Arochukwu stands at the Cross River end of Abia, the seat of one of the few kingdoms in Igbo land, governed under the Eze Aro and made of five clans - Abam, Aro, Ihechiowa, Ututu and Isu. The community's own account forms the kingdom around 1650-1700 out of an alliance between the Eze Agwu group, a priest named Nnachi and Akakpokpo Okon of the Ibom kingdom; Nnachi's descendants hold the throne today. The families tell the founding story in more than one version, so this record names the account it repeats rather than flattening them into one. At the centre of the town's history is Ibini Ukpabi, the oracle the British knew as the Long Juju. It settled cases of murder, witchcraft, poisoning and family dispute, and its verdict was final across the Niger Delta; the losing party was traditionally destroyed, and the priests were accused of selling the losers into slavery instead and of manufacturing verdicts to procure people for sale. The shrine site, with its gully, its waterfall and the route remembered as the Long Juju Slave Route, is what remains, and the site is recorded on Nigeria's tentative World Heritage list. In November 1901 a British force of about 1,637 marched against Arochukwu; by March 1902 the town had been burned, the oracle's power was ended, and a mission station followed the expedition in. Chief Okoroji's house at Ujari stands today as a monument, and the Ekpe society, which among the Aro governed as much as it performed, is described in the culture entries beside this place. Photographs, via Wikimedia Commons: The steps at Arochukwu - Goodymeraj, CC BY-SA 4.0. Waterfall at Arochukwu - Realzinks, CC BY-SA 4.0. Chief Okoroji's house at Ujari, Arochukwu - Goodymeraj, CC BY-SA 4.0. Arochukwu burning, December 1901 - Donald A MacAlister, Public domain. The 1901 illustrated-press view of the expedition against the Aros - Richard Caton Woodville II, CC BY-SA 4.0. Licences: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
What to see
The Long Juju shrine and the slave route
The site of Ibini Ukpabi, with its altar, its gully, its waterfall and the "throne of judgement", and the route remembered as the Long Juju Slave Route. The site is a place of memory first and a visit second.
Ujari and Chief Okoroji's house
Ujari village, where the house of Chief Okoroji - ulo nta Mazi Okoroji - stands as a monument.
The waterfall at Arochukwu
The waterfall at the shrine site, photographed here by a visitor to the town.
The Arochukwu kingdom
The monarchy of the Eze Aro, one of the few kingdoms in Igbo land; the palace's own arrangement governs what a visitor may see.
Its address is /tourism/arochukwu on www.buzzbuntu.com.