About 1.5 million Igbo slaves were shipped across the Atlantic Ocean
between the 15th and 19th Centuries – to what was then called the New
World – the Americans – through the Calabar port, in the Bight of Bonny,
making it one of the largest points of exit during the transatlantic trade
The Aro Confederacy, an Igbo trading network, became a dominant force in
the slave trade throughout southeastern Nigeria during the 18th and 19th
centuries. Using their influence and the powerful Ibini Ukpabi oracle, the
Aro transported kidnapped victims and captives from inland areas to
coastal ports like Calabar and Bonny.
In addition to warfare, people were often captured through kidnapping,
raids, and judicial pronouncements by the Arochukwu oracle. Some
individuals were even sold by their own families, such as disgraced
relatives.
Many enslaved Igbo people were known for being rebellious. A particularly
powerful act of resistance occurred in 1803 at Igbo Landing in Georgia,
USA, where an estimated 75 captive Igbo people walked into the wate