A lot of people have argued that Ikwerre is not Igbo, while others said they are from Ekpeye, which migrated from the Benin kingdom (Oba)
9News Nigeria visits one of the communities in Ikwerre named Rumuewhor Community in Odegu Clan in Emohua local government Area of Rivers State (Ikwerre land)
During our findings, we encountered a well-known and respected chief, who is a native of the Rumuewhor community in the Odegu clan in Emohua (Ikwerre land) who gave us some insight while they were Igbos.
Interaction session with Chief Chinedu Amadi
Correspondent: Good afternoon sir, please kindly tell us your name and who you are
Answer: Good afternoon my friend, am Chief Chinedu Amadi, a native of the Rumuewhor community in the Odegu clan of Emohua local government area of Rivers State, by the special grace of God, am a retired principal of the Rumuewhor community secondary school.
Sir, we have been having different views over the origin of IkWERRE, what can you say about it?
Answer: he laughed and said IKWERRE originated from Igbo, I am an Igbo man
Sir, please explain in detail
Answer: Ikwerre has always been IHURUOHA, it was named by our ancestors before some revisionists attempted to corrupt it as IWHURUOHA and recently it is now called IWHURUOHNA.
When you try to pronounce it, the sound remains IHURUOHA which means The Face of the Clans or The People in both ikwerre dialect and Central Igbo language.
Sir, We heard that IKWERRE People migrated from Ekpeye, which migrated from Benin Kingdom, which means you are from Benin kingdom
Answer: Hahahaha, he laughed and said I am not from Benin Kingdom am an Igbo man, how can they say we IKWERRE People migrated from Benin Kingdom, Do you see anything in our culture or tradition that looks like Benin, the Edos? No, we are not Benins we are from the Igbos
Listen, my friend, IWHURUOHA or IWHURUOHNA does not have a meaning in the Ikwerre Dialect, and its pronunciation is strange to the IKWERRE people and such is not our dialect.
Do you see the names we answer as IKWERRE People do any look like Benin names or Edo names, for example, my name is Chinedu Amadi, have you come as a Benin man answering a name called Amadi or Chinedu? That’s capital NO
IKWERRE culture and tradition are the same as the Igbo, with no difference at all, we named our children Igbo the majority of us got married from the Igbos states.
We are proudly Ikwerre from the Igbos ” he added”
