HistoNaijaOpen the map

City-state · 1000–1886

Bonny

Ibani and Grand Bonny

Grand Bonny (Ibani), on its island at the mouth of the Bonny river, was founded, by Ibani tradition, by Ijaw from Kolokuma in the central Delta, first at Orupiri and then at Okoloama, “curlew town”.

Watch the Bonny on the old map

At a glance

When did the Bonny exist?
From c. 1000 (Ibani tradition) to 1886. It was at its height around 1830.
What was the capital of the Bonny?
Grand Bonny.
What was the ruler of the Bonny called?
Amanyanabo (Pepple dynasty).
What happened to the Bonny?
The Amanyanabo of Grand Bonny reigns on Bonny Island, Rivers State, now home to Nigeria's liquefied natural gas plant.
Who lives in the lands of the Bonny today?
Igbo, Ijaw, Asa and Ndoki (Oyigbo), Ibibio, Obolo (Andoni)

Overview

Grand Bonny (Ibani), on its island at the mouth of the Bonny river, was founded, by Ibani tradition, by Ijaw from Kolokuma in the central Delta, first at Orupiri and then at Okoloama, “curlew town”. Its first kings were the four founders Ndoli, Opuamakuba, Alagbariya and Asimini. With the Portuguese and then the Dutch and British it became one of the greatest slave ports on the Bight of Biafra, its trading houses fielding war canoes that carried 140 men and bow cannon. Perekule founded the Pepple dynasty in the 18th century. After 1807 Bonny turned to palm oil; British consuls deposed one king in 1854, a civil war between the Manilla Pepple and Anna Pepple houses drove Jaja out to found Opobo in 1869, and in 1886 Bonny accepted a British protectorate.[1]High confidence

Through the centuries

  1. c. 1000–1450

    Okoloama, curlew town

    Ibani tradition says the founders came from the Kolokuma area of the central Delta, settled first at Orupiri and then on an island full of curlews, Okoloama. Four founders are remembered as the first kings: Ndoli, Opuamakuba, Alagbariya, the Okoloamakoromabo or founder of Bonny, and Asimini. Their descendants rule through twelve reigns.[1]Disputed

    Capital: Grand Bonny

  2. c. 15th century

    Grand Bonny

    Ibani settlers found Bonny near the sea. Portuguese ships arrive in the late 15th century.[2]Medium confidence

    Capital: Grand Bonny

  3. c. 1700–1807

    A great slave port

    Bonny is among the busiest slave ports in Africa. Its canoe houses buy captives at hinterland markets reached by the Imo river. King Perekule, crowned by Chief Adapa Alagbariya, founds the Pepple dynasty and a new class of house chiefs beginning with Allison; Bonny's canoe houses keep war canoes carrying up to 140 men with bow cannon.[2],[3],[1]Medium confidence

    Capital: Grand Bonny

  4. c. 1830–1860

    The palm-oil kingdom

    After 1807 Bonny turns to palm oil and stays the leading port of the Oil Rivers. Rival houses compete for the trade.[4],[3]Medium confidence

    Capital: Grand Bonny

  5. 1854–1869

    A king deposed; two houses at war

    King William Dappa Pepple, on the throne since 1830 and weakened by a stroke, is deported by the British in 1854. When his successor Dappo dies in 1855 the acting consul names a regency of chiefs. Oko Jumbo of the Manilla Pepple house becomes the real ruler, locked in rivalry with the Anna Pepple house under Jubo Jubogha, Jaja. William Dappa is restored in 1861 and dies in 1866; his English-educated son George, a Christian, declares in 1867 that the monitor lizard is no longer sacred. In 1869 the two houses fight a major battle and Jaja leaves to found Opobo.[1]High confidence

    Capital: Grand Bonny

  6. 1869

    Jaja leaves for Opobo

    After a civil war between houses, Jaja of the Anna Pepple house leaves with most of the trade and founds Opobo, cutting Bonny off from the Imo markets. Bonny signs a British protection treaty in 1886.[2],[6]High confidence

    Capital: Grand Bonny

  7. 1873–1886

    Wars with Kalabari; a protectorate

    Losing trade to Opobo, Bonny pushes up rivers that Kalabari has always held, sometimes with Nembe and Okrika at its side, while Opobo backs Kalabari. British consuls impose treaties in 1873 and 1882. King George is deposed in December 1883 and Oko Jumbo plots for his own sons. In February 1886 Bonny signs a protectorate treaty; George is restored with a ruling council, and Oko Jumbo is publicly degraded.[1],[7]High confidence

    Capital: Grand Bonny

Wars, treaties and turning points

Today

Amanyanabo of Bonny, Grand Bonny

The Amanyanabo of Grand Bonny reigns on Bonny Island, Rivers State, now home to Nigeria's liquefied natural gas plant.[2]High confidence

Its people

Ijaw

Living in its lands today

Peoples whose homelands lie inside its lands at its height, by number of LGAs.

Igbo, Ijaw, Asa and Ndoki (Oyigbo), Ibibio, Obolo (Andoni)

Sources

Every claim carries a confidence level: high (well attested), medium (one source or approximate) or disputed (sources disagree).

  1. Wikipedia contributors. Kingdom of Bonny
  2. Wikipedia contributors. Kingdom of Bonny
  3. Jones, G. I. (1963). The Trading States of the Oil Rivers: A Study of Political Development in Eastern Nigeria. Oxford University Press for the International African Institute (cited elsewhere, not yet checked directly)
  4. Dike, K. Onwuka. (1956). Trade and Politics in the Niger Delta, 1830–1885. Clarendon Press, Oxford (cited elsewhere, not yet checked directly)
  5. Wikipedia contributors. Jaja of Opobo
  6. Wikipedia contributors. Opobo
  7. Wikipedia contributors. Kalabari Kingdom