Onitsha-Ado

Onitsha-Ado is the small, original village that was later incorporated and formed the town of Onitsha, on the east bank of the river Niger in eastern Nigeria, in the area currently called the Anambra state of Nigeria. The Onitsha-Ado were originally Igbo people who migrated from the Igbo hinterland, crossed to the western bank of the river Niger, and moved into the deeper interior of what is now known as western Nigeria. They later settled on the east bank of the river Niger after migrating back from Benin (or the present western Nigeria), where they had previously led migratory lives – like the present-day Igbo – as warriors, wandering traders, philosophers, priests, professional artisans, carvers, blacksmiths, bronzemakers or farmers.

The people forming the Onitsha-Ado (originally called 'Onicha-Ado' but corrupted by the British colonial masters to 'Onitsha-Ado') were originally Aro people from Arochukwu, or from other neighbouring towns such as Ohafia, Bende, Afikpo, Okigwe, and environs. The leader of this people was the famous Chima, which is a popular Aro name. Later, on his way back from Benin, Chima became a chief or EZE of the people, due to a quarrel with the Binis and their leaders. The people of Onitsha-Ado are called children of EzeChima. The social, cultural and religious practices of the Onitsha-Ado are consistent with those of the Aros, Afikpo, Bende, Okigwe, with other elements borrowed from the Benin. The Igbo people who later formed the Onitsh-Ado with the Eze Chima as their leader, left some descendants in Benin who were very powerful and influential high chiefs. These chiefs were encountered by the British during the trials of the famous Benin Massacre. Some of the names were mentioned by Roth and Bradbury. Today, the people of Agbor speak a dialect exactly like that of the present day Afikpo and Owerri people, showing that these may be descendants of the contingents from the areas in the Igbo hinterland. The people of Benin copied several institutions from the Aro Igbo and Nri hegemonies, because Benin's nearness to the sea route for trade with Europe attracted the people of Aro, Nri, Afikpo, Owerri and other Igbo peoples to offer their professional skills and trading in the area. The OTU (age grade system or trade group system) was copied from the Igbos. The bronze casting of Benin and Ife only existed after over 500 years to that of the Igbos as shown at Igbo Ukwu discoveries. .

The powerful Oba in Benin only existed over 300 years after the burial of powerful chiefs from Igbo Ukwu and Nri. These show very ancient civilization in the Igbo areas. Some parts of the civilization at Benin were therefore probably copied from Igbo, although the extreme violence of the Binis made impossible the republican system that is also associated with the Igbo civilization. Republicanism was not completely lost, however, since the chiefs in the palace of Oba practiced some degree of representative government. However, because of the frequent slave raids at the edge of the river Niger by the aggressive and vindictive soldiers of the Binis, and because the Binis do not kill or sell anybody with a blood relationship to their Oba, or the citizens as commanded by their oracles and gods, various groups of people claimed to be descendants of Bini, whereas they were in fact Igbos. For instance the Ignake people are Igbos; Ika and Anioma people are Igbos. Some Ebele people and Uromi people and part of the Esan people in the Esan division of Edo state are Igbos, and are aware of their Igbo ancestry and origin. The Igbo speaking people of Benue and Kogi state are some of these Igbos who migrated from the bank of the river Niger or the areas around Nri, IgboUkwu, Awka, Orlu Owerri, Afikpo, and environs. Therefore the present migratory life of the Igbo did not start after the coming of the Europeans but predated it, seeing as the migratory Igbos dot the areas in Edo, Oyo (Igbo-ORA, Aro and others), Ogun (Ijebu-Igbo and others), as well as over half of the present land area of Delta state of Nigeria.