Ndi Aniọma | |
---|---|
Total population | |
1,800,000 (est. 2022, 2,100,000) 2,100,000 (including those of ancestral descent) | |
Regions with significant populations | |
Nigeria (Delta State with minorities in Edo State, Anambra State) | |
Religion | |
Predominantly ![]() minority African Traditional Religion | |
Related ethnic groups | |
Igbo |
The Anioma people are a predominantly Igboid speaking ethnolingustic group located in present day Delta State, Nigeria. As Anioma is also an acronym derived from the regions that make up the Western Igbo area: Aniocha (A), Ndokwa (N), Ika (I) and Oshimili (O),[1] the coinage was made by the founding father of the Anioma state movement (which has spanned for over 50 years), Chief Dennis Osadebay in 1951 and has since remained the preferred indigenous name by which the people collectively refer to themselves. The Anioma people encompass and are native to communities which span the 9 northern Local Government Areas of Delta State. Politically, the Anioma occupy the Delta North Senatorial District, where they are the majority.
They are historically known to be a diverse group of Igbo speaking communities indigenous to the northern half of Delta State.
The Ekumeku War is unique in Anioma history and Igbo history in general for two reasons.[2] First, the movement's duration involved military campaigns spanning thirty-one years against the British.[3] Secondly, it exemplifies an effort amongst the Igbo people to unify previously fragmented states in resistance to the british colonial army.[4] The Anioma population is currently estimated to be approximately 1.8 million.[5][6] The largest Anioma settlement and urban area is the Delta State Capital Territory, which incorporates the city of Asaba along the Niger, with Okpanam and Igbuzor and surrounding communities.[7]
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