The Ikwerre ethnic nationality in Rivers State, represented by the Iwhnurohna Progressive Union (IPU), has firmly rejected claims by Ohanaeze Ndigbo that they are part of the Igbo ethnic group. Instead, the IPU stated that the Ikwerre people have been facing harassment due to this assertion.
During a media briefing in Abuja, IPU President Dr. Okachikwu Dibia made their stance clear and called on the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, to address the threats posed by some prominent Ohanaeze Ndigbo members against the Ikwerre people for refusing to accept the Igbo identity.
Dibia also outlined eleven key reasons, which include linguistic, historical, and cultural distinctions, to support why the Ikwerre should not be classified as part of the Igbo ethnic group.
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“While Ikwerre is our political name, Iwhnurohna is our native name. Both refer to the same people: the Ikwerre ethnic nationality, found in Rivers State, Niger Delta, South South geopolitical region of Nigeria.
“When they say ‘Ikwerre is Igbo,’ they imply that all ancestral communities in Ikwerre originated from Igboland. This is not true,” Dibia said.
According to Dr. Okachikwu Dibia, the claim that the Iwhnurohna people are Igbo based on language similarities stems from historical interactions and should not define their ethnic identity. He emphasized that language alone does not determine ethnicity.
“The Ikwerre Ethnic Nationality believes in one Nigeria,” he concluded.
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