The Binis Used And Sold The Igbos As Slaves For Centuries - Reno Omokri

Posted by Thandiubani on Thu 22nd Jul, 2021 - tori.ng

A former presidential aide, Reno Omokri has claimed in a video he shared on his Youtube page that Igbos were taken as slaves by Binis.

Reno Omokri

Reno Omokri has made a controversial claim that Itsekiris and Binis sold Igbos as slaves for centuries.

The former presidential aide made the claim in a video he shared on his Youtube page.

He had also made the claim on his social media page.

Reno wrote:

Itsekiris and the Binis had Igbo slaves for centuries before British colonialism. After the British banned slavery, we were forced to set them free. Some of them returned to Igbo land, others remained with us and gradually formed a new language called ******* (an Itsekiri word which we used to call them while they were our slaves). There are about 200,000 ******* still with us.

(I will not reveal the name of this tribe called *******, because I do not want to offend them, but they are in Delta state)

If they speak, an Igbo person will understand some of what they say, while Itsekiris, Binis and even European Portuguese people will understand them too. Those of them who chose to return to Igbo land have Igbo names that sound like Itsekiri or Benin names, for example Iweka, and many names beginning with Oba or Iken.

That is how some of our names and also Benin names went into the Igbo lexicon.

We have century old carvings in Ode Itsekiri and Benin depicting Igbo slaves, which we sold to the Portuguese via our ancient pre colonial port called Ogidigben. The grandfather of the present Oba of Benin showed some of these carvings to the world famous British anthropologist, Sir David Attenborough in 1973. The video is on YouTube. When you see the carving, even you will have no doubt that the person is Igbo.

Because of the sheer number of Igbo slaves we sold at Ogidigben, the Portuguese named the town Escravos, which means slave in Portuguese. Till today, many people still call Ogidigben Escravos.

We also sold slaves in another town called Burutu, which the Portuguese renamed Forcados (meaning forced labourer, which is a nicer way of saying slaves).

Obviously, I am not too proud of this history. I wish it never happened. History is not always pleasant. I am only revealing it to you because you are getting the wrong idea of linkages between our two peoples.

# RenosNuggets

However, many people have dragged him, accusing him of misinforming people.

Ehidonye Chukwuebuka Darlington while tackling Omokri, wrote:

Oga Reno, I advise you to read and study history instead of spewing half lies.

It would have been almost impossible for any tribe to have conquered Igbo people due to see reasons:

Igbo people live autonomously and they don't have a general King and that is their strength.

It was easier for the White to colonise the North and South West because those people have a central source of authority, once you conquer the king, the rest would fall in place.

As for Igbo people, it was hard because you needed to conquer the various autonomous communities in Igbo land before you could conquer Igbo people as a whole.

That was why FULANI didn't conquer us and White people had a difficult time colonizing Igbo People.