Invasion of Indigenous Nikeland by the Igala, Izzi-Okpoto and Aro by Hon. Chief Joseph Agbo Ugwumba: Book Spotlight

About the book

Invasion of Indigenous Nikeland by the Igala, Izzi-Okpoto and Aro: Ugwogo Nike Past, Present and Future (A story of a people swallowed by a Toad) is a history of the Nike community in Enugu East Local Government Area, Enugu State, by Hon. Chief Joseph Agbo Ugwumba.

Vanguard reported that the book rejects the old belief that parts of the Nike community, especially Ugwogo-Nike, were slaves ('Ohu'), and challenges a 1936 thesis by W.R.G. Horton that historians had used to apply that label. In the book, Ugwumba argues that the Ugwogo-Nike people were the original inhabitants of present-day Nike, invaded by outside aggressors who later claimed their land, and he traces their origin to Igbusa in Delta State.

Speaking to journalists in Enugu ahead of the book's presentation, Ugwumba said wars and communal conflicts in parts of Igboland stem from distortions of history and the wrong classification of communities, according to New Telegraph. The book was presented on Saturday, 11 February 2023, at Ugwogo Nike, together with his earlier book on the creation of Enugu East LGA.