A renowned Anthropologist, Peter-Jazzy Ezeh, says there is no evidence to prove that the Igbos are descendants of Jews, as claimed by some authors and historians.

Mr Ezeh, a retired professor of Anthropology at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, stated this during a lecture organised by Chess Conclave Section of Enugu Sports Club, on Thursday in Enugu with the theme ‘Igbo Origin: Facts and Fiction’.

Mr Ezeh said that, compared with the Hebrew and Igbo languages, their lexicons showed no relatedness, as reported by some writers.

“For you to claim that any two languages are related genealogically, it must be the case that the lexicons of those two languages are coordinated and originated from the same source, sound and meaning.

“Hebrew belongs to the Afro-Asiatic language, and when it comes to Nigeria, they have Hausa as their relations because Hausa is Afro-Asiatic along with 23 others.

“This is not an assertion or belief but scientific, as there is ample, credible, solid evidence. So, if belonging to the Hebrew confers any advantage, then it is to the Hausa,” Mr Ezeh argued.

He added that some claimed that Esau’s wife was Ada, and Igbos name their first daughters Ada, explaining that if languages were related, the phonological similarity should also have semantic similarity.

The anthropologist explained that there were so many accounts of Igbo origin that had yet to be proved, revealing that they were not objective, because every creation story was, by its nature, subjective.

Mr Ezeh noted that one author claimed that Igbos migrated from Jews as both practised circumcision, describing the Igbos’ circumcision as a “right of passage from child to adulthood”.

“Average Nigerian cultural group practises circumcision: are you then saying that all Nigerians are Jews? So, Hebrew and Igbo circumcision are two different things. One is a rite of passage admitting you to manhood. My father told me he was circumcised as an adult,” Mr Ezeh explained.

The chairman of the event and former Anambra chief judge, Justice Peter Umeadi, noted that the Igbo’s unique identity, in language, culture, and dress, could not be denied.

According to him, they represent resilience, hard work, and the forefront of development wherever they find themselves.

(NAN)