Akwa Ibom State is a state in the South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria. It borders Cross River State to the east, Rivers State and Abia State to the west and north-west, and to the south by the Atlantic Ocean. The state takes its name from the Qua Iboe River which bisects the state before flowing into the Bight of Bonny. Akwa Ibom was split from Cross River State in 1987 with her capital Uyo and with 31 local government areas.
The Ibibio people are a coastal people in Southern Nigeria. They are mostly found in Akwa Ibom, and the Eastern part of Abia State. During the colonial period in Nigeria, the Ibibio Union asked for recognition by the British as a sovereign nation.
Anaang is an ethnic group in Southern Nigeria, whose land is primarily within 8 of the present 31 Local Government Areas in Akwa Ibom State: Abak, Essien Udim, Etim Ekpo, Ika, Ikot Ekpene, Obot Akara, Oruk Anam, Ukanafun in Akwa Ibom State. The Anaang are the second largest ethnic group after the Ibibios in Akwa Ibom state.
Cross River State is a state in the South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria. Named for the Cross River, the state was formed from the eastern part of the Eastern Region on 27 May 1967. Its capital is Calabar, it borders to the north through Benue state, to the west through Ebonyi state and Abia state, and to the southwest through Akwa Ibom state, while its eastern border forms part of the national border with Cameroon. Originally known as the South-Eastern State before being renamed in 1976, Cross River state formerly included the area that is now Akwa Ibom state, which became a distinct state in 1987.
Arochukwu Local Government Area, sometimes referred to as Arochuku or Aro Oke-Igbo, is the third largest local government area in Abia State in southeastern Nigeria and homeland of the Igbo subgroup, Aro people.
Ekpe, also known as Mgbe/Egbo, is a West African secret society in Nigeria and Cameroon flourishing chiefly among the Efiks. It is also found among a number of other ethnic groups, including the Bahumono of the Cross River State, the Ibibio, the Uruan and the Oron of Akwa Ibom State, Arochukwu and some other parts of Abia State, as well as in the diaspora, such as in Cuba and Brazil. The society is still active at the beginning of the 21st century, now playing more of a ceremonial role.
The Ibom Isi also known as the Akpa are one of the three main lineages comprising the Aro people. They are centered in Ibom, Arochukwu in Nigeria. The Akpa are descendants of the Ejagham in present day Cross River State in Southeastern Nigeria.
The Aro-Ibibio Wars were a series of conflicts between the Aro people and the Ibibio in present-day Southeastern Nigeria in the Ibom Kingdom from 1630 to 1902. These wars led to the foundation of the Arochukwu kingdom.
The Aro people or Aros are an Igbo subgroup that originated from the Arochukwu kingdom in present-day Abia state, Nigeria. The Aros can also be found in about 250 other settlements mostly in the Southeastern Nigeria and adjacent areas. The Aros today are classified as Eastern or Cross River Igbos because of their location, mixed origins, culture, and dialect. Their god, Chukwu Abiama, was a key factor in establishing the Aro Confederacy as a regional power in the Niger Delta and Southeastern Nigeria during the 18th and 19th centuries.
Nnachi Ipia mononymously known as Nnachi, was one of the founding fathers of the city of Arochukwu, one of the largest villages in Abia State in southeastern Nigeria. During the conclusion of the 17th century, he was a Dibia (priest-doctor) from the Edda people near Afikpo. The Eze Agwu clan led by his relative King Agwu Inobia in the Aro region called on Nnachi for help during the Aro-Ibibio Wars. Unable to break the stalemate in the favor of Eze Agwu, Nnachi called some allies from the east of the Cross River known as the Akpa people. Akuma and Osim Nnubi led the Akpa people into the Aro region and collaborated with Igbo forces to defeat the Obong Okon Ita kingdom. Though Osim died, Akuma survived and became the first EzeAro. After his death, Nnachi's descendants took over the throne starting with his son, Oke Nnachi. They are currently the ruling clan of the Aro people.
Aro History starts from Ibibio migration to the present Arochukwu area.
Oruk Anam is a Local Government Area located in Akwa Ibom State of Nigeria. The indigenous population is largely made up of Annang people, one of the minority tribes in Southeast Nigeria.
The Oron people are a multi-ethnic tribal grouping that make up the Akpakip Oro or Oron Nation. The Oron people (Örö) are located primarily in southern Nigeria in the riverine area of Akwa Ibom State and Cross River State and in Cameroon. Akpakip Oro are regarded as an ancient warrior people, speaking the Oron (Oro) language which is in the Cross River language family of the Benue–Congo languages. They are ancestrally related to the Efik people of the Cross River State, the Ibeno and Eastern Obolo in Akwa Ibom, the Andoni people in Rivers State, Ohafia in Abia State and the Balondo-ba-Konja in the Congo.
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 a blacksmith and leader of his clan. Eze Agwu is said to be the descendant of Nna Uru. Nna Uru was related to the founders of neighboring communities Abiriba and Edda people. Edda and Abiriba traditions state that their ancestors founded Arochukwu.
Ikono is a Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, located in the South South of Nigeria. It is bounded at the North, by Ini Local Government Area, South by Abak and Uyo Local Government Areas, East by Ibiono Ibom Local Government Area and West by Ikot Ekpene, Essien Udim and Obot Akara Local Government Areas. It was created as a local government in september 1996. It has a landmass of 407.16 square kilometres (157.21 sq mi). It is no doubt one of the four largest LGA in Akwa Ibom, and also known as the cradle of the Ibibio people [Ntippe Ibibio]. It occupies the northern fringe of Akwa-Ibom State next to Ini local Government which occupies the northern most fringe of the state. It is predominantly inhabited by the Ibibios, the largest ethnic groups in the state. Some popular sub-groups within Ikono include Ukpom, Nung Ukim and Ediene.
Mbo is located in the South Eastern part of Nigeria and is a Local Government Area in Akwa Ibom State. Following the local government creation exercise of the federal government in 1989 Mbo Local Government Area was carved out of Oron Division same year.
Uruan is a Local Government Area in Akwa Ibom State, south of Nigeria.
Ibibio is the native language of the Ibibio people of Nigeria, belonging to the Ibibio-Efik dialect cluster of the Cross River languages. The name Ibibio is sometimes used for the entire dialect cluster. In pre-colonial times, it was written with Nsibidi ideograms, similar to Igbo, Efik, Anaang, and Ejagham. Ibibio has also had influences on Afro-American diasporic languages such as AAVE words like buckra which come from the Ibibio word mbakara and in the Afro-Cuban tradition of abakua.
Ekpo (Ghost) is a cultural society art form that originates from the Efik, Ibibio and Annang peoples in the Cross River/Akwa Ibom in Southern Nigeria. The practice was also adopted by neighboring regions, namely Arochukwu and Ohafia (Abia state) during the expansion of the Aro-Kingdom.
Nkporo is a town in Abia State, in southeastern Nigeria, traditionally an Igbo speaking region. It is in the Ohafia Local Government Area.
