Unyeada Kingdom

Unyeada Kingdom, also referred to as Ayanda, Unyeada is literally interpreted as (Unye Eda) "prowess of Edabiri", is an ancient riverine settlement (Kingdom) in Obolo Land, administratively in Andoni Local Government Area of Rivers State, Nigeria. Located south of Ogoni tribe and Kingdom of Bonny to the west. Originally, Unyeada territory stretches from Agba-Ula or (Iburubu River) near the mouth of Andoni River to Okwan Ebu Imo River (Nkon-Toru).

MIGRATION

Oral tradition in Unyeada suggests that the ancestors of Unyeada led by the progenitor Edabiri, a warrior-king migrated through the Benin-ijo contraction from Egypt to settled in a place near the present Itsekiri kingdom and later to the Ayama (Nyamkpo) around 12th century . They are believed to be among the first settlers in the Eastern Delta, King Edabiri and his men discovered upper Andoni River and settled at a place called Ebon-Isebeke and later to Ebon-Akpon, (the site of Old Unyeada).

Another account claimed the migration took them along with other Obolo leaders, Ede, Alama, Efop, and Abah through to Urombi (Ramby) in the Coastal contraption of the present Nigeria - Cameroon border before receding westward to Eastern Delta where they are today. This tradition is widely acceptable by major historical works on Obolo people. The Obolo language is classified as Cross River language, the attrition of their original languages alluded to the above fact.

These are ancestral lineages that laid the foundation of Unyeada Kingdom, each were led by allies of King Edabiri of Old Unyeada.

Egwe Eda (Forerunner of Ibirinya Otuo/ Ogbolakon), the royal lineage.
Egwe Akpah (The precursor of Oyetile lineage)
Egwe Ibok (Now called Otibok) and
Egwe Osiki ( Later called Ibirinya Etekan)

OLD UNYEADA (AYANDA)

The name Old Unyeada connotes power and wealth, it was the cradle of Obolo nation in the Pre-colonial Eastern Delta. Many antiques from the site of Old Unyeada (Ebon-Akpon) are similar to the Obolo sacred item collected from Agwut-Obolo during the 1904 British Punitive Expedition Against Obolo people. It's becomes a notable contemporary to popular Eastern Delta's City-states especially the Kingdom of Bonny.

Recorded evidence shows that Old Unyeada featured prominently in the Trans-Atlantic trade. Owing to its location on the estuaries of Andoni River and Imo River, this is the access point to major hinterland markets hence Old Unyeada possess a significant controls to the hinterland market. Adadonye Fombo in his historiography describes its as "the most prosperous" of Andoni settlements during the pre-colonial era. Thus, Old Unyeada was by its strategic location on the routes of trade and also by historical precedents, equipped to provide the next phase of Andoni leadership.

THE REIGN OF KING OTUO OGBOLAKON

According to historical evidence collected by Silas Eneyo in his work, "Otuo Ogbolakon and the Leadership of Pre-colonial Obolo(Andoni)", King Otuo Ogbolakon of Unyeada was born at Old Unyeada in about 1770, in Egwe Eda (lineage of Eda). Eda was the Blue Blood to royalty of the Old Unyeada. His mother, Princess Ariaunwa, who, according to many historians, had taken over the Rulership of the Kingdom from her father, King Ikana probably as a regent got married to Prince Ogbolakon of Alabie and begat Otuo.

Otuo Ogbolakon descended from King Edabiri a line of kings of Old Unyeada. Among them were Eda or Edabiri (probably Edabiri who founded Ebon-Akpon Old Unyeada).

KING EDABIRI DYNASTY

King Adaebi
King Okwan
King Inyajo
King Okpok
King Ikana
Queen Ariauwan

King Otuo Ogbolakon inherented a well-organized mornachy and was trained in the mastery of warfare of Old Unyeada. The King or Okaan-Ama is head of all the heads of lineages (Ibirinya). Each of the lineages possesses a number of war-canoe Houses or Otoko. Though, King Otuo Ogbolakon ascended the throne at a tender age but he was able to reorganized some traditional institutions and safeguards such as the Ofiokpo cult and emen Ogbologbo in Old Unyeada.

He was faced with significant internal and external challenges. Internally, the regency of his mother was negatively influenced by the ambitions of leaders of some of the lineages of the Old Unyeada during the Interregnum. The leaders of Ibirinya Otiko were already challenging the supremacy of the royal cult of Ofiokpo with their own cult of Agriba. Agriba, was a war deity of Bonny ancestry said to have captured from the Ibani tribe by the Otibok War canoe during the reign of Ikana. Old Unyeada oral evidence proved that king Otuo ogbolakon eventually tested his royal power of Eda Dynasty. Agriba was defeated and the political leaders of Otibok withdrawn their unfortunate ambitions.

The historic trend during the reign of King Otuo Ogbolakon coincided with the period of transition from the Slave Trade to the trade in palm-oil, this was a major factor that breeds competition and Belligerent among different Kingdom in the Eastern Niger Delta. The Kingdom of Bonny was at this time the commercial and political centre of the Niger Delta and maintained the lead in the new trade. The primary concern of King Otuo Ogbolakon appears to the consolidation of Andoni participation in the trade. He became an hinterland market Marchant and established his presence in the Ogoni markets of Ewe Ekoro, Ewe Atat (Du Nyere) and Ewe Isen. He also traded with the Ndoki [disambiguation needed] people.

BONNY-ANDONI WAR (1839-1846)

Different writers on this economic war all agreed that it lasted for seven year, Silas Eneyo did extensively on the periods of interval between the writers " E. M. T. Epelle, an Opobo historian, gives the period as 1836 to 1843. Dr. N. C Ejituwu places it between 1839and 1846. Professor Kenneth Dike specifically refers to 1846 the date of famous Bonny - Andoni War". The war was fuelled by agitations to control the emerging palm-oil trade.