The Igala people are an ethnicity located in the region south of the confluence of the Niger and Benue Rivers. They are located in an ecologically diverse region of Nigeria, ideal for farming a wide array of crops, and have been influenced by many surrounding cultures. The Igala kingdom is ruled ceremonially and culturally by the Attah and has a long history of political warfare with neighboring groups along the Benue. Igala people worship the supreme being Ojo, as well as their divine ancestral spirits. Masquerades are an important aspect of Igala art and is prime example of how the kingdom was influenced by neighboring communities. Igala art dating centuries back, also feature in Nigerian body decoration and cultural architecture. Igala are a majority ethnic group in the southern and eastern lands of Kogi State and a major tribe in Kogi state politics. In times past, the Igala have held key state government positions. While the present kingdom has diminished in size, Igala people and their culture have been an integral part of the formation of the communities along the Niger river, with many communities claiming origins from Idah, the ancestral home of the Igala. Minorities of the group exist in Edo.
Location
The Igala Kingdom expanded beyond the present-day boundary. Their homeland, the former Igala Kingdom, is a triangular area of about in the angle formed by the Benue and Niger rivers. The area was formerly known as the Igala Division of Kabba province and is now part of Kogi State. Its capital was Idah, in Kogi state. Igala people are mostly in Kogi state. They can be found in Idah, Igalamela/Odolu, Ajaka, Ofu, Olamaboro, Dekina, Bassa, Ankpa, Omala, Edo, Lokoja, Ibaji, and Ajaokuta Local Government — all in Kogi state.
Geography
The geographical location played an important role in the development of the Igala Kingdom. Igala is situated between the apex of the Niger River and Benue River, with the capital, Idah, on the Niger River. Being located by the two main bodies of water in Nigeria brought an abundance of cultural influence from various communities such as Igbo, Yoruba, Edo, and Jukun. The Igala economy grew from trading, but traditionally, the Igala people valued farming and hunting for their goods. Igala is located across the forested coastal region, and the dry savannah. This diverse ecological setting accommodates crops that require more rainfall (yam, cocoyam, maize, pumpkin, cassava), as well as dry soil crops (millet, guinneacorn, benniseed, and beans). Igala farmers, mostly men, must be strategic with crop locations and the location of cultivar in various ecological locations. The Igala landscape is also conducive to hunting. These animals include buffalo, antelope, and wild pig.
Government
Igala kingdom
The Igala kingdom is ruled by an "Attah", of all of whom Atta Ayegba Oma Idoko and Atta Ameh Oboni are the two most revered. In Igala lore, Oma Idoko is said to have offered his beloved daughter by burying her alive to ensure that Igala won a war of liberation from Jukun dominance. Atta Ameh Oboni is known to have been very brave and resolute because of his stiff resistance against the British and struggle to uphold the ancient traditions of Igala land. He died by suicide in order to forestall the plans of the British, who wanted him deposed and exiled.
Idakwo Micheal Ameh II became the twenty-seventh Attah following the death of his predecessor Attah Alhaji Aliyu Obaje in 2012.
By Igala native law and custom, an Attah newly nominated by the four ruling royal houses ( Aj’Ameacho, Aj’Aku, Aj’Akogu and Aj’Ocholi) is verified by the Igalamela Kingmakers, traditional chiefs of the Igala kingdom.The Igalamela kingmakers are made up of nine chiefs (Etemahi Igalamela, Agbenyo, Onubiogbo, Onede, Aleji, Okweje, Achadu Kekele Ukwaja, Ananya Ata, Achanya Ata) with Etemahi Igalamela as the head of the Kingmakers. The Kingmakers forward the nominated name to the prime minister of the Igala kingdom, known as the Achadu oko-ata, for onward approval by the Kogi State Government.