The EKUMEKU Resistance: One of the Reasons The British Hates the IgbosThe EKUMEKU Resistance: One of the Reasons The British Hates the Igbos



The British-Igbo War That Lasted For 31 YEARS The resolutions of the Berlin conference of 1884-1885, gave European nations the rights to lay claim to lands and resources in Africa.

Britain, who had engaged in the trade with coastal cities before and during the 19th century, made bold their intentions to covet resources and rule over indigenous nations all over Africa. Tribes resisted the British invaders, and this led to protracted wars. Many African tribes put up a great fight against the superior fire power of the suppressive British.

One of such tribes are the Igbo people of ancient Biafra, who are now one of the three major tribes in Nigeria. The Ekuemeku Movement was the name of Igbo army, that held the British at bay and fought them for 31 years.

The Ekumeku movement consisted of a great number of attacks and uprising by the Anioma people of land, against the British, from 1893-1914.

The Ekumeku warriors were bound by a secrete oath, and meticulously utilized guerrilla tactics to attack the British Royal company, who were determined to penetrate Igbo land. The Ekumeku warriors were drawn from thousands of Anioma youth from all parts of Anioma land.



As the war rages on, the Ekumeku warriors defended their rights tom live peacefully without foreign interjection, while the British used heavy armaments. They destroyed homes, farms, and roads, by bombardment.



The EKUMEKU Resistance: One of the Reasons The British Hates the Igbos
The EKUMEKU Resistance: One of the Reasons The British Hates the Igbos
The British invaded Ndoni in 1870 and bombarded Onicha-Ado (Onicha) on November 2nd, 1897, from River Niger. This set the tempo for the rest of the war. The Royal Niger Company was commanded by Major Festing. They engaged the Anioma people of Ibusa in 1898.

The battle was so severe in 0wa/Okwunzu, in 1904, that the commander W.E.B Crawford requested for more arms from the British headquarters to crush the Western Anioma communities. The people of Owa again in 1906 engaged the British in a gruesome battle that consumed the life of the British commander S. O. Crewe.

Ogwashi-Ukwu faced the British on the 2nd of November 1909, and dealt a heavy blow to the British, who sustained many casualties, with the death of H. C. Chapman.



The Ekumeku became a formidable force in Igbo land and was a great source of nationalism for the Anioma people. It also served as a uniting cord that held together various towns who were independent of each other in the past. The Igbo were a republican people and each town had a leadership that was drawn from its oldest of men and families.

The war would have lasted longer, and possibly ended in a British defeat, if the Anioma people had equivalent fire power, and had more allies from other great Igbo kingdoms and towns. But even at that point, other tribes were facing the British on their own.

After almost 20 years of battle, decided to strike with great force. And in December of 1902, they sent a powerful expedition to Anioma kingdom. A great number of towns were destroyed. Civilians and soldiers alike were killed. And their leaders were arrested and imprisoned.

After this, the British were sure that they had suppressed the Ekumeku military cult, and that victory was theirs. The British officers boasted: “the Ekumeku and other secret societies have been completely broken.”


To their greatest surprise, two years later, in 1904, the fearless Ekumeku rose again. The Igbo are a proud and egalitarian people. They don’t go down that easily.



When the Ekumeku started their renewed campaign, they changed tactics, and abandoned the guerrilla warfare style of 1989, for individual defense of each town.

The last battle began in 1909. There was a succession dispute in Ogwashi-ukwu, and the British tried to remove the rightful king and enthrone someone else. One of the heirs to the throne, Nzekwe, the son of the last Obi, sensed the plot of the British and went to war with them to fight for his inheritance.

On November 2nd 1909, the British sent an expedition to Ogwashi-ukwu to capture him, but they failed. No amount of fire power at that point could defeat or quench the sympathy and dedication of the people towards the Ekumeku. In Asaba, the sympathy for the Ekumeku was so high that the people had a disposition to throw off the already British government in certain parts.

At the time, the acting Lieutenant-governor of the Southern provinces sent an agitated telegram to Lagos. It read: “Whole country is above are… is the state of rebellion.”
After this, reinforcements were sent from Lokoja, for another confrontation at Akegbe. The war raged on, till 1914, when the Ekumeku movement was defeated. That was the same year, the Northern and Southern protectorates of Nigeria were joined as one country.

Some of the heroes of that 31-year war included Dunwku Isus of Onicha-Olona, Nwabuzo Iyogolo of Ogwashi-Ukwu, Awuno Ugbo, Obi of Akumazi, Aggbambu Oshue of Igbuzo, the Idabor of Issele-Ukwu, Ochei Aghaeze of Onicha-olona, Abuzu of Idumuje-Unor, Idegwu Otokpoike of Ubulu-Ukwu. These men are remembered in Anioma land till date.



The Ekumeku war remains one of most bravely fought wars and campaign against British rule and plundering. It later inspired other rebellions around Africa, such as the Mau Mau of Kenya.


The Ekumeku have long been defeated, and that kingdom is now part of the greater Igbo land, in today’s Nigeria. But no matter how far we travel in time, history always remembers that a brave tribe defended their ancestry, heritage and legacy against the tyranny of Wilberforce.

Till date, in Nigeria, the Igbo remains one of the few tribes that still resist British rule over them and their resources. It can be said that these sentiments were at play when the British supplied weapons to the Hausa Fulanis in the Northern part and the Yorubas in the Western part of Nigeria to fight and kill the Igbos during the Nigeria Biafra War between 1967-1970.

a well written pieces more grease to ur elbow

No war can last for 31 YEARS And you copied and paste this stuff.

No history book have ever talked about this so called war.

It doesn't exist and never did exist.

It has been proved beyond reasonable doubt that the Igbos are the greatest black race in the world

thebosstrevor1:
No war can last for 31 YEARS And you copied and paste this stuff.

No history book have ever talked about this so called war.

It doesn't exist and never did exist.

Which war has the Fulanis fought and won?

Fahdiga:
Which war has the Fulanis fought and won?

Go and read history books.

Just like Aro-British war, igbo nation suffered casualties but not defeated. It was provision of amenities like school,water, hospitals through missions as well as fall of kingdoms in the present southern Nigeria that made British to rule over Igbo even with difficult. I remember Aba women riot.
British even used fellow Africans mostly hausas to fight their wars.

Special Kudos to the previous generation of igbos and their exploits in the battle field against the British from the eastern flank in arochukwu and Bende to the western flank of Ogwashi ukwu and Asaba , the southern flank with the Aba women riots and the northern flank with the IVA coal mine resistance in enugu, I can only conclude that igbos are 200 years ahead of the rest of Nigeria .

Igbos are about the few African race that fought the
British military and resisted British colonialism with blood.
800 British soldiers died in the Anglo Aro war in 1901
We have seen wars like Jews, we fought the world and survived and recovered without assistance to the chagrin of our haters, we defied oppression and marginalization to bounce back and call the shots 50 years after the brutal uncivil war and scorched earth policies.
Congratulations to all igbos

thebosstrevor1:
The movement was not a resistance but a gang of robbers and theives, the outbreak came as a result of the inability of the people to govern themselves.

Gang of robber and your source is a lie concocted from British media
Britain that once blame ojukwu for biafra war can’t write any good about igbos
We refuse to allow the hunter write the story of the hunted
Sheep will always be guilty in the court of lions

Nigeriabiafra82:

Gang of robber and your source is a lie concocted from British media
Britain that once blame ojukwu for biafra war can’t write any good about igbos
We refuse to allow the hunter write the story of the hunted
Sheep will always be guilty in the court of lions

It was a igbo man that wrote this not British media.

He did a research about it.

The man name is philip igbafe

thebosstrevor1:


It was a igbo man that wrote this not British media.

He did a research about it.

The man name is philip igbafe

Just like the one being written by BBC igbo propagandist

Nigeriabiafra82:

Just like the one being written by BBC igbo propagandist

Yeah indeed.

Because they are not in favor of your own narrative

thebosstrevor1:


Yeah indeed.

Because they are not in favor of your own narrative

Yes
Because they always side the oppressors
More reason they had access to media for propaganda and malign then
If not because ipob have chosen to speak up and engage social media
Your lots would have been writing jargons and propaganda too
2021 is not 1967

capitalzero:
Just like Aro-British war, igbo nation suffered casualties but not defeated. It was provision of amenities like school,water, hospitals through missions as well as fall of kingdoms in the present southern Nigeria that made British to rule over Igbo even with difficult. I remember Aba women riot.
British even used fellow Africans mostly hausas to fight their wars.

British wrote treaties in Igboland until treaty writers became scarce in Britain.

Myopic....

thebosstrevor1:


It was a igbo man that wrote this not British media.

He did a research about it.

The man name is philip igbafe

Philip Igbafe is not Igbo and this book he authored is a brilliant one that sought to correct the wrong historical categorization the colonialists painted the war. It was largely unconventional so they felt they could discredit and ensured it wasn't discussed in Nigeria's politics. I've read the book from page one till the end.
You clearly underestimate Igbos but the near future will shock you. We detest enslavement by any means and will everything possible to fight against it. Watch and see.

Fejoku:

Philip Igbafe is not Igbo and this book he authored is a brilliant one that sought to correct the wrong historical categorization the colonialists painted the war. It was largely unconventional so they felt they could discredit and ensured it wasn't discussed in Nigeria's politics. I've read the book from page one till the end.
You clearly underestimate Igbos but the near future will shock you. We detest enslavement by any means and will everything possible to fight against it. Watch and see.

You detest enslavement but then enslavement people during slavery

Here we go.

Na everybody hate them... Then one need to ask who do they love?

That's your main problem
A very stupid mentality

"Everyone hates you"
A very rubbish state of mind
Fulani hates you
Yoruba hates you
Hausa hates you
The British hates you
Ijaw hates you
Even people that doesn't know you exist hates you!!
Very stupid mentality

Nigeriabiafra82:

Yes
Because they always side the oppressors
More reason they had access to media for propaganda and malign then
If not because ipob have chosen to speak up and engage social media
Your lots would have been writing jargons and propaganda too
2021 is not 1967

If you guys have had a written language and wrote about the so called war.

Their will be no need for all these arguments.

But the Europeans came to your land and also gave you guys the written form of your language and then also wrote about your culture so that you can know about it.

What a shame.

There is no written books of igbo civilization written by igbo people in the 18th or 19th century until the European brought western education

thebosstrevor1:


It was a igbo man that wrote this not British media.

He did a research about it.

The man name is philip igbafe

In less than 30 minutes you have contradicted ur self twice,

Conrod:
In less than 30 minutes you have contradicted ur self twice,

How?

Monogamy:
Here we go.

Na everybody hate them... Then one need to ask who do they love?

As a pessimist,this is all you could deduce from the writeup.

Conrod:
As a pessimist,this is all you could deduce from the writeup.

So from my comments, that's only thing you could deduce?

How about who do Igbo love?

The British loves no group on planet earth but themselves. I mean, they couldn't even stay in EU with their fellow Europeans.

By the way, there is nothing like ancient Biafra. You IPOB and your leader should stop that joke.

We are Igbos. Biafra was only a part of our history between 1967-70.

thebosstrevor1:


How?

First, you claimed that no such war existed,then after rushing to google,you now said it happened but by theives and robbers,secondly you said the story was written by an igbo,later u again claimed that no book about igbo history has been written by an igbo.

Conrod:
First, you claimed that no such war existed,then after rushing to google,you now said it happened but by theives and robbers,

Yes because it didn't exist...no war exist except bandism and robberies

The Ekumeku war and Aro war were not exactly why the British government disliked Igbos. Other ethnic groups in Nigeria resisted the British too only to be defeated after killing some British miliary men. The Yorubas resisted in Lagos and Ijebu area. The Ijaws fought bravely in Akassa and brass. Igodomigodo warriors equally tried their bit in the 1897 attack on Benin city. Most oppressors or conquerors prefer a few series of battle in a well defined war after which the victor will enjoy his victory and occupy the territory for a life time at least. The British had records about the nature of many ethnic groups of Nigeria right from their records of slave behaviours during that ill-fated period. The British noticed that while the Igbos were very good at understanding the duties demanded of them and delivering the expectation of the slave masters, that was only short-lived because soon the Igbos were prone to rejecting enslavement in perpetuity. They mostly rebelled and flee to mountaineous regions or they attack and kill their masters or in some cases commit suicide. Before the middle of the 18th century, Igbos were highly valued slaves but with the notice of this pattern, the demand for them started to reduce from the end of that century. Those who still wanted Igbo slaves knew they would have to give them a more dignified job inside the houses and not the fields. The European anthropologists who visited Igboland in the 19th century wrote that the Igbo country is a land of free men where every man is a master in his own house. After the Berlin conference, the British moved with their military might to forcefully cement their control over the Nigerian territory, they used all the available information to know how to deal with every area. After the few fights with the indigenous people, it was easy for them to administer those people but Igboland was a different case. The British didn't know what to do and coupled with, Igbos always challenged everything they introduce. In the first few decades of the 20th century, educated Igbos dominated the push for British removal in the affairs of Nigeria. Theophilus Akunna Wallace Johnson, Nnamdi Azikiwe, Alvan Ikoku, Akanu Ibiam and a host of others were a torn in the flesh of the British. They were visibly agitated that the British without invitation were lording and exploiting the indigenous people of Nigeria and questioned the legitimacy of such openly. Akunna Wallace was imprisoned many times(he's of Sierra Leonian origin). Zik had too many encounter with them such that they refused to build more schools and infrastructures in the East. They only built PH Port because they needed a quicker route to steal the coal from Enugu. The Enugu coal uprising and Aba women's riot added more problems to the British. The Warrant chief system they introduced was rejected and they got frustrated. When they found oil around Owerri and other parts of the SE, they wanted to start the exploitation but Zik refused demanding that the host communities must be accepted as the owner of those resources with documents signed to that effect (I accidentally saw this information while researching online). This frustrated them further and they decided to move outside the known Igbo territory to search for oil until they struck one in Oloibiri. These are the reasons which they detested Igbos politically. We gave them no breathing space throughout their stay. Compare it with how we welcomed the missionaries in Igboland. There's no place European missionaries found hospitality like they got from Igbos.
We are never slaves to anyone as a nation and will never be to anyone.
Igbo murum, ekelem unu.

thebosstrevor1:


Go and read history books.

The history book I read shows that Yoruba defeated you people in Oshobo.

The only fight you people can fight is attacking old people and children. While they are far asleep in the village.

You people are coward when you see boys, that is why you guys can't dare to come to the city.

thebosstrevor1:


You detest enslavement but then enslavement people during slavery

You don't know Igbo history so just shut up.

theTranslator:
That's your main problem
A very stupid mentality

"Everyone hates you"
A very rubbish state of mind
Fulani hates you
Yoruba hates you
Hausa hates you
The British hates you
Ijaw hates you
Even people that doesn't know you exist hates you!!
Very stupid mentality

Hmmm