Ebira people
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 900,000 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Languages | |
| Ebira language | |
| Religion | |
| Christianity, Islam and Traditional | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Igala, Nupe, Afemai |
The Ebira or Egbira people are an ethno-linguistic group of central Nigeria. Many Ebira people are from Kogi State, Kwara State, Nasarawa State and Edo State. Okene was said to be the administrative centre of the Ebira-speaking people in Kogi state before kogi was formed from Kwara, not far from the Niger-Benue confluence. Since the formation of the state, the Ebira Ta'o people are found in four local governments namely: Adavi, Ajaokuta, Okehi and Okene each with their administration headquarter. Ebira Koto are found in Kogi and KotonKarfe LGA Bassa LGA,lokoja in Kogi and Abaji LGA in the Federal Capital Territory,And Nasarawa in Toto LGA Another, the Eganyi are found in Ajaokuta LGA.And the Etuno can be found in Igarra town of Akoko-Edo LGA, Edo state
In recent history, Ebira people inhabit a territory south-west of the confluence of the Niger and Benue Rivers though some Ebira communities also reside north-east of the confluence, the territory surrounding the confluence is an ethnically diverse area with diffused cultural symbols. Ebiraland is north of Etsako, east of Kabba and west of Igalaland, it is dominated by deciduous woodland and rocky hills of an open Savannah vegetation.
The major towns are Adavi, Koton-Karfi, Okehi and Okenne. Since the advent of colonialism, many Ebiras have moved southwards due to search for arable farming spaces and working as migrant farmers.
The migration of Ebira people to the present region is mostly surmised by oral history. However, most versions trace the migration from the Jukuns of the Kwararafa state, north of the Benue River and in present day Taraba State. One of the relics of their trace from Kwararafa is the Apete stool, their symbol of authority and identity as a group within the kingdom, brought along and kept in a place in Opete (deriving it's name from the stool), in present day Ajaokuta. The Apete is presently, the title instrument of Ozumi of Okene. After migration from Kwararafa, they originally settled with the Igalas and both groups lived together for about 300 years. A dispute between the two groups led to a parting of ways and the Ebiras moved Southwest of the River Niger to their ancestral home called Ebira Opete an area around Ajaokuta. Other groups later moved south to found Okengwe, Uboro and Okehi. Historically, these Ebiras communities were autonomous units without a central king or recognized royal families but were managed by leaders of lineages in a type of .
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