NDI IGBUZO OR IBUSA

THE HISTORY OF THE IBUSA PEOPLE FROM ORAL ACCOUNTS

The Ibusa people are Igbos living west of the Niger Basin, six miles west of Asaba in Delta State of Nigeria. The Traditional occupation is agriculture based on shifting cultivation. The main crops grown are yam and maize. The growing of cassava which was lately introduced around 1876-78 has taken a dominant place in recent Ibusa agricultural economy. Traditional religion is still dominant. Although the Catholics, and the Church Missionary Society have made remarkable marks on Ibusa. Ibusa is a federation of two autonomous settlements that have different origins - the Igbuzo settlement and the Ogboli settlement.

Igbuzo Settlement

Prince Umejei the son of King Eze Isu, near Awka, killed his opponent during a wrestling match. This was an abomination and Prince Umejei was forced to go into exile instead of hanging. His sister Omoha accompanied him. Prince Umejei left, carrying on his head a pot of charms given to him by his father with the instruction to settle wherever the pot drops. After crossing the Niger the pot dropped at Ani Ohe.

Ogboli Settlement

According to Ogboli oral tradition, the mother of the founder of Ogboli settlement was Obodo, the daughter of Eze Nshi ( Nri ),and the father was Ogbe Nnaga of Nshi.

At Nshi, Obodo had two sons,the first son(Okpala) was Odaigbo, his second son was Edini. Odaigbo slept with one of his father's wives. This was an abomination (ALU) and the penalty was death.Eze Nshi commuted the death penalty to exile. When Odaigbo got ready to go into exile, his mother, father and his brother Edini decided to go with him.

Eze Nshi gave Odaigbo and Edini two small pots of charms and ordered them to carry the pots on their heads and to settle on the spot where the pots dropped from their heads and touched the ground.  After crossing the Niger and reaching the present Ani Udo Ogboli, the pot of Edini dropped. Edini settled there and, being the younger son,his parents decided to live with him. Odaigbo continued his sojourn until his pot dropped at Ani Ogwashi-Uku (Ogwa-Nshi-Uku).

The friendship between the children of Umejei and those of Ogboli deepened and Ogboli left its former site to live closer to Igbouzo. These two settlements are now regarded as one entity -Ibusa (pronounced Igbuzo)