Aro history
Encyclopedia
Ibibio Presence
Before Igbo arrival in the Aro territory, a Semi-Bantu group of the IbibioIbibio people
The Ibibio are a people of southeastern Nigeria. They are related to the Anaang and the Efik peoples. During colonial period in Nigeria, the Ibibio Union asked for recognition by the British as a sovereign nation . The Annang, Efik, Ekid, Oron and Ibeno share personal names, culture, and traditions...
arrived around 300 AD from the Benue valley
Valley
In geology, a valley or dale is a depression with predominant extent in one direction. A very deep river valley may be called a canyon or gorge.The terms U-shaped and V-shaped are descriptive terms of geography to characterize the form of valleys...
. They mainly inhabited the area now known as Southeastern 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...
. Prominent settlements were Ibom
Ibom
Ibom is an old word meaning the universe, the earth, or a community used by the Efik / Ibibio / Annang / Oron / Eket people of Nigeria. Akwa Ibom State is one of the present two states created from the old Akwa Akpa kingdom, Cross River State being the sister state.There is a town in Arochukwu,...
and Obong Okon Ita
Obong Okon Ita
The Obong Okon Ita kingdom was a Ibibio nation with its seat of government in Obot Okon Ita. This kingdom was located between present day Abia and Akwa Ibom states in Southeastern Nigeria. Around 1630, an Igbo group known as the Eze Agwu arrived around Obong Okon Ita. This caused a long term...
. These hunters and farmers perhaps lived peacefully until foreign settlers invaded.
Igbo Migration and Invasion
The IgboIgbo people
Igbo people, also referred to as the Ibo, Ebo, Eboans or Heebo are an ethnic group living chiefly in southeastern Nigeria. They speak Igbo, which includes various Igboid languages and dialects; today, a majority of them speak English alongside Igbo as a result of British colonialism...
migration led by Eze Agwu clan among the Ibibio in the Aro territory started around the 17nth century. These were merchants, land hungry people, and laboreres from the Igbo heartland. Tensions escalated between the Eze Agwu group led by Agwu Inobia and Obong Okon Ita kingdom led by Akpan Okon
Akpan Okon
Akpan Okon was the last Obong of Obong Okon Ita around 1690-1720. He was overthrown by his brother Kakpokpo Okon with the support of groups such as the Eze Agwu, Nnachi Ipia, and the Nnubi dynasty in the final phases of the Aro-Ibibio Wars. Akpan Okon's defeat was very significant and crucial to...
resulting in the Aro-Ibibio Wars
Aro-Ibibio Wars
The Aro-Ibibio Wars were a series of conflicts between the Aro people and several Ibibio groups in present day Southeastern Nigeria from 1630 to 1902...
. Neither group had a victorious position in the war. Eze Agwu asked Priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
Nnachi
Nnachi
Nnachi is one of the founding fathers of the city of Arochukwu, one of the largest cities in Abia State in southeastern Nigeria. During the conclusion of the 17th century, he was a Dibia from the Edda group near Afikpo. The Eze Agwu clan led by King Agwu Inobia in the Aro region called on Nnachi...
of the Edda
Edda
The term Edda applies to the Old Norse Poetic Edda and Prose Edda, both of which were written down in Iceland during the 13th century in Icelandic, although they contain material from earlier traditional sources, reaching into the Viking Age...
clan near Afikpo
Afikpo
Afikpo is the second largest city in Ebonyi State of Nigeria. Until recently it was the home Local Government Area of the late Eze Akanu Ibiam, who hailed from the village of Unwana. Dr...
for help. The alliance also supported prince Kakpokpo Okon
Kakpokpo Okon
Kakpokpo Okon was an Ibibio prince from the Obong Okon Ita Kingdom around 1690-1720. He was the son of the marriage between the king and a Igbo woman from the Eze Agwu lineage. Kakpokpo Okon lead a successful coup against his brother Akpan Okon the Obong with the support of the Eze Agwu, Nnachi,...
's coup against his brother Akpan Okon. The war escalated and Nnachi called on Eastern Cross River allies for assistance.
Akpa invasion and the foundation of Arochukwu
Osim and Akuma NnubiOsim and Akuma Nnubi
Osim and Akuma Nnubi were brothers and merchant princes of the Akpa people from the east of the Cross River in the late 17th century. The Akpa people were trading allies with the Eze Agwu and Nnachi clans of the Igbo. When Nnachi called them to assist the Igbos in the Aro-Ibibio wars, they...
were Akpa
Akpa
The Ibom Isi also known as the Akpa are one of the three main lineages compromising the Aro people. They are centered in Ibom, Arochukwu in Nigeria...
merchant princes from the Akamkpa
Akamkpa
Akamkpa is a Local Government Area of Cross River State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Akamkpa.It has an area of 5,003 km² and a population of 151,125 at the 2006 census.The postal code of the area is 542....
area. They led Akpa forces into the Aro territory to assist their Igbo allies to victory. However, this came at the cost of Osim losing his life at the start of the 18th century. With the Akpas and Igbos being victorious, the Arochukwu
Arochukwu
Arochukwu, sometimes referred to as Arochuku, or Aro-Okigbo, is the third largest city in Abia State in southeastern Nigeria and homeland of the Igbo subgroup, Aro people....
kingdom was founded with Akuma as its first king or EzeAro. After Akuma died, the Igbo took over the throne starting with Nnachi's son Oke Nnachi in 1720. Many changes occurred as Arochukwu expanded into 19 city-states due to the increasing population and Aro colonies were forming throughout the area now known as Southern Nigeria.
Aro Confederacy
The mid 18nth century witnessed the start of mass migrations of several Aro business families into the Igbo hinterland and adjacent areas. This migration, influence of their god Ibini Ukpabi through priests, and their military power supported by alliances with several related neighboring Igbo and eastern Cross River militarized states (particularly OhafiaOhafia
Ohafia is a town and local government area in Abia State, Nigeria. It is an Igbo speaking region. The ancestral capital of Ohafia is the centrally located village of Elu. The Ohafia Local Government Area also includes the towns of Abiriba and Nkporo....
, Abam, Abiriba
Abiriba
Abiriba is a town in Abia State, in southeastern Nigeria, traditionally an Igbo land. Abiriba is in Ohafia Local Government Area.- History :...
, Afikpo
Afikpo
Afikpo is the second largest city in Ebonyi State of Nigeria. Until recently it was the home Local Government Area of the late Eze Akanu Ibiam, who hailed from the village of Unwana. Dr...
, Ekoi
Ekoi
"Ekoi" or "Ejagham" may refer to:* Ekoi people, a group of people found in south-eastern Nigeria, also known as Ejagham* Ekoid languages, the language spoken by the Ekoi people of south-eastern Nigeria* Ekoi mythology...
, etc.) quickly established the Aro Confederacy
Aro Confederacy
The Aro Confederacy was a political union orchestrated by the Igbo subgroup, the Aro people, centered in Arochukwu in present day Southeastern Nigeria. Their influence and presence was across Eastern Nigeria into parts of the Niger Delta and Southern Igala during the 18th and 19th centuries...
as a regional economic power.
Aro activities helped coastal Niger Delta
Niger Delta
The Niger Delta, the delta of the Niger River in Nigeria, is a densely populated region sometimes called the Oil Rivers because it was once a major producer of palm oil...
city-states become important centers for the export of palm oil and slaves. Such city-states included Opobo
Opobo
Opobo is a traditional state in southern Nigeria. The state was founded in 1870.A part of the traditional state is now Ikot-Abasi in Akwa Ibom State.-History:...
, Bonny
Kingdom of Bonny
The Kingdom of Bonny is a traditional state based on the town of Bonny in Rivers State, Nigeria. Founded in the 14th century AD, it became an important slave trading port, later trading palm oil products. During the 19th century the British became increasingly involved in the internal affairs of...
, Brass
Brass
Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc; the proportions of zinc and copper can be varied to create a range of brasses with varying properties.In comparison, bronze is principally an alloy of copper and tin...
, Calabar
Calabar
Calabar is a city in Cross River State, southeastern Nigeria. The original name for Calabar was Atakpa, from the Jukun language....
, as well as other slave trading city-states controlled by the Ijaw, Efik, and Igbo. The Aros formed a strong trading network, colonies, and incorporated hundreds of communities that formed into powerful kingdoms. The Ajalli
Ajalli
Ajalli , is an Igbo speaking town in south eastern Nigeria. It is the headquarter of Orumba North local government area of Anambra State. Its geographic coordinates are 6" 02' 46 North, 7" 12' 36 East....
, Arondizuogu
Arondizuogu
Arondizuogu is a town inhabited by the Igbo subgroup, the Aro people in the Imo State of Nigeria.- Geographical Location :Arondizuogu is a group of sprawling communities with the largest area located in the land obtained from Umualaoma town . Some believe that this land was obtained by begging,...
, and Bende Kingdoms were the most powerful Aro states in the Confederacy after Arochukwu. Some were founded and named after Commanders and Chiefs like Izuogu Mgbokpo
Izuogu Mgbokpo
Chief Izuogu Mgbokpo of Amankwu, Arochukwu was an 18th century warrior in the Aro Confederacy. He was a slave trader and commander who fought his most famous battle on Ikpa Ora. Chief Izuogu and his ally, Chief Iheme, were the founders of the kingdom of Arondizuogu, of which Chief Izuogu is...
and Iheme whom led Aro forces to conquer Ikpa Ora and founded Arondizuogu. Later Aro commanders such as Okoro Idozuka
Okoro Idozuka
Okoro Idozuka, born Mazi Okoli Idozuka, was a 19th century leader and warrior in the Arondizuogu area of what is now Nigeria. He was a senior advisor to the founder of Ndiakunwanta Uno Arondizuogu village and also a leader in his own right, expanding Arondizuogu's boundaries...
also of Arondizuogu expanded the state's borders through warfare in the start of the 19th century. The Aro Confederacy's power, however, was mostly derived from its economic and religious position. With European
European ethnic groups
The ethnic groups in Europe are the various ethnic groups that reside in the nations of Europe. European ethnology is the field of anthropology focusing on Europe....
colonists on their way at the end of the 19th century, things changed.
British Conquest
BritishUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
colonialism in the late 19th century turned Anglo-Aro relations sour. Aro leaders knew that Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
, colonialism, and end of their monopoly would destroy Aro economic rule. Also the British felt that repeated Aro attacks rendered outright war inescapable. They made plans for war in 1899. The conflict had both religious and economic causes. Aro traders and the Royal Niger Company
Royal Niger Company
The Royal Niger Company was a mercantile company chartered by the British government in the nineteenth century. It formed the basis of the modern state of Nigeria....
, had their own issues. An Aro invasion of Obegu in 1901 started the Anglo-Aro War
Anglo-Aro War
The Anglo-Aro War was a conflict between the Aro Confederacy in present day Eastern Nigeria, and the British Empire. The war began after increasing tension between Aro leaders and British colonialists after years of failed negotiations....
. In 1902, following a direct attack on Arochukwu and months of fighting, the British were victorious. The Aro Confederacy's power was shattered, making it easier for the British to take over the Eastern Nigerian region although resistance in the area was far from over. Although Aro dominance crumbled in March 1902, many Aros took part in later resistances against the British in in the region such as Afikpo
Afikpo
Afikpo is the second largest city in Ebonyi State of Nigeria. Until recently it was the home Local Government Area of the late Eze Akanu Ibiam, who hailed from the village of Unwana. Dr...
(1902–1903), Ezza
Ezza
Ezaa/Ezza is a northeastern Igbo sub-group, in southeastern Nigeria....
(1905), and other areas where the Aro had a particularly significant presence.
Nigeria
When NigeriaNigeria
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...
won independence from Great Britain in 1960, ethnic tensions rose between the regions resulting in the Nigerian Civil War
Nigerian Civil War
The Nigerian Civil War, also known as the Nigerian-Biafran War, 6 July 1967–15 January 1970, was a political conflict caused by the attempted secession of the southeastern provinces of Nigeria as the self-proclaimed Republic of Biafra...
in 1967-1970. After the war, the Aros and the rest of the Igbo People suffered discrimination from other Nigerians. Many Igbo moved out of Nigeria. Aro culture suffered. However, they are currently efforts to unite Aro people and revive their culture.