Arochukwu
Encyclopedia
Arochukwu, sometimes referred to as Arochuku, or Aro-Okigbo, is the third largest city in Abia State
(after Aba
and Umuahia
) in southeastern Nigeria
and homeland of the Igbo
subgroup, Aro people
.
It is composed of 19 villages with an overall leader called Eze Aro. Arochukwu is a principal historic town in Igboland. It was also one of the cities in the Southern protectorate conquered by the British colonial government. Several historic tourist sites exist in the city. The mystic Ibini Ukpabi
shrine, the slave routes and other relics of the slave trade era are frequently visited by tourists. It is also in the food belt of Abia state where most of the staple foods are produced.
and Ibom
. Many years passed as Igbo
immigrants came along and pressed into the Ibibio occupied territory and founded several states. The first Igbo group were the Ezeagwu group led by their leader Agwu Inobia
. As Aro-Ibibio wars
occurred, there was a stalemate. In reaction, the Eze Agwu clan invited a priest named Nnachi
from the Edda clan of northeastern Igboland and another group from the east of the Cross River through Nnachi. These people were identified as the Akpa
people. Akpa forces led by Osim and Akuma Nnubi
, they helped the Igbo forces capture the rest of the area. This formed the alliance of 19 new and old states in the area known as the Arochukwu kingdom around 1650-1700. The first king (or Eze Aro) of a unified Arochukwu was Akuma but after his death, Nnachi son's Oke Nnachi
took over and his descendants have the throne to this day.
The mid 18th century saw the start of mass migrations of Aro business families to the Igbo hinterland and adjacent areas. This migration, influence of their god Ibini Ukpabi through priests, and their military power backed up by alliances with several related neighboring Igbo and eastern Cross River
militarized states (particularly Ohafia
, Abam, Abiriba
, Afikpo
, Ekoi
, and etc) quickly established the Aro Confederacy
as a regional economic power. However, Aro economic hegemony was threatened by the penetration of European
s, mainly British
colonists. Tensions finally led to bloodshed and the Anglo-Aro War
took place from 1901-1902. The Aro Confederacy stoutly resisted but were eventually defeated. This helped the British to occupy the rest of what is now known as Eastern Nigeria.
The city of Onitsha was founded by Igbo group from Arochukwu under the leadership of Eze Chima. People of Arochukwu founded many other communities both within and outside Igboland.
A little correction because people may be confused by this statement. Arochukwu is mainly and has been home only to the Igbos. However, due to bother relations, many Aro residence who travel back and forth and or have established businesses with the Ibibios and the Efiks have learned and speak their languages. The Aros are not of the Ibibio or Efik stock
, stemming from the belief in one supreme being. Aro translates as Spear and Chukwu
as God.
Put together this could imply Spear of God.
Abia State
Abia State is a state in southeastern Nigeria. The capital is Umuahia, although the major commercial city is Aba, formerly a British colonial government outpost. The state was created in 1991 from part of Imo State and its citizens are predominantly Igbo people...
(after Aba
Aba, Nigeria
Aba is a city and a big trading center in Abia State, southern Nigeria, located on the Aba River. Aba was established by the Igbo People of Nigeria as a market town and then later a military post was placed there by the British colonial administration in 1901...
and Umuahia
Umuahia
Umuahia is the capital of Abia State in southeastern Nigeria. Umuahia is located along the rail road that lies between Port Harcourt to Umuahia's south and Enugu city to its north. Umuahia has a population of 359,230 according to the 2006 Nigerian census. Umuahia's indigenous ethnic group are the...
) in 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...
and homeland of the Igbo
Igbo 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...
subgroup, Aro people
Aro people
The Aro people or Aros is an Igbo subgroup with Akpa and Ibibio elements who originated from Arochukwu kingdom in present day Abia state, Southeastern Nigeria. The Aros can also be found in about 250 other settlements mostly in the Southeastern region and adjacent areas...
.
It is composed of 19 villages with an overall leader called Eze Aro. Arochukwu is a principal historic town in Igboland. It was also one of the cities in the Southern protectorate conquered by the British colonial government. Several historic tourist sites exist in the city. The mystic Ibini Ukpabi
Ibini Ukpabi
The Ibini Ukpabi was an oracle of the Aro Confederacy of what is now south eastern Nigeria. It was known among the British as the Long Ju-ju. Ibini Ukpabi was used to settle cases, particularly does of murder, witchcraft, poisoning and family disputes...
shrine, the slave routes and other relics of the slave trade era are frequently visited by tourists. It is also in the food belt of Abia state where most of the staple foods are produced.
History
Arochukwu is believed to have been the homeland of the Ibibio as they arrived in 300 AD from the Benue valley and founded early states like Obong Okon ItaObong 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...
and 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,...
. Many years passed as Igbo
Igbo 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...
immigrants came along and pressed into the Ibibio occupied territory and founded several states. The first Igbo group were the Ezeagwu group led by their leader Agwu Inobia
Agwu Inobia
Agwu Inobia or Eze Agwu was one of the founding fathers of the city of Arochukwu, the third largest city in Abia State in southeastern Nigeria. He was the descendant of Nna Uru and king of the Eze Agwu clan centered in their capital the Amanagwu city-state...
. As 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...
occurred, there was a stalemate. In reaction, the Eze Agwu clan invited a priest named 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...
from the Edda clan of northeastern Igboland and another group from the east of the Cross River through Nnachi. These people were identified as the 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...
people. Akpa forces led by Osim and Akuma Nnubi
Osim 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...
, they helped the Igbo forces capture the rest of the area. This formed the alliance of 19 new and old states in the area known as the Arochukwu kingdom around 1650-1700. The first king (or Eze Aro) of a unified Arochukwu was Akuma but after his death, Nnachi son's Oke Nnachi
Oke Nnachi
Oke Nnachi was the son of Nnachi and possibly introduced the idea of bring Akpa troops to help the Eze Agwu, Nnachi clan, and Obong Okon Ita rebels during the Aro-Ibibio Wars. After the short dynasty of Osim and Akuma Nnubi of Akuma, Oke Nnachi became king of Arochukwu...
took over and his descendants have the throne to this day.
The mid 18th century saw the start of mass migrations of Aro business families to the Igbo hinterland and adjacent areas. This migration, influence of their god Ibini Ukpabi through priests, and their military power backed up by alliances with several related neighboring Igbo and eastern Cross River
Cross River
Cross River may refer to:In Nigeria*Cross River *Cross River State, in southeastern Nigeria, named after the above river*Cross River languages, a branch of the Benue-Congo languages subgroup of the Niger-Congo languagesIn Canada...
militarized states (particularly Ohafia
Ohafia
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...
, and 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. However, Aro economic hegemony was threatened by the penetration of 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....
s, mainly British
United 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...
colonists. Tensions finally led to bloodshed and 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....
took place from 1901-1902. The Aro Confederacy stoutly resisted but were eventually defeated. This helped the British to occupy the rest of what is now known as Eastern Nigeria.
The city of Onitsha was founded by Igbo group from Arochukwu under the leadership of Eze Chima. People of Arochukwu founded many other communities both within and outside Igboland.
Demography
The kingdom has been home mainly to the Igbo, Ibibio, and Akpa. The main language in Arochukwu is Igbo while Ibibio is also spoken.A little correction because people may be confused by this statement. Arochukwu is mainly and has been home only to the Igbos. However, due to bother relations, many Aro residence who travel back and forth and or have established businesses with the Ibibios and the Efiks have learned and speak their languages. The Aros are not of the Ibibio or Efik stock
Etymology
Arochukwu is one of the only cities in Igboland named after God. Though named after God, it was named this before the advent of Christianity in IgbolandIgboland
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...
, stemming from the belief in one supreme being. Aro translates as Spear and Chukwu
Chukwu
Chukwu is the infinitely powerful, undefinable, indefinable, absolute supreme deity encompassing everything in space and space itself, in traditional Igbo spiritual belief system and Igbo mythology. Linguistic studies suggest that the name "Chukwu" is a portmanteau of the Igbo words "Chi" and "Ukwu"...
as God.
Put together this could imply Spear of God.
Notable people
- Mazi Alvan IkokuAlvan IkokuAlvan Ikoku was a Nigerian educator, statesman, activist and politician. Born on August 1, 1900 in Arochukwu, present day Abia State, he was educated at Government School and Hope Waddell College, Calabar. In 1920, he received his first teaching appointment with the Presbyterian Church of Scotland...
, educationalist (1900–1971) - Nwankwo KanuNwankwo KanuNwankwo Kanu, OON , or simply Kanu, is a Nigerian footballer who plays for Portsmouth. He was also a member of the Nigerian national team for 16 years from 1994 until 2010...
, footballer - Chidi Imo, athlete
- Nnamdi UdohNnamdi UdohElder Mazi Nnamdi Udoh MSc is the Chief Executive officer/Managing Director at the Nigerian airspace management agency.-Early life and career:Elder Mazi Nnamdi Udoh was born to late Senator Henry Nwafor Udoh and Madam Uzoma Udoh...
,Aeronautic Engineer - Sam Ohuabunwa
- Alex Otti, Banker