THE EMERGENCE AND EFFECTS OF THE MILITANTS IN THE NIGER DELTA REGION

THE EMERGENCE AND EFFECTS OF THE MILITANTS IN THE NIGER DELTA REGION

CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION TO NIGER DELTA

The Niger Delta is located in the region broadly delineated as the western Delta of the Niger by latitudes 4040 and 6010 and longitude 50E60 45 East of the Greenwich Meridian. This region is suited for the riverine inhabitants of the province, including the Ijaw, the Itsekiri, and the Aboh. The Isoko, Ukwuani, and Urhobo are other inhabitants of the province. 1 The Niger Delta marshes cover a significant portion of the Aboh and Isoko nations as well as some areas of the Urhobo country, even if by comparison with the Ijaw, Itsekiri, and Aboh this latter set of peoples can be described as up country peoples. This region is triangular, with the Apek between Ndoni and Aboh and a descent to the Qua Iboe River in the east, the base along the Atlantic coast between and the bights of Benin, and Biafra, starting at Eket and moving westward to the Benin River. This geographical characterization appears to support other writers’ explanations that the Nigerian delta is “a country of countless canals, Greeks, and mangrove marsh” to the east of the Benin Rives. The delta creates a sand ridge that is high enough for towns of salt gatherers and fishermen to occupy on the seaward flank.

Between the mangrove and saltwater swamps in the upper delta is a tract of freshwater wetland with some highland suitable for farming. Encourage trade between the seaward settlement and the agricultural region of the upper delta and its hinterland as historical evidence and current conditions in the delta itself change. One of the communities on the lower edge of the delta had 2000 residents by the year 1500 AD, and there was an active Greek and lagoon system in place. Similar circumstances prevailed further east, where the Cross River estuary once more offered a chance to harness maritime resources and exchange these goods with the hinterland’s inhabitants.

One of the communities at by 1500 AD Similar circumstances existed further east, where the estuary of the Cross River once again provided an opportunity to exploit maritime resources and trade these products with the inhabitants of the hinterland. It was reported that the lower fringe of the delta had a population of 7000 people and active commerce through the system of Greeks and lagoons. In a study of the region’s pre-colonial history, E.J. Alagon categorizes a certain area as the core, the western and eastern Niger Delta. The geographical basis for the classification is the grouping of the pre-colonial states that lie within the River Niger’s delta. Some who distinguish between the central Niger Delta and the peripheral Niger Delta ,they contend that the core Niger Delta states include Rivers, Bayelsa, Delta, and a portion of Akwa Ibom and Imo States, excluding Edo and Cross River States from the region. On the other hand, some claim that all of the core and periphery states in Nigeria’s South-South Zone, which includes six of the country’s thirty-six states—Akwa-Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross-River, Delta Edo, and Rivers—belong to the Niger Delta. Because to its Ijaw, Yoruba, Edo, Igbo, and Cross River origins, the area fits among the major injustice groupings.

The Niger Delta province can be divided into zones namely the lower Delta which is the home of the Ijaw, the Itsekiri and the Aboh and the upper Delta inhabited by the Isoko, Urhobo and Ukwuani. The distinguishing features of the former is the dense mangrove vegetation through which meanders a network of Greeks. The latter zone falls within the evergreen forest belt dominated by the oil palm tree. This division of the province into two natural vegetation types has been an important factor in determining the relations between the people of the province, in so far as their occupational pursuits have been determined by their varying natural habitants.

Thus the “lower delta dwellers were and continue to be fisherman makers of bit and earthenware, Canoe and where the situation permitted, middlemen traders the dwellers in the hinterland naturally took to agriculture and the exploitation of the oil palm tree through some engaged in fishing the exchange of the product of their various occupations they constituted an early determinant of inter-group relations. The water people had fish, crayfish and salt to offer the land people while the latter offered in return yam, plantains, pepper and the various product of the cassava plant. As from the 16th century slaves from up country also became an important commodity in the commercial transaction between the two groups.

The people of the Niger Delta particularly the western Niger Delta have close historical ties. The link between the various kingdoms of the Niger Delta is strongly supported by their stories at origin and evolutions with evidence of conquest or political domination at a point in time in their history. The kingdom of Itsekiri for example was established by Iguinuwa, the son and heir apparent of Oba Ohia of Benin in 1473. The kingdom is made up of the Itsekiri, Ijaw and a number of other ethnic groups with settlement scattered along the forcados, Escarvous and the Benin Rivers. The traditional of origin holds that Iginuwa gave an advice which eventually proved disastrous to his father making the former very unpopular to the extent that the people vowed never to have him succeed his father. On realizing this, in order to avoid problems in the kingdom, the Oba decided to arrange a kingdom outside Benin for Iginuwa the then sent him with chiefs and servants to an area by the sea to establish a kingdom of his own. On arrival at the spot, he met with some Ijaw who took him and his followers by canoe to an Island where they founded that came to be known as Itsekiri kingdom.

The palace of the Olu of Itsekiri and the title system were modelled after that of the Benin kingdom and the Olu like the Oba combined in himself with spiritual and secular powers and he is seen as semi-divine. Some Urhobo groups like Ughelli, Oghara and Ogro trace their origin to the Ijaw groups, Uwherun, Abraka, Oogun, Ohomu and some other claimed to have been founded by Benin immigrants.

The Izon city states of Brass, Kalabari, okirika, Opobo and Brass member developed as a result of the trade with the European where they occupied a special position of middlemen. They did not develop any centralised system of administration like the Binis but spread across the riverine area.  Also not a single group of the Isoko can claim to have developed on it’s own as traditions encapsulate a great deal of relations in ancient times between the various Isoko group. It is this fact of close relationship that help to defined the boundary of the Isoko speaking areas as distinct from the non-Isoko groups in the area under study. There are traditions that speak of settlements founded by brother throughout the Niger Delta including the Benin kingdom.

They, according to Obaro Ikemi, may not be blood brothers but rather negotiated brotherhood in the intergroup politics of the time. In other words, each community might have developed independently until finally making contact with other settlements. Wars and other conflicts may have ensured. After some discussion, a peace deal was reached. A brotherhood pact was made to stop future battles. The formally composing groups decided to become “brothers,” which meant that they entered into a blood pact not to fight among themselves any more. As a result, legends emerged that mention brothers who established distinct settlements or a specific clan or village groups. As a result, “those in the Niger Delta had a continuous interaction with most individuals in the local hinterland.” for a very long time. But other than the Binis, they interacted with these other groups of people as separate entities. The relationship was revitalized beginning in the 15th century with the passage of legislation banning the much later commerce in palm oil.

ENDNOTES

1. The New Encyclopaedia Britannica, 15th edition, Voil. 16, Jacob Safed et al., P. 5764 (New York: Encyclopaedia Britannica Inc. 2002).
2. In Obaro Ikime’s (ed. ), Groundwork of Nigerian History, “The people and kingdoms of the Delta Provinces,” Heinemann, Educational Books, 1980, Ibadan, page Heinemann, Educational Books, 1980, Ibadan, page
3. Ibid.
4. E.J. Alogua “The Niger Delta States and their Neighbors to 1800” in J.F.A. Ajayi and Michael Crower (eds. ), History of West Africa, Vol. 1, London: Longman, 1976, p.
5. Ibid. The people and kingdoms of the Delta Provinces, Ikime P. 89. Ecosystems and People of Nigeria: A Geography Introduction to the History of Nigeria, by Reuben Udo, in Ikemi (eds.). History of Nigeria: The Foundation, P. 11. 8. The Niger Delta States and their Neighbors (Alogua)