Ijaw People

Ijaw People

Ijaw (also known by the subgroups "Ijo" or "Izon") are a collection of peoples indigenous mostly to the forest regions of the Bayelsa, Delta, and Rivers States within the Niger Delta in Nigeria. Some are resident in Akwa-Ibom, Edo, and Ondo states also in Nigeria. Many are found as migrant fishermen in camps as far west as Sierra Leone and as far east as Gabon along the Western Africa coastline.

The Ijo people number about an estimated 15 million. They have long lived in locations near many sea trade routes, and they were well connected to other areas by trade as early as the 15th century. The current President of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan, is an Ijaw.

Read more about Ijaw People:  Language, Origin, Tribes, Traditional Occupations, Lifestyle, Religion and Cultural Practices, Food Customs, Ethnic Identity, Ijaw-Itsekiri Conflicts, Oil Conflict, Ijaw Organizations

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