A Critical Study on the Ibini Ukpabi (Arochukwu Long Juju) Oracle and its Implications on the International Relations During the 20 th Century

Abstract

The British attack on the Igbo during the early 20 th century affected not only the economy of Ndi Igbo and their leadership; it ended up defining an entire ethnic group which was united before the Aro Expedition in 1901/1902. The Ibini Ukpabi oracle situated in Aro had at this time lost relevance and became so fraudulent to the detriment of original expectations of the millions of Igbo over whom the influence was. Meanwhile, the British government already found it difficult to penetrate Igbo due to the government of Aro which centered on the oracle and it was left with no alternative to fight the Aro confederacy. After defeating Aro, it took advantage and penetrated into the hinterland. With the aid of oral tradition, oral interview, secondary sources and internet materials, this study discovered that Igbo was under one government before the intrusion of the British. The defeat of the Aro meant a fatal consequence on an entire ethnic group which began to exist as a republican group from then. The political landscape was redrawn only in the favor of British. And the Igbo entered into unending political struggles without much success even among other ethnic groups in Nigeria till date. The work concluded with a recommendation that since all happened then, the present Igbo and the Europeans should redefine their international economic relationship in favor of economic prosperity for the two groups, especially now that the Ibini Ukpabi oracle is no more in control and the European missionaries who took advantage of the Aro defeat to enter with the gospel have brought civilization.

Keywords

Aro European Ibini Ukpabi Igbo International economic relations. Ndi Igbo

  • Research Identity (RIN)

  • License

    Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)

  • Language & Pages

    English, 1-11

  • Classification

    FOR Code : 160607