We Are Igbos, But Denied Igbo Because Of Biafran War: Says Ikwerre Youths

"We Are Igbos, But Denied Igbo Because Of
Biafran War" Says Ikwerre Youths

Ikwerre youths have said that according to history,
the people of Ikwerre are actually Igbos. The
youths, in an epistle signed by one of their leaders,
Adiele Samuel said that the reason why they were
forced to deny their Igbo roots was to avoid being
shortchanged in Nigeria during and after the Civil
War.

Read for yourself: “We the youths of Ikwerre
extraction, Elele, Ubima, Isiokpo, Ogbakiri,
Omademe, Obiri Ikwerre, Rumuigbo, Rumuola,
Rumukurushi, Rumuokoro, etc wish to make known
our position as regards to Biafra movement.

The Ikwerre is a sub group of Igbo in the Niger
Delta headquartered in Isiokpo Ancient Kingdom, we
are some time classified as a separate ethnic group
in Rivers State, if you call us Igbo you are not
wrong and if you call us Ikwerre you are equally
not wrong.

There are reasons behind the creation of Rivers
State, one was to frustrate the Biafran dream and
two was to divide the Igbo ethnic group being
regarded as separatist tribe.

The division of old Eastern Nigeria no doubt was
based on popular demands by the non Igbo
speaking communities due to fear of
marginalization, loosing their identity and other lies
peddled by Nigeria Government.

When Rivers State was carved out from the east,
there was need to divide the Igbo, on the process,
part of Igbo communities were carved into Rivers
State which resulted to identity crises, as some
started rewriting the Ikwerre history to please the
North.

The name Ikwerre is as if you are asking a question
and then someone from Imo State replies you
“Nkwerre” which is an LGA in the State.

The problem of most of our youth is that they rely
on what their grand fathers told them without
studying wide. In Eli kwerre, if you have not
married from Imo you are not in line, most Ikwerre
wives are Imolites and we speak Igbo even more
than some Igbos who claims to be original Igbo.

The identity crisis in Rivers State started
immediately after the war, some claim Bini origin,
notable of them is Elechi Amadi the author of the
Concubine, in all his books has promoted the Igbo
culture but in a surprised move denounced his
Igboness before Justice Oputa who reminded him of
his Igbo names and Igboid language, No Igbo
speaks the same. We can not admit our Igbo
identity except during elections like Amaechi”.

Ikwerre Meka