Ebira

According to oral tradition, the Ebira came from Wukari, now in Taraba State, and were part of the union of peoples called Kwararafa. The Ebira Tao recount that Itaazi, regarded as the father of the group, led them to their present territory after they crossed the Niger River, and that they settled in Opete.

Before colonization, there was no central government. Each clan and age group governed itself, and the oldest man in the clan had little authority, almost entirely limited to his own family. Clans consisted of families related by blood through the father’s line. Colonization forced a change in this system of government.

Almost every family works the land. The Ebira grow yams, cassava, corn, rice and vegetables, and fishing and hunting supplemented their livelihoods. From the early nineteenth century, the Okengwe district specialized in sesame, which it traded for peanuts from neighboring communities to the north.

Weaving is women’s work. Today they buy machine-made yarn and prepare it with a corn starch paste, called eko, or a cassava starch paste, mixed with water. The yarn then dries in the sun to strengthen it so it can withstand the tension of the loom.

Islam is the religion of the majority, and Christians are a minority. The traditional religion recognizes Ohomorihi as the supreme being, alongside spirits and deceased relatives who are believed to influence daily life.

Many old traditions remain alive among Muslims. One study says that today it is mainly Muslims who take part in masquerade festivals, because they believe that keeping the practices of their elders honors those who have died. The Eku, the mask, was the community’s link with the dead. At the Ekuechi festival, which marks the turn of the year, the dead were believed to return as Eku to advise the living.

The New Testament in Ebira came out in 1981, and the complete Bible, called IWE ỌNỊNỊ, was published in 2014. It can be read online and through a mobile phone app.

For an Ebira Muslim, following Jesus affects the family. In a 2025 study, the author reports that most Ebira Muslims do not like to see a relative leave Islam, but that even so they say they maintain good family relationships. Those who become Christians therefore tend to remain very close to their families, and the decision weighs on the whole household.

Ebira Christians need discipleship materials, biblical training and mature leaders to help them grow in faith. Those who teach need to know the language, culture and Muslim background of the people. At the Echene festivals, between April and June, masked participants walk through the streets carrying large sticks, and people are now being injured; the study says this needs to be addressed.

A 2025 study, written by an Islamic studies researcher at a college in Okene, records that Christianity has grown visibly in Ebira land over the past thirty years and that an increasing number of Ebira Muslims have left Islam for Christianity.