At the Cross River end of Abia stands Arochukwu, made of five clans - Abam, Aro, Ihechiowa, Ututu and Isu - and governed as a kingdom under the Eze Aro, one of the few monarchies in Igbo land. Its founding tradition brings together the Eze Agwu group, a priest named Nnachi invited from Edda, and Akakpokpo Okon of the Ibom kingdom; the kingdom took shape around 1650-1700, and the line of Oke Nnachi holds the throne. At its centre was Ibini Ukpabi, the oracle the British called the Long Juju, which settled cases of murder, witchcraft, poisoning and family dispute with a verdict that was final across the Niger Delta - and whose losing parties were sold. The Anglo-Aro War of 1901-1902 destroyed the oracle's power and burned the town. The shrine site, its gully and the route remembered as the Long Juju Slave Route remain, and the town keeps its Ekpe and Ekpo masquerades and the Atani Day celebration. Photographs, via Wikimedia Commons: The Ojoojo dance troupe at the Atani Day celebration, 2023 - Goodymeraj, CC BY 4.0. An Ekpe masquerade - Charles. Utibemfon Charles, CC BY-SA 4.0. Ekperedem Ekpo, the last masquerade of the Ekpo ceremony - Chimeremeze Okoro, CC BY-SA 4.0. An Ekpo masquerade at Arochukwu - Chimeremeze Okoro, CC BY-SA 4.0. The steps at Arochukwu - Goodymeraj, CC BY-SA 4.0. Traditional leaders of Arochukwu in procession - TopmanJnr1, CC BY-SA 4.0. Waterfall at Arochukwu - Realzinks, CC BY-SA 4.0. Licences: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Its address is /culture/arochukwu-and-the-long-juju on www.buzzbuntu.com.