A detailed family genealogy from Abonnema’s royal lineage has reignited debate over the continued existence and legitimacy of the Duiyenala Chieftaincy Stool in the Kalabari Kingdom, challenging claims that the house has gone extinct.
The genealogy, drawn from ancestral records linked to the family of His Royal Majesty, King Disreal Bob-Manuel, traces an unbroken line of descent from Chief Duiyenala, also known as Black Jim, a revered patriarch whose lineage intersects with several royal and chiefly houses across Abonnema, Buguma and the wider Kalabari Kingdom.
According to the records, Chief Duiyenala married Iseleminaro and begot Ada, whose descendants include King Amachree I, Prince Awo, Owukori (Manuel) and other foundational figures in Abonnema royalty. The genealogy further establishes that the Owukori (Manuel) Chieftaincy Stool, widely recognised as the royal stool of Abonnema, directly descends from Chief Duiyenala.
The document also highlights culturally sanctioned adoptions during the reign of King Amachree I, a recognised Kalabari tradition, which expanded the Duiyenala House and produced prominent figures such as Chief Awoye-Kio, Chief Amabibi (Don Pedro), Chief Alambo, and other descendants who later emerged as kings, chiefs and war leaders.
In addition, the genealogy traces the Oruwari (Briggs) House of Abonnema to the same ancestral root through the Duiyenala, Akialame and Ekpe lines. It records that Chief Oruwari (Briggs II) ascended a chieftaincy stool created around 1836, during the tenure of Chief Akpanaye-Benebo as head of the Duiyenala House, further indicating that the lineage was active and institutionally recognised.
The records also dispute narratives of extinction, stating that Chief Duiyenala survived the wars of his era, was neither captured nor killed, and left descendants who remain traceable across Kalabari society.
These revelations have raised fresh questions in Abonnema over assertions that the Duiyenala Chieftaincy Stool or House no longer exists. Observers argue that a stool created under the reign of King Amachree I cannot simply disappear without due cultural, legal and traditional processes.
The renewed debate has also drawn attention to the silence of respected leaders and elders of Abonnema, including Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs, Chief Marcus Georgewill and Alabo Tammy Wenike Danagogo, who are widely regarded for their influence and leadership within Abonnema and the wider Ijaw nation.
Community voices are now calling for guidance and clarity from these leaders, stressing that the matter touches on Abonnema’s history, identity and kingship.
As discussions continue, stakeholders insist the issue goes beyond personalities or current occupants of the throne, centring instead on questions of truth, heritage and justice, and the need for Abonnema to critically examine its past in order to safeguard its future.
