The Anglo-Aro War (1901–1902) was a conflict between the
Aro Confederacy in present-day
Eastern Nigeria, and the
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, colonies, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, mandates, and other Dependent territory, territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It bega ...
. The war began after increasing tension between
Aro leaders and the British after years of failed negotiations.
Cause of the war
The Aro Confederacy, whose powers extended across Eastern
Nigeria
Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...
and beyond, was challenged in the last decades of the 19th century by increasing
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies.
* British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
colonial penetration of the hinterland. The
Aro people and their allies resisted the British penetration due to a combination of factors, included economic, political and religious concerns.
Reasons for the war advanced by Sir Ralph Moor, the
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies.
* British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
High Commissioner of the Nigerian Coast Protectorate, included:
According to American scholar
Jeffrey Ian Ross, the Aro peoples usage of
divinatory practices in shrines dedicated to the god ''Ibin Ukpabi'' was a critical element in their slavery practises, which was one of the factors that led to the outbreak of the Anglo-Aro War.
While according to local historian
Adiele Afigbo, the main stated purpose of the British in the Anglo-Aro War of 1901–1902 was to suppress the slave trade still being carried on by some African states in what is now
Nigeria
Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...
.
Aro opposition
The Aros had long opposed British colonial penetration in the hinterland, with such opposition being motivated in part by economic concern. They also opposed the efforts of British missionaries to introduce
Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...
, which threatened their religious influence through their oracle
Ibini Ukpabi. The Aro led raids and invasions on communities were conducted in order to undermine British colonial penetration since the 1890s. While the British prepared for the invasion of
Arochukwu
Arochukwu Local Government Area, sometimes referred to as Arochuku or Aro Oke igbo is the third largest local government area in Abia State (after Aba and Umuahia) in southeastern Nigeria and homeland of the Igbo subgroup, Aro people.
It ...
in November 1901, the Aro launched their last major offensive before the Aro Expedition by British forces. Aro forces led by
Okoro Toti sacked
Obegu (a British ally) which resulted in 400 people dying. This attack quickened British preparation for their offensive.
Aro expedition
Sir Ralph Moor and the
Royal Niger Company had planned the attack on the Aros and the Ibini Ukpabi oracle since September 1899 but due to lack of necessary manpower, it was delayed until November 1901. On November 28, Lt. Col.
Arthur Forbes Montanaro led 87 officers, 1,550 soldiers and 2,100 carriers in four axes of advance to Arochukwu from
Oguta
Oguta is a town on the east bank of Oguta Lake in Imo State of southeastern Nigeria.
Oguta is called "Oguta-Ameshi" or "Ameshi"- by its aborigines. Indigenes - consists of two parts, the old part which holds the 27 villages of Oguta, and the ...
,
Akwete,
Unwana and
Itu on a counter-insurgency campaign. As expected, Aro forces resisted all axes strongly, although they lacked modern weapons. However, Arochukwu was captured on December 28 after four days of fierce battles in and around the city. As a result, the Ibini Ukpabi shrine was allegedly blown up. Battles between British and Aro forces continued throughout the region until spring 1902 when Aro forces were defeated in the last major battle at
Bende. The Aro Expedition ended three weeks later.
Result of the war
Some of the Aro leaders, like Okoro Toti, were arrested, tried by tribunals, and hanged. The power hitherto held by the Aro Confederacy quickly evaporated and
Eze Kanu Okoro (king of Arochukwu), went into hiding but was later arrested. Although Aro dominance crumbled in March 1902, many Aros took part in
guerilla campaigns against the British in the region such as in
Afikpo (1902–1903),
Ezza (1905), and other areas where the Aro had a particularly significant presence. The defeat of the Aro did help the British to open up the interior, but serious opposition to British colonial penetration in
Igboland
Igbo land ( Standard ) is a cultural and common linguistic region in southeastern Nigeria which is the indigenous homeland of the Igbo people. Geographically, it is divided into two sections, eastern (the larger of the two) and western. Its popu ...
clearly did not end with the Anglo-Aro War. In the years that followed, the British had to deal with many other conflicts and wars in various parts of Igboland such as the
Nri Conflict (1905–1911),
Ekumeku War (1883–1914),
Igbo Women's War (1929), etc.
References
External links
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{{Igbo topics
Conflicts in 1901
Conflicts in 1902
Wars involving the Aro Confederacy
Wars involving Igboland
Aros
Military history of the British Empire
Wars involving the United Kingdom
20th-century military history of the United Kingdom
1901 in Nigeria
1902 in Nigeria
African resistance to colonialism
Abolitionism
Anti-slavery military operations