Ibo, Ebo, Eboe, Eboans, Heebo

Place: Nigeria

Biography:

The Igbo people are an ethnic group in Nigeria, primarily found in Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo States. They are one of the largest ethnic groups in Africa and are known for their rich culture, traditions, and impact on global society. The Igbo language is part of the Niger-Congo language family and is spoken by over 31 million people. The Igbo homeland straddles the lower Niger River, east and south of the Edoid and Idomoid groups, and west of the Ibibioid (Cross River) cluster. Before the period of British colonial rule in the 20th century, the Igbo were politically fragmented by the centralized chiefdoms of Nri, Aro Confederacy, Agbor and Onitsha. Frederick Lugard introduced the Eze system of 'warrant chiefs'. The Igbos became overwhelmingly Christian during the evangelism of the missionaries in the colonial era in the twentieth century. In the wake of decolonisation, the Igbo developed a strong sense of ethnic identity, with Christianity being the major religion and Islamic minorities. After ethnic tensions following the independence of Nigeria in 1960, the Igbos seceded from Nigeria and attempted to establish a new independent country called Biafra, triggering the Nigerian Civil War (1967–1970). Millions of Biafran civilians died from starvation after the Nigerian military formed a blockade around Biafra, an event that international media promoting humanitarian aid for Biafra. Biafra was eventually defeated by Nigeria and reintegrated into the country. The Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra and the now Nigerian-government proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), two organizations formed after 1999, continue to struggle for an independent Igbo state.