The Ibani tribe is a subgroup of the Ijaw ethnic group that lives in the Bonny and Opobo areas of

Rivers State Rivers State, also known as Rivers, is a state in the Niger Delta region of southern Nigeria (Old Eastern Region). Formed in 1967, when it was split from the former Eastern Region, Rivers State borders include: Imo to the north, Abia and Akwa Ib ...

, Nigeria, on the Atlantic coast. Bonny town is the tribal seat of the Ibani which is located on the bight of

Bonny River Bonny River is a river in Rivers State, Nigeria. Water taxis which move along the river provide the connection between Bonny Island and Port Harcourt, the capital of Rivers State, which lies alongside the river. See also *Bonny Light oil *Niger D ...

. Though the Ndoki dialect of Igbo language is spoken predominantly by residents of Bonny and Opobo, the Ibani dialect of

Ijaw Ijaw may refer to: *Ijaw people The Izon people or Izon Otu, otherwise known as the Ijaw people due to the historic mispronunciation of the name ''Izon'', are an ethnic group majorly found in the Niger Delta in Nigeria, with significant populatio ...

is native to the Ibani people. The neighbours of the Ibani include the Kalabari to the west, Okrika to the North and Andoni to the east. Bonny's development was also shaped by the tribe's close interaction with European traders. The

Kingdom of Bonny The Kingdom of Bonny, otherwise known as Grand Bonny, is a traditional state based on the town of Bonny in Rivers State, Nigeria. In the pre-colonial period, it was an important slave trading port, later trading palm oil products. During the 19 ...

was a major trading centerfrom the 16th

century A century is a period of 100 years. Centuries are numbered ordinally in English and many other languages. The word ''century'' comes from the Latin ''centum'', meaning ''one hundred''. ''Century'' is sometimes abbreviated as c. A centennial or ...

onwards they were known for the exportation of

palm oil Palm oil is an edible vegetable oil derived from the mesocarp (reddish pulp) of the fruit of the oil palms. The oil is used in food manufacturing, in beauty products, and as biofuel. Palm oil accounted for about 33% of global oils produced from ...

and palm kernel. The indigenes of Bonny and Opobo kingdoms are collectively known as the Ibani people. Ndoki dialect of Igbo language is widely spoken. Historically, Bonny engaged in several wars against its nearby rivals, such as Elem Kalabari and

Obolo people The Obolo people (also called Andoni or Idoni) are an ethnic group in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. Obolo people are found in Rivers State and Akwa Ibom State. They have historical relations with the Oron people, Ohafia, Igbo Ogoloma, Ido, ...

Andoni Andoni is a Local Government Area in Rivers State, Nigeria. Its headquarters is at NgoTown. It has an area of over 233 km and a population of over 311,500 at the last census. The postal code of the area is 504. The current Executive Chairman ...

.Alagoa, Ebiegberi Joe (2005). ''A History of the Niger Delta'', Port Harcourt: Onyoma Research Publications. Other important Ibani settlements include: Finima, Abalama, Oloma, kuruama etc.

References

Igbo Indigenous peoples of Rivers State {{Nigeria-ethno-group-stub