is it a cultural bastardization and desecration that may sound ridiculous in history? As an Ndoni anthropologist and historian, I remember that on 14 June, 2006, I interviewed HRH Dr. Gabriel Okeya Obi X, Awoh of Ndoni about the recognition of other Ndoni district traditional rulers, which he said he had advised them to install their rulers and introduce to him, the Awoh, for confirmation.

As for the right whatsoever to raise any assistant ruler of Ndoni District, it is the place of the Awoh or for any urgent need, the Okpala-ukwu (odua) of Ndoni to do so. If the Odua does it, the Awoh confirms it on the throne later. The Oldest man in Ndoni district outside the royalty cannot be determined from the blues by political and egoistic randomization engendered by a revolutionary intent. This is because it is an extreme view to canvass for social horizontalism (non-hierarchy), in any African society. The oldest man in Ndoni district outside the royalty cannot be determined by Oracle or by skin wrinkles any longer, but by the early intellectual exposure of the Ndoni district people
Two days after the interment or enthronement of the king, Mmanwu may be invited later for benediction and spiritual biography of the king. The Mmanwu amidst prayers for long life of the king recounts the Mmanwu anthem which is “Igo Ofor and goes away after one (1) hour. For the king’s invitation of the Mmanwu, cows and fees for logistics are heavily sponsored, depending on the number of Mmanwu bands invited. Any other reason for inviting sacred Mmanwu to enthronement feat amounts to cultural cynicism against the traditional status quo, otherwise it is unnecessary.

From the view point of a writer and social commentator, the only way the Ndoni people may not be sniggered for vested interest and opportunism is to come together, close ranks and arrange things traditionally and conventionally for the world not to see this trend as a dynastic revolution and expediency, arising from a cross-sectional intransigence of some elements.

Concluded.
Ikwuazom is an Ndoni historian and anthropologist.
Charles Ikwuazom

http://www.thetidenewsonline.com/2014/03/21/appraising-kingship-in-ndoni-11/

Yawns!!!!!!!!!!!

Find something to eat,you will feel better.

HermajestyQ:
Yawns!!!!!!!!!!!

Hahaha as if you read my mind.

I don't think this essay is correct, the Ndoni people are different from the Igbo's in religious practices, culture, politics and many more. how can you explain these huge difference if they had Igbo origin

uncletbuddy:
I don't think this essay is correct, the Ndoni people are different from the Igbo's in religious practices, culture, politics and many more. how can you explain these huge difference if they had Igbo origin

Could you list out these differences in religious practices and culture? Politics is not a good measure of correlation between two groups.

A good one. I am doing a research on movement into the Orsu area of Igboland from 500 years ago using merger of oral traditions, nomenclature and settlement patterns. I am doing it because I discovered that there is a similarity between them and Nri culture, Riverine culture and Isu culture.

Abagworo:
A good one. I am doing a research on movement into the Orsu area of Igboland from 500 years ago using merger of oral traditions, nomenclature and settlement patterns. I am doing it because I discovered that there is a similarity between them and Nri culture, Riverine culture and Isu culture.

What is the result of your research?

So the Ndoni kingship also migrated from Benin?

Benin and Kingship are like 5&6

Abagworo:
A good one. I am doing a research on movement into the Orsu area of Igboland from 500 years ago using merger of oral traditions, nomenclature and settlement patterns. I am doing it because I discovered that there is a similarity between them and Nri culture, Riverine culture and Isu culture.

The article is wrong. Aboh wasn't founded by Nri elements because the kingdom was only founded in the 16th Century by Benin migrants. What the writer failed to distinguish is the difference between Akarai/Akri and Aboh. While both people occupied same piece of territory at some point, the Akri/Akarai were the initial inhabitants before the arrival of the Aboh people from Benin who subsequently displaced the Akri/Akarai people. What existed before the 16th Century was an Igbo-speaking settlement known as Akarai before the arrival and formation Aboh. There's conclusive historical evidence to prove this (see attached) and both people must be recognized as two separate people with distinct history and origins despite the later acculturation of the Aboh group.

wesley80:

The article is wrong. Aboh wasn't founded by Nri elements because the kingdom was only founded in the 16th Century by Benin migrants. What the writer failed to distinguish is the difference between Akarai/Akri and Aboh. While both people occupied same piece of territory at some point, the Akri/Akarai were the initial inhabitants before the arrival of the Aboh people from Benin who subsequently displaced the Akri/Akarai people. What existed before the 16th Century was an Igbo-speaking settlement known as Akarai before the arrival and formation Aboh. There's conclusive historical evidence to prove this (see attached) and both people must be recognized as two separate people with distinct history and origins despite the later acculturation of the Aboh group.

Hi,Wesley80. Do these screenshots come from the work of Kingsley Nwachukwu-Ogedengbe? I've been on the hunt for his work for the longest time, but they seem impossible to track down?

If you have the full piece where you took the shots from, would you mind sharing? I could share my email address.

AjaanaOka:


Hi,Wesley80. Do these screenshots come from the work of Kingsley Nwachukwu-Ogedengbe? I've been on the hunt for his work for the longest time, but they seem impossible to track down?

If you have the full piece where you took the shots from, would you mind sharing? I could share my email address.

Hi, yes they were got from KO's dissertation. Searched a long time for the book myself before I got a downloadable copy from a university library. I saw a copy online earlier today on this link https://www.proquest.com/openview/3cba5c03c43566230d419e5eb3d855ed/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y
I'll be happy to mail you my copy if it doesn't work for you.

Interesting.

wesley80:

Hi, yes they were got from KO's dissertation. Searched a long time for the book myself before I got a downloadable copy from a university library. I saw a copy online earlier today on this link https://www.proquest.com/openview/3cba5c03c43566230d419e5eb3d855ed/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y
I'll be happy to mail you my copy if it doesn't work for you.

It seems this link only takes one to the first 24 pages of the thesis.

Could you please mail me your copy here: nnajide-C@ulster.ac.uk

Thank you very much.

RedboneSmith:
Interesting.

You are here, I was about to cc you. Lol. It is really interesting! I have many questions already. Let me just wait for you historians to discuss the matter.

Let me cc Igboid and Wesley’s Aboh brother known as Clefstone. 😁

I remember reading a thread in the past concerning Aboh and it’s origin, yourself and the names mentioned above wrote a lot. The attachment above is quite an eye opener.

wesley80:

Hi, yes they were got from KO's dissertation. Searched a long time for the book myself before I got a downloadable copy from a university library. I saw a copy online earlier today on this link https://www.proquest.com/openview/3cba5c03c43566230d419e5eb3d855ed/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y
I'll be happy to mail you my copy if it doesn't work for you.

Omordi, Please could you mail me a copy. Clefstone2@gmail.com. Thanks

If an Aboh person tells you he/she is Igbo, it is fine .

If he/she also tells you they are Benin it is fine.

Make everybody rest.

Sizwezi:
If an Aboh person tells you he/she is Igbo, it is fine .

If he/she also tells you they are Benin it is fine.

Make everybody rest.

It's more complicated than this.

In terms if origin/ancestry, the Aboh people are of diverse origin. There are many Aboh people of Igbo origin as there are many of Ijaw, Igala, Isoko, Itsekiri and Yes, Bini origin. Most Aboh people know their origin so it's not a speculation. These people of diverse origin to form a single identity- Aboh

The truth is that whether an Aboh man tells you he is Igbo or not, they do not have the Igbo consciousness

clefstone:
It's more complicated than this.

In terms if origin/ancestry, the Aboh people are of diverse origin. There are many Aboh people of Igbo origin as there are many of Ijaw, Igala, Isoko, Itsekiri and Yes, Bini origin. Most Aboh people know their origin so it's not a speculation. These people of diverse origin to form a single identity- Aboh

The truth is that whether an Aboh man tells you he is Igbo or not, they do not have the Igbo consciousness

That’s alright. How they choose to identify themselves, so be it.

The name Aboh is almost everywhere in Igboland. What and where is the origin of the name ?

Sizwezi:





That’s alright. How they choose to identify themselves, so be it.

The name Aboh is almost everywhere in Igboland. What and where is the origin of the name ?

Just like the name Aro is almost everywhere in Igbo land. You'd notice that the Abohs in Igbo land are prefixed, for example Aboh-Mbaise. There are also Abohs on the Western side of the Niger, an example being Aboh-Orogun/Ebo-Orogun. There is however only one Aboh town worldwide, that being the Aboh of the mouth of the Niger Delta.

A very plausible answer to your question is that the Abohs in these other communities migrated from Aboh, a once very important and powerful trade kingdom, to their present settlements as is the case of Aboh-Orogun. Infact many places around Aboh have Aboh embedded in their history including the Itsekiris who acknowledge the Abohs as part of their ancestry(later immigrants)

Sizwezi:





That’s alright. How they choose to identify themselves, so be it.

The name Aboh is almost everywhere in Igboland. What and where is the origin of the name ?

The Aboh in Igboland are those that migrated from Aboh into Igboland between 400-500 years ago. I just finished talking to someone from Aboh-Ozara, very close to Oguta in Imo state. According to their account, they migrated from Aboh about 400 years ago and assert their “Delta roots”. You’re free to confirm this yourself. I also confirmed another settlement farther in Enugu state that bear similar names with a similar migration story. More interestingly, these communities also dance the “Egwu Amala” dance, the unique signature dance of Aboh people. Most communities I know that are prefixed with “Aboh” have a direct connection with Aboh and these includes an Urhobo community otherwise known as Aboh-Orogun.

clefstone:
It's more complicated than this.

In terms if origin/ancestry, the Aboh people are of diverse origin. There are many Aboh people of Igbo origin as there are many of Ijaw, Igala, Isoko, Itsekiri and Yes, Bini origin. Most Aboh people know their origin so it's not a speculation. These people of diverse origin to form a single identity- Aboh

The truth is that whether an Aboh man tells you he is Igbo or not, they do not have the Igbo consciousness

I don’t think it’ll be fair to describe Aboh as anything other than of Benin origin - the evidence is compelling except perhaps one chooses to lend credence to the “Nri - born Native doctor migration story from Benin”, a theory I find inherently flawed. What is not in contention is that the people the founded what later became Aboh kingdom migrated from Benin. This is not to say there aren’t sizeable migrants from Igboland and elsewhere that arrived at various times and through various means, heck, my own family has its paternal root in neighboring Ashaka but we’ve lived in Aboh for over 5 generations. When the question of a people's origin is thrown, I believe the right answer is the origin of its founders and once the Akarai distinction is made, all that's left are the original migrants from Benin.

clefstone:
Just like the name Aro is almost everywhere in Igbo land. You'd notice that the Abohs in Igbo land are prefixed, for example Aboh-Mbaise. There are also Abohs on the Western side of the Niger, an example being Aboh-Orogun/Ebo-Orogun. There is however only one Aboh town worldwide, that being the Aboh of the mouth of the Niger Delta.

A very plausible answer to your question is that the Abohs in these other communities migrated from Aboh, a once very important and powerful trade kingdom, to their present settlements as is the case of Aboh-Orogun. Infact many places around Aboh have Aboh embedded in their history including the Itsekiris who acknowledge the Abohs as part of their ancestry(later immigrants)

Okay

wesley80:

I don’t think it’ll be fair to describe Aboh as anything other than of Benin origin - the evidence is compelling except perhaps one chooses to lend credence to the “Nri - born Native doctor migration story from Benin”, a theory I find inherently flawed. What is not in contention is that the people the founded what later became Aboh kingdom migrated from Benin. This is not to say there aren’t sizeable migrants from Igboland and elsewhere that arrived at various times and through various means, heck, my own family has its paternal root in neighboring [b][/b]Ashaka but we’ve lived in Aboh for over 5 generations. When the question of a people's origin is thrown, I believe the right answer is the origin of its founders and once the Akarai distinction is made, all that's left are the original migrants from Benin.

Your last paragraph that talks about the origin is what I also think it should be. Akarai’s( Igbos) , Aboh(Bini), Hence my statement earlier.

Sizwezi:



Your last paragraph that talks about the origin is what I also think it should be. Akarai’s( Igbos) , Aboh(Bini), Hence my statement earlier.

Important to also note that Akarai (Akarai Etiti and Akarai Obodo) are separate towns from Aboh and are still occupied to this day by the Akarai aborigines. Both villages still maintain very close ties but have distinct identities. For example, the now late Iyase of Aboh, Chief Fabian Obi was from Akarai and rose to become the Iyase of Aboh because his mom was an "Akpe" - a princess of Aboh. The person he was to take over from, a strong contestant for the position was a certain Chief Awani, an Itsekiri with maternal root in Aboh.

wesley80:

I don’t think it’ll be fair to describe Aboh as anything other than of Benin origin - the evidence is compelling except perhaps one chooses to lend credence to the “Nri - born Native doctor migration story from Benin”, a theory I find inherently flawed. What is not in contention is that the people the founded what later became Aboh kingdom migrated from Benin. This is not to say there aren’t sizeable migrants from Igboland and elsewhere that arrived at various times and through various means, heck, my own family has its paternal root in neighboring Ashaka but we’ve lived in Aboh for over 5 generations. When the question of a people's origin is thrown, I believe the right answer is the origin of its founders and once the Akarai distinction is made, all that's left are the original migrants from Benin.

I agree with you 100% but you seem to have written more about founding than ancestry. There is no doubt the founders of Aboh were of Benin origin. However, the indigenous Aboh population today is made up of people of diverse origin and ancestry and they include the descendants of the founders as well as other people of diverse ancestry with the later population more than the former.

Ogedengbe's writing(some snippets I've managed to read) on Aboh helped me understand some aspect of the diversity of Aboh and the unique way the people came to live in peace together. It was difficult for me to understand it when my father would tell us that certain of our family members were not actually related to us by blood, but these family members of ours owned land in our quarters as inheritances. While we are descendants of the founders of Aboh, these members of our family are of other ancestry and sometimes are even of so called slave origin(yes, slave origin). Even within this large family(Ogbe), everybody knows his origin yet we are all fully Aboh people with mostly equal rights

The Aboh people even came up with ways to balance things up between the founders and other settlers, one of them being that the Obi(king) of Aboh must be chosen from the descendants of the founder of Aboh while the Iyasele(traditional prime minister) must be of an origin other than that of the founder. Also the Obi of Aboh(the Obi title most likely originated from Aboh) must be of dual ancestry, that is, paternally of the "founder origin" and maternally of the "non-founder" origin. Also the second in command to the Obi, the Iyasele must be of a paternal non-founder origin and a maternal founder origin. These attests to the fact that the people of Aboh understood their diversity and the need to balance the polity in order to foster peace and unity by sending a message that Aboh belongs to all of us. No way such a place can be regarded as Igbo(I respect my Igbo brothers and acknowledge the fact that we are linked by language and other factors)

I know you know all the above and most likely even better than I do, but I write it for the sake of all those that will read it now and in years to come(nairaland is an archive)

On the Nri-born native doctor migration story, I have read about it here on NL before. It really sounds interesting but it clearly has no oral historical backing and is an obvious cooked up narrative by someone with a predetermined motive

wesley80:

Important to also note that Akarai (Akarai Etiti and Akarai Obodo) are separate towns from Aboh and are still occupied to this day by the Akarai aborigines. Both villages still maintain very close ties but have distinct identities. For example, the now late Iyase of Aboh, Chief Fabian Obi was from Akarai and rose to become the Iyase of Aboh because his mom was an "Akpe" - a princess of Aboh. The person he was to take over from, a strong contestant for the position was a certain Chief Awani, an Itsekiri with maternal root in Aboh.

Well, that’s what good relationship and understanding can bring about. So if they recognize and honor those men due to their maternal relationship with the Kingdom, then it’s a good thing. If it’s also done because they know that by extension and origin the actual owners of the land were Akarai’s, it’s also a good thing.

clefstone:
I agree with you 100% but you seem to have written more about founding than ancestry. There is no doubt the founders of Aboh were of Benin origin. However, the indigenous Aboh population today is made up of people of diverse origin and ancestry and they include the descendants of the founders as well as other people of diverse ancestry with the later population more than the former.

Ogedengbe's writing(some snippets I've managed to read) on Aboh helped me understand some aspect of the diversity of Aboh and the unique way the people came to live in peace together. It was difficult for me to understand it when my father would tell us that certain of our family members were not actually related to us by blood, but these family members of ours owned land in our quarters as inheritances. While we are descendants of the founders of Aboh, these members of our family are of other ancestry and sometimes are even of so called slave origin(yes, slave origin). Even within this large family(Ogbe), everybody knows his origin yet we are all fully Aboh people with mostly equal rights

The Aboh people even came up with ways to balance things up between the founders and other settlers, one of them being that the Obi(king) of Aboh must be chosen from the descendants of the founder of Aboh while the Iyasele(traditional prime minister) must be of an origin other than that of the founder. Also the Obi of Aboh(the Obi title most likely originated from Aboh) must be of dual ancestry, that is, paternally of the "founder origin" and maternally of the "non-founder" origin. Also the second in command to the Obi, the Iyasele must be of a paternal non-founder origin and a maternal founder origin. These attests to the fact that the people of Aboh understood their diversity and the need to balance the polity in order to foster peace and unity by sending a message that Aboh belongs to all of us. No way such a place can be regarded as Igbo(I respect my Igbo brothers and acknowledge the fact that we are linked by language and other factors)

I know you know all the above and most likely even better than I do, but I write it for the sake of all those that will read it now and in years to come(nairaland is an archive)

On the Nri-born native doctor migration story, I have read about it here on NL before. It really sounds interesting but it clearly has no oral historical backing and is an obvious cooked up narrative by someone with a predetermined motive

😏. Did you read that attachment at all ? Guy rest !

You certainly can't help a man who's fixated on running away from his shadows.
When you assume that because some migrants who came from Bini to Aboh were strictly Binis even when their names aren't Bini names, you'll understand the point I'm trying to say.
Migration will always be part of human history. While some will be migrants from another ethnic group to a new ethnic group, others are within the same ethnic group but from a different clan. From my studies, I found out that the most probable thing was another Igbo group from North of Ukwuani displacing the Aboriginal Akarais.
Take a look at these pointer. If the Akarais (well accepted as an Igbo group) were dispersed to Atani in present day Anambra State, we don't expect to have any Bini 'borrowing' from them. However, in Atani we still find vestiges of Bini influence. Osita Osadebe is from Atani. His surname points to it. There's a quarter in Atani known as 'umuiyasele quarters'. There are many more of such vestiges. They are supposed to be a pure Igbo group who ran away from the other side of the Niger.
The Aboh that is been spoken of had a king in the early 19th century who unambiguously identified his people as Igbo people but 200 years later, his descendants are still arguing about their ancestry.
Una well done o.

Note: Many people in Aboh have slave origins with some being non-Igbo groups. They were the remnants of the slaves who weren't sold after the abolishment of the trans-atlantic slave trade. It was well documented.

Aboh just like Onitsha was founded by Igbo groups who earlier lived in closer proximity to Benin City or they sojourned there and only left Benin to assert themselves on a weaker/suitable location within a place they were familiar with. Nothing else can explain how the Bini language disappeared in entirety in Aboh if actually her founders were truly Bini speaking people. There's next to nothing of Bini influence in Aboh. Almost everything there shouts Igbo yet some of her children are determined to continue searching for what wasn't lost.
Una well done o.

Fejoku:
You certainly can't help a man who's fixated on running away from his shadows.
When you assume that because some migrants who came from Bini to Aboh were strictly Binis even when their names aren't Bini names, you'll understand the point I'm trying to say.
Migration will always be part of human history. While some will be migrants from another ethnic group to a new ethnic group, others are within the same ethnic group but from a different clan. From my studies, I found out that the most probable thing was another Igbo group from North of Ukwuani displacing the Aboriginal Akarais.
Take a look at these pointer. If the Akarais (well accepted as an Igbo group) were dispersed to Atani in present day Anambra State, we don't expect to have any Bini 'borrowing' from them. However, in Atani we still find vestiges of Bini influence. Osita Osadebe is from Atani. His surname points to it. There's a quarter in Atani known as 'umuiyasele quarters'. There are many more of such vestiges. They are supposed to be a pure Igbo group who ran away from the other side of the Niger.
The Aboh that is been spoken of had a king in the early 19th century who unambiguously identified his people as Igbo people but 200 years later, his descendants are still arguing about their ancestry.
Una well done o.

Note: Many people in Aboh have slave origins with some being non-Igbo groups. They were the remnants of the slaves who weren't sold after the abolishment of the trans-atlantic slave trade. It was well documented.

These are the sort of people books and critical thinking weren't made for. Definitely not worth my time.

clefstone:
I agree with you 100% but you seem to have written more about founding than ancestry. There is no doubt the founders of Aboh were of Benin origin. However, the indigenous Aboh population today is made up of people of diverse origin and ancestry and they include the descendants of the founders as well as other people of diverse ancestry with the later population more than the former.

Ogedengbe's writing(some snippets I've managed to read) on Aboh helped me understand some aspect of the diversity of Aboh and the unique way the people came to live in peace together. It was difficult for me to understand it when my father would tell us that certain of our family members were not actually related to us by blood, but these family members of ours owned land in our quarters as inheritances. While we are descendants of the founders of Aboh, these members of our family are of other ancestry and sometimes are even of so called slave origin(yes, slave origin). Even within this large family(Ogbe), everybody knows his origin yet we are all fully Aboh people with mostly equal rights

The Aboh people even came up with ways to balance things up between the founders and other settlers, one of them being that the Obi(king) of Aboh must be chosen from the descendants of the founder of Aboh while the Iyasele(traditional prime minister) must be of an origin other than that of the founder. Also the Obi of Aboh(the Obi title most likely originated from Aboh) must be of dual ancestry, that is, paternally of the "founder origin" and maternally of the "non-founder" origin. Also the second in command to the Obi, the Iyasele must be of a paternal non-founder origin and a maternal founder origin. These attests to the fact that the people of Aboh understood their diversity and the need to balance the polity in order to foster peace and unity by sending a message that Aboh belongs to all of us. No way such a place can be regarded as Igbo(I respect my Igbo brothers and acknowledge the fact that we are linked by language and other factors)

I know you know all the above and most likely even better than I do, but I write it for the sake of all those that will read it now and in years to come(nairaland is an archive)

On the Nri-born native doctor migration story, I have read about it here on NL before. It really sounds interesting but it clearly has no oral historical backing and is an obvious cooked up narrative by someone with a predetermined motive

Couldn't agree more.