Political commentator Tonnie Oganah has recounted the fierce resistance put up by his people against British colonial forces during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, noting that the struggle predates the modern concept of Anioma.
Speaking in an interview on TVC News, Oganah said the British first came to attack in 1881, at a time when the Anioma identity had not yet emerged, but Igbo communities were spread across the core Southeast and present-day South-South.
“Before the British came to attack us in 1881, there was nothing like Anioma then we just had Igbos in the core Southeast and in the South-South where I am now. The colonialists came with what is known as the Ekumeku War. It took them 31 years to defeat my people,” Oganah said.
The Ekumeku War was a prolonged resistance movement by Igbo communities, particularly in the Western Igbo areas of present-day Delta State, against British expansion. Waged intermittently between 1883 and 1914, the conflict was marked by guerrilla tactics, coordinated village defenses, and fierce determination to resist foreign domination.
Historians describe the Ekumeku movement as one of the longest and most determined indigenous resistances in Nigeria’s colonial history. The British faced repeated setbacks due to the fighters’ intimate knowledge of the terrain and their united resolve to defend their land and autonomy.
Oganah’s remarks highlight the deep historical roots of the Anioma people’s identity and resilience, linking their present-day quest for statehood to a legacy of resistance and self-determination. He suggested that understanding this history is vital to appreciating the cultural pride and unity driving the push for Anioma State.
