THE EMERGENCE AND EFFECTS OF THE MILITANTS IN THE NIGER DELTA REGION
CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION TO NIGER DELTA
The Niger Delta occupies the area enclosed by longitude 50E60 45¢ East of the Greenwich Meridian and latitude 4040¢ and 6010¢ suitable for the riverine people of the province which the Ijaw, the Itsekiri and the Aboh inhabiting what can be roughly described as the western Delta of the Niger. Other people of the province are the Isoko, the Ukwuani and the Urhobo.1 Although by compression with the Ijaw, Itsekiri and Aboh this latter group of peoples can be described as up country peoples the Niger Delta swamps to a large part of the Aboh and Isoko countries as well as to some parts of the Urhobo country. This area is Triangular with its Apek between Ndoni and Aboh, descending eastwards to the Qua Iboe River, at Eket and westwards to the Benin River with the base along the Atlantic coast between and bights of Benin, and Biafra. This geographical definition seems to agree with the view of some other writers who have explained that “East of the Benin Rives lies the delta of the Nigeria land of myriad channels, Greeks and mangrove swamp”. At the seaward faing the delta form a sand ridge high enough for villages of fisherman a salt gatherers. In the upper delta, inland beyond the salt water and mangrove swamps is a region of fresh water swamp with some highland suitable for agriculture. As historical evidence alters to conditions in the delta its self encourage trade between the seaward settlement and the agricultural area of the upper delta and it’s hinterland. By 1500 AD, one of the villages at the lower fringe of the delta was exported to have a population of 2000 people and an active commence through the system of Greeks and lagoons. Similar conditions existed further east, where the estuary of the Cross River again, provided an opportunity to exploit maritime resources and trade these products with the peoples of the hinterland. By 1500. AD, one of the villages at the lower fringe of the delta was reported to have a population of 7000 people and an active commerce through the system of Greeks and lagoons similar conditions existed further east, where the estuary of the Cross River again provided an opportunity to exploit maritime resources and trade these products with the people of the hinterland. In a study of the pre-colonial history of the area, E.J Alagon classifies a specific area of the region as the core, the western and eastern Niger Delta, the geographical basis of the classification is the grouping of the pre-colonial states that lie within the delta of the River Niger. This definition seem acceptable to those who make a distinction between the core the peripheral Niger Delta in the composition of states in present day, Nigeria, they argue that the core Niger Delta states are Rivers, Bayelsa, Delta and some part of Akwa Ibom and Imo States and this excludes Edo and Cross River States. On the other land, some others contend that all the core and peripheral states belong to the Niger Delta in geopolitical teams as the South-South Zone of Nigeria comprising six of Nigeria’s thirty-six states, namely, Akwa-Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross – River, Delta Edo and Rivers. The region fit into the major injustice groups, described instance of their Ijaw, Yoruba,Edo, Igbo and Cross River origin. The Niger Delta province can be divided into zones namely the lower Delta which is the home of the Ijaw, the Itsekiri and the Aboh and the upper Delta inhabited by the Isoko, Urhobo and Ukwuani. The distinguishing features of the former is the dense mangrove vegetation through which meanders a network of Greeks. The latter zone falls within the evergreen forest belt dominated by the oil palm tree. This division of the province into two natural vegetation types has been an important factor in determining the relations between the people of the province, in so far as their occupational pursuits have been determined by their varying natural habitants.
