British Punitive Expedition to an igbo clan, Arochukwu, in the present day Abia State commenced around November 1901 and was carried on till middle of 1902, at the end of the war Aro-Igbo had been burned to the ground and their famous ChukwuAbiama oracle or Ibini Ukpabi had been utterly brought to destruction. The reason for the Britain's invasion and destruction of Arochukwu was given under the Pretext of punishing Aro for constantly raiding villages who had allied themselves with Britain for protection, And to put an end to the whims and caprices of those who are behind the Aro shrine through which they sold millions into slavery. But other than slavery Aro maintained a type of hegemony and spiritual Authority over Several Igbo clans that their influence spread wide.
The Aro-Igbo confederation spread their influence through their alliances with sister clans who acted as mercenaries and enjoyed the spoils of war with them. The establishment of a network of Aro settlements to control trade in both goods and slaves, and establishment of satellite shrines and takeover of indigenous Southern igbo shrines using their new found role as arbitrators and the mouthpiece of ChukwuAbiama. All these played a role in it's spread across South and some parts of Northern Nigeria.
Aros are the only ones whose primary deity is ChukwuAbiama or Obasi across the Igbo land. The primary deity of other parts of igbo land is Ala which is regarded as the earth mother. Everywhere the Aro went they presented themselves as agents or vicars of ChukwuAbiama, so this accorded them a special or sacred status amongst the Southern Igbo and willing submission amongst the native, this was made possible because the fame of the Ibini Ukpabi or ChukwuAbiama shrine gave them the Supreme Court status in Southern Igbo, amongst many Southern Igbo villages there are usually quarters or kindreds referred to as Umu Chukwu, there is a 90% chance that they are Aro descendant. The Aro being pragmatic people had minor Juju (for lack of a better term) or Alusi as it's known amongst the Northern Igbo, these were small erected shrines representing specific spirits or oracles which had specialized power over certain different aspects of life.
Other JuJu or Oracle Worshipped by Igbos
1. Otusi/Otisi: Which the Aro brought with them from Akpa, it is the symbol of authority and the spirit of dominion, one without the Otisi cannot govern or rule.
2. Nkwa: Nkwa is an arm of the Otisi, it is feminine, Nkwa is housed in the Obu where they are represented by carved human figures. Nkwa is a fertility spirit and is given to women to take to their new homes on marriage, it's a spirit that guards the hearth or household.
3. Inyim AvinIny: Juju in charge of commerce, wealth and prosperity, was housed in every household shrine (Ulonta or Ogbiti).
4. Nkwmalo: Whose cult evolved along the banks of the river Cross, it's prominently featured in Edda, Afikpo and Ohafia where it is known as Kamanu Ikere. Nkamalo is a spirit of agricultural sagacity, productivity in the farmland, strength, and fecundity, it's also invoked in wrestling matches and war, thus Nkamalo is said to be a deity of Masculinity and Male Bravado, it's an Eastern Igbo equivalent of Ikenga, This point is important in understanding how Kamalu became associated with Ikenga.
The Aro introduced Satellite shrines of Ibini Ukpabi all over Southern and Eastern Igbo, a prominent feature was a long palm fronds and rafia palms tied in a bundle whose sides has been removed of leaf, leaving only the top part, at the base of which were circled with uncut granite or boulders with an earthen pot, libations are poured at the base and petitions made to Ibini Ukpabi, the shrines were not manned by priests. Satellites of Ibini Ukpabi coordinated with HQ in pooling victims or wrong doers to be sent to Arochukwu for justice. They are also helped the Aro to set themselves up as arbitrators all over Southern Igbo. But equally important in establishing Aro hegemony were these lesser divinities or juju that the travelled with. Within a short period of time some of these deities were merged with the local oracles that existed in places where they settled.
The merging of the Juju with the local Agbara or Arushi enabled them to take over native shrines and exert a very powerful control over communities and arrogate to themselves divine rights, (ChukwuAbiama shrine itself being the number one example and prototype. Another popular example is the Amadioha Ozuzu, the oracle is located at Etche, in present day Rivers state. It was through Amadioha that they consolidated their control of the affairs of Southern Igbo,
Amadioha is an Oracle whose cult is believed to have originated in Ahoada, the major oracle Amadioha Ozuzu was at Ozuzu Etche. Amadioha which literally translates as "Arbitrator of the people/community" was initially not a personified deity and has been romanticized and embellished by modern bloggers and neo traditionalist Igbo groups with much fantasies and fiction, e.g a man holding a hammer much like the Anglo saxon Thor. Amadioha Ozuzu was an Oracle which delivered judgements and metted out justice to those who consulted it. One of the ways it delivered justice was through lighting amuma and thunder Ozuzu, also through wind and rain amongst many other ways. Ozuzu was a priestly clan, their ownership of the Amadioha Ozuzu enabled the to spread as arbitrators over the Southern Igbo area including the Ikwerre areas and established amadioha shrines in those places.
Amadioha did not extend to the Northern Igbo areas... it is not part of the Odinani pantheon, Southern igbo communities use Amaala system not Odinani. When the Aro came to Ozuzu Etche they brought with them Kamalu Akanu from the River Cross area, the similarities in nature between the Nkamalo and Amadioha meant that they brought Kamalu as deal to help the Ozuzu maintain their power and priestcraft, that was the birth of Kamalu Ozuzu, such that the shrine became more popular and welded almost such power as Ibini Ukpabi. A pilgrimage site almost equivalent to the Ibini Ukpabi, it became like a diocese of the Ibini Ukpabi from which missionaries went to establish other shrines that would impact Southern Igbo for ever.
To illustrate further from the Amadioha/Kamalu Ozuzu shrine the Aro community flourished and merged with the native Etche communities. It had a lot of impact on Etche culture such that all Etche males undertake the itu anya festival. From Ozuzu arose one Okechi Nnoha it's first apostle, an Etche man with part Aro ancestry, so he migrated with his clan to the Isuama area adjacent to Orodo, as an agent or priest of Kamalu Ozuzu, he wages war on the Isuama natives and wipes them out or chase them away, and he takes over a local shrine to the native agbara Igwe and makes it an appendage of the Amadioha Ozuzu shrine. While Ala has been a major Agbara or divinity of the Southern Igbo, Igwe is the major Agbara of the Isuama and the Oru/Ogbashu. Every Isuama community in addition to their other divinities always honoured Igwe as the primary divinity over Ala, Igwe being the sky divinity.
Okechi Nnoha brought his kindred and children to settle over their new lands and they became Umunoha (Umu nnoha). himself and his descendants expanded the shrine into the popular Igwekala oracle that controlled the entire vicinity of Isuama and beyond. That is how the association between Igwekaala and Amadioha started, the two started being identified with each other and Amadioha began to be seen as the husband of Ala, two cults fused into one, prior to that the duality has been between Igwe and Ala. At around the same time, Okpo Nwagidi a chief Priest and warrior left Ozuzu to Nkarahia area where he subdued them and founded Isiokpo, he took over the ihu Ali shrine there and used it to unite all the clans today that make up the Ikwerre nationality. As a matter of fact for many years, Isiokpo was the spiritual heart of the ikwerre and the Eze Isiokpo was regarded as the Chief Priest of all the ikwerre, the shrine in question was known as Ali ikwerre, but that’s a history for another day.
The Etche also influenced the founding of another major shrine at Diobu known as the Ojukwu Diobu, Ojukwu is an Oracle popular in the Etche-Ikwerre area, it's a feminine oracle of prophecy. In lay terms, a goddess of prophecy and revelation of truth. People went to Ojukwu to swear or to take oath, it was another major arbitrator of justice after Amadioha. The Aro themselves in turn intorduced the Ojukwu juju back home at Arochukwu and she joined the household pantheon. Other major shrines in Southern Igbo were the Ogbunorie of Ifakala and Amadioha Eziama Ikeduru which exercised influence over the Owerri area. Arioku and Afor-ukwu Enyiogugu, Odu Ekeh of Uzoagba. These were not the only shrines taken over and run by the Aro but there were others, in every village where they domiciled they used this tactics to dominate the shrines or hold the major seats at the native shrines, so they were able to influence or control the religious laws, taboos and practices of the people.
The Aro used the shrines to establish themselves as chief arbitrators and settlers of disputes all over Southern Igbo, as Southern Igbo communities did not have elaborate title taking institutions or secret societies who acted as police, so many arbitrators known as Amadi had to rise up in communities to maintain law and order and adherence to tradition which is why the Amadi name predominates amongst the Southern Igbo today. At the very top of the hierarchy were Nde Amaala/Amaali who were the elders in charge of the deities and traditions of Ala.
The Aro also used these shrines to introduce Ekpo all over Southern Igbo, but one major aspect of these shrines were the igbandu covenant with specific elitist clans or tribes, such as the Owerri group, Oguta and Etche, and the clans that gave them mercenary services (Ohafia, Abam, Edda etc) through igbandu they established slavery pacts with these clans such that their indigenous population would be immune to slavery but would cooperate with them and ensure free flow and passage of slaves through their territories, thus the Isuama bore majority of the brunt of slave trade. And the Owerri man in his contempt for the Isoma (Isuama) ensures a safe and free passage in his territory, in fact, the Aro settlement in Umu Ororonjo was as a result of this pact. It is worth noting that the Aro always married the local women wherever they settled but they did not allow their daughters to marry non Aro men, that was how they had a population boom at the time.
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