Ohafia | |
---|---|
LGA and Town | |
Coordinates: 5°37′N 7°50′E / 5.617°N 7.833°E | |
Country | Nigeria |
State | Abia State |
Population (2022)[1] | |
• Total | 358,200 |
• Ethnicities | Igbo |
Time zone | UTC+1 (WAT) |
Postcode | 442 |
Ohafia is an Igbo town in the Ohafia local government area (LGA) in Abia State, Nigeria.[2][3] It is an Igbo speaking region. The ancestral capital of Ohafia town is the centrally located village of Elu. Ohafia Local Government Area, is an administrative jurisdiction assigned by the Nigeria Government, which covers the entire Ohafia villages and other towns such as Abiriba and Nkporo, with its Administrative Headquarters at Ebem Ohafia.[4]
The ancestors of the Ohafia people were renowned as mighty warriors.[4][5] This aspect of the Ohafia peoples' history remains fundamental to the Ohafia people's sense of identity. The knitted warrior's cap or "leopard cap" (Igbo: Okpu agu)[4] is well known and is an associated product of Ohafia. The Ohafia warrior tradition is embodied in the performance of iri agha.[4]
Ohafia is home to the third largest military base in Nigeria, named Goodluck Jonathan Barracks after Nigeria's former President - Goodluck Jonathan. It houses the headquarters of the newly established 14 Brigade and 145 Battalion office complex of the Nigerian Army.
Ohafia encompasses twenty-six villages with population strength ranging between 300,000 and 400,000 as of 2022. And it is at a distance of 50.1 km away from the Capital city Umuahia in Abia State. The villages in Ohafia are Elu, Ibina (Ihenta), Nde Okala, Nde Anyaorie, Amuma, Amaekpu, Ebem, Nde Amogu, Okagwe, Nde Uduma Ukwu, Oboro, Nde Nku, Nkwebi, Amuke, Asaga, Ndi Uduma Awoke, Amankwu, Nde Ibe, Nde Orieke, Okon-aku, Amangwu, Ufiele, Eziafor, Abia, Akanu, Isiugwu.[6]