Abi is a Local Government Area in Cross River State

Cross River State

Cross River State is a coastal state in southeastern Nigeria, bordering Cameroon to the east. Its capital is at Calabar, and it is named for the Cross River , which passes through the state...

, Nigeria

Nigeria

Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...

. It contains several Igbo villages and is home to an annual cultural festival.

History and Background

People from Abi include State Governor Liyel Imoke

Liyel Imoke

Liyel was elected governor of Cross River State in Nigeria in April 2007, taking office on 29 May 2007. He is a member of the People's Democratic Party .-Background:...

, a member of the Agbo

Agbo

Agbo is a surname. People with this surname include:* Hans Agbo , Cameroonian footballer*Alex Agbo , Nigerian footballer* Fofo Agbo , Ghanaian footballer*Agoli-agbo , last King of Dahomey...

 subgroup of Igboland

Igboland

Igboland, or Igbo land , also known as the Ibo, Ebo, and Heebo Country, is a cultural region in Nigeria that includes the indigenous territory and cultural reach of the Igbo people...

. One of the largest tribes within Abi Local Government is Bahumono, which includes seven villages: Ediba, Anong, Usumutong, Afafanyi, Igonigoni, Ebom, and Ebiriba.
There are linguistic differences among the Bahumono people with the major variant being the Ohumono language. They are all historically known to have migrated from a place within the hills of Ruhura (ekpon a ruhura) called Hotumusa (old town) which lies in a region between the present day Ediba and Usumutong villages. The Ediba people at Hotumusa had hunters who found a riverine location where Ediba situates presently. The hunters related the news to her people and Ogbudene led the people in a siege

Siege

A siege is a military blockade of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by attrition or assault. The term derives from sedere, Latin for "to sit". Generally speaking, siege warfare is a form of constant, low intensity conflict characterized by one party holding a strong, static...

 against the locals of the river dwelling and drove them across the river. Four of Five of the Ediba families (Henugwehuma, Henusokwe, Enihom and Henuowom) quickly left and colonised the river area. The Ezono clan (made up of Bazorang, Batonene and Fonahini), the last family, decided to stay back at Hotumusa, where they had always been the head land owners and leading family among the other five. This small clan has had its own dynastic legacy

Dynasty

A dynasty is a sequence of rulers considered members of the same family. Historians traditionally consider many sovereign states' history within a framework of successive dynasties, e.g., China, Ancient Egypt and the Persian Empire...

, festivals, deities and new yam celebrations to this day.

Major Settlements

Abi Local Government Area is home to an important town called Anong. There are also several villages including Ano-Ubakakari, Ano-Ugwekuma,Akbema, Akpan,Ano-Ikpoto, Ano-Iku and Abema in the area.

Abi Cultural Festival

Further more, there is a cultural festival popularly known as Aji Festival, which is held annually between 20–25 June. Over the years, there have been several Chiefs of the festival. The current Ovai (Chief) of the festival is Ovai Igiri Igwe Igri and a Lady cultural dancer is Cecelia Okpokpo. One of the eminent men in the community is traditional Chief Ekpe Ojoh Okoro the (Ekpe), meaning "tiger", who is also known as Itiat (stone).