*ABSTRACT*
This paper examines the role of Oko Jumbo (d.1891) of Manilla Pepple House, Bonny, and his rival Jaja of Opobo (1821-1891), both of Igbo origin, in institutionalizing Ohafia and Abam warriors as the professional military class of the Eastern Niger Delta. It argues that the Bonny Civil War (1869) and the subsequent expansion of Opobo were not merely Ibani succession disputes but intra-Igbo mercenary wars where warriors from the same Cross River Igbo villages fought each other on behalf of two Igbo ex-slaves turned Ibani chiefs. Using oral history and colonial records, it traces how war canoes functioned as state, army, and corporation, and how Ohafia mercenaries became chieftaincy dynasties in Okrika, Kalabari, Bonny and Opobo.
*1.0 INTRODUCTION: WHO WAS OKO JUMBO?*
Chief Oko Jumbo (died 1891) was a chief in the Kingdom of Bonny. Originally of Igbo origin. Though not the king in Bonny, and Warribo was the technical head of the Fubara Manilla Pepple House, "Oko Jumbo and Ja Ja were looked upon by every one as being the rulers of Bonny".
Born Mbanaso Okoro, Oko Jumbo, like Jaja of Opobo (born Mbanaso Okwaraozurumba in Amaigbo 1821), was captured as a boy from the Igbo hinterland and sold to Bonny. Purchased by Chief Oko Epelle of Manilla Pepple House, he rose through trade to become the effective ruler of Bonny in the 1860s. His contemporary Victor Oko-Jumbo today represents Bonny in Rivers State House of Assembly, showing the dynasty's continuity.
*2.0 PROCUREMENT: HOW OHAFIA WARRIORS WERE GOT*
Both Houses obtained warriors from the same market system at Bende and Arochukwu:
1. Aro agents brought Ohafia and Abam youths to the coast either as slaves or as contract mercenaries (_ndi agha ego_).
2. Price was fixed in muskets, gunpowder and manillas. One proven warrior equaled 1-2 puncheons of palm oil.
3. Upon purchase, the warrior underwent _Igba Ndu_ (blood covenant) and was given a wife and farmland. He was then tattooed with House marks, transforming from Ohafia to Ibani.
4. By 1865, Oko Jumbo controlled 300-400 such warriors in Manilla House, while Jaja controlled a similar number in Anna House.
*3.0 FRATRICIDAL WARFARE: OHAFIA VERSUS OHAFIA*
The Bonny Civil War of 1869 was triggered by a debt dispute, with the first shot fired by Manilla Pepple faction. For six months, Bonny creeks were blockaded.
The peculiarity was linguistic and cultural fratricide: warriors from Elu, Amaekpu, Ozu Abam and Idima Abam found themselves in opposing war canoes. Eyewitnesses report Ohafia warriors shouting _“Nwanne, gbaghara!”_ (brother, shift) in Ohafia dialect before firing.
After Jaja's exile under the Minima Agreement (1869), he relocated with 14 war canoes and his Ohafia guard to found Opobo. Oko Jumbo retained his own force in Bonny and used them to contest Opobo's trade dominance until both men died in 1891.
The system perpetuated itself. In 1881, when Jaja attacked Ibeno with 50 war canoes flying British flags, killing 400, defenders included Abam mercenaries hired by Ibeno chiefs — Abam vs Abam again.
*4.0 THE WAR CANOE: STATE, ARMY AND CORPORATION*
The war canoe (_Omu Ande_) was the central institution of the Niger Delta in the 19th century.
*a) Physical Description:* Carved from a single iroko tree, 60-80 feet long, carrying 80-120 men, armed with 1-3 bow cannons (_kurutu_) and loopholes for muskets.
*b) Economic Relevance:* It was the oil tanker of its day. One canoe could convey 20 puncheons of oil. Control of canoes at strategic points like Azumini meant control of all palm oil coming from Ngwa and Ndoki hinterlands.
*c) Military and Political Relevance:* The canoe was the House itself. Bonny possessed ∼50 war canoes in 1869. Loss of canoe meant loss of citizenship. Ohafia and Abam warriors served as marines — the shock troops who performed bush ambush and beheading, which Ibani crews avoided.
British colonization required the destruction of this system. The ban on war canoes following Jaja's deportation in 1887 marked the end of Niger Delta sovereignty.
*5.0 SETTLEMENT AND CHIEFTAINCY TRANSFORMATION: TRACKING THE MERCENARIES*
The mercenaries did not return. They became rulers.
In Okrika, the Ogan dynasty are Igbo descendants from Abam warriors that continue to rule. In Kalabari, the Amaikri (Amakiri) family are descendants from Abam head hunters.
In Bonny, Oko Jumbo House remains an Igbo-origin House. In Opobo, 13 of the 14 Houses that followed Jaja were led by men of Igbo/Abam origin.
This explains why many families in Ebem, Elu and Amaekpu Ohafia today keep Bonny relics — old manillas, brass trays, and Dane guns — in their _Oba_ (family halls) and retain Bonny titles like Oko, Jumbo, Pepple and Annie.
*6.0 CONCLUSION*
The rivalry of Oko Jumbo and Jaja was thus an Igbo civil war exported to the coast and fought with Ohafia spears on both sides. The saying _“Anyi ree ube anyi na abuo”_ (we sold our spear to both sides) captures the tragedy and entrepreneurship of Cross River Igbo militarism that built Bonny and Opobo.
*REFERENCES*
1. Alagoa, E.J. History of the Niger Delta.
2. Dike, K.O. Trade and Politics in the Niger Delta.
3. Colonial Office Records: Bonny Civil War 1869, CO 82.
4. Oral interviews: Elu Ohafia Council of Elders, 2024.
---
0 Comments