George Goodhead

Chief George Diepiriye Goodhead was a prominent Ibani chief.

Background George Goodhead was the eldest son of King Pepple I (Perekule) of the Kingdom of Bonny. He was noted as a child of King Perekule born out of wedlock. The George Goodhead house was initially known as Indian queen; as those were "two traders who ascended its chieftaincy."

It was common for house names to transform, often reflecting the signing of treaties by a chieftain. So, George Goodhead was earlier known as Indian queen, then Ukonu, George Goodhead and later Ukonu again, which was closely associated with King Opubo of Bonny during his lifetime, and was an ally and supporter of the Anna Pepple group (made up of more than 10 houses: Wariso, Kuke, George Goodhead (Ukonu), Iruanya (Uranta), Ibifa, Kiepirima (Toby), Epelle, Kala Ndassa, Tom Taylor, Wogu Dappa, Strongface etc.) against the Manila Pepple group in Bonny. Goodhead has been expressly presented as very significant in the evolving politics between the Anna Pepple and Manila Pepple groups of houses in the ancient kingdom of Bonny, and was revered as rich and important, equal in status to both King Halliday and Chief Jack Brown during his time.

Goodhead was a signatory to the 23 January 1854 treaties, between Great Britain and the native princes and chiefs of the west coast of Africa, relating to commerce and the slave trade.

Migration to Opobo (1870–1872)

Following a trade dispute and a civil war between Bonny and Opobo, and subsequent arbitration, on 3 January 1873 the chiefs of Bonny and Opobo signed a treaty under which "six markets on the Imo were assigned exclusively to Bonny, and all members and houses claimed by Jaja as part of the Anna Pepple group and who are still in Bonny were to be returned to Opobo. Most of them, for example Wariso and George Goodhead, had already made their way to Opobo, the most important remaining ones were Kuke (Cookey) and Oko Epelle and their people. Note that "Kuke had with George Goodhead sought asylum at Juju town (Finima)" during the great tussle between the Anna Pepple and Manila Pepple groups in Bonny."