“When Women Fought An Empire: The Untold Power Of The 1929 Aba Revolt”

By JULIET EKANEM

**The Real Story of the Aba Women’s War (1929): How Nigerian Women Shook the British Empire**

IN 1929, a political earthquake erupted in southeastern Nigeria — one not led by armed men or soldiers, but by thousands of determined, ordinary women. Their uprising, known as the Aba Women’s War, became one of the most significant anti-colonial movements in African history and a turning point in Nigeria’s struggle against British rule.

A Colonial Policy That Sparked a Fire

For years, Igbo women had carried the weight of colonial economic policies. They farmed, traded, produced palm oil, and sustained households — all while navigating a system that disrupted traditional governance and empowered warrant chiefs imposed by the British.

The breaking point came when the colonial administration announced plans to extend direct taxation to women, a policy that ignored the fact that women were already burdened by restrictive market rules and forced labour.

The spark was a confrontation in Oloko: An officer of the native authority reporting to the warrant chief named Mark Emeruwa Okugo ordered a widow, Nwanyeruwa Oleka-Okpo, to “count her property” in preparation for tax assessment. When she protested, he insulted her. Nwanyeruwa fled to the village square, raised the alarm — and history began.

From One Voice to a Movement of Thousands

Within hours, the women of Oloko mobilised.

Within days, the message spread across Aba, Owerri, Umuahia, Bende, Opobo, Ikot Abasi, Andoni, and parts of Calabar Province.

Their communication network — built on market alliances, family ties, palm-leaf signals, and talking drums — moved faster than any colonial channel.

The women did not need weapons.

They had a tool older than colonialism: Ogu Umunwanyi, the traditional women’s protest.

Ogu Umunwanyi: A Weapon of Culture

This unique method involved:

• Singing defiant songs

• Dancing in unifying rhythms

• Surrounding corrupt officials

• Shaming, mocking, and pressuring them until they stepped down

It was political protest woven into cultural performance — and it was remarkably effective.

By December 1929, thousands of women had:

• Pulled down native courts

• Forced warrant chiefs to flee

• Blocked roads and government offices

• Challenged British authority in a coordinated uprising

The colonial system had never seen anything like it.

When the Empire Turned Its Guns on Women

As the protests grew, the British panicked. Rather than negotiate, colonial officers deployed soldiers and police, opening fire on unarmed crowds.

By the time the revolt ended:

• 55 women were killed

• More than 50 were injured

Their blood marked the cost of resistance — but it also marked the beginning of transformation.

The Legacy That Changed Nigeria

The Aba Women’s War forced the colonial government to rethink its policies and power structures. Its impact was immediate and long-lasting:

• The plan to tax women was abolished

• Warrant chiefs lost many of their absolute powers

• Women gained unprecedented political visibility

• Colonial administrative reforms were introduced

Most importantly, the uprising proved that Nigerian women were not passive subjects — they were political actors capable of shaping national history.

The Day Women Defended Their Nation

The 1929 revolt was more than a protest; it was a declaration of agency, unity, and courage. It showed that resistance could be organised without guns, and that women — often overlooked in history — had the power to shake an empire.

Nearly a century later, the Aba Women’s War remains a symbol of collective strength and a reminder that Nigerian women have always been at the forefront of the struggle for justice.

Their voices rose, the empire trembled, and history changed forever.