kingdom · West Africa
Kingdom of Aboh
Origins
Aboh was founded, according to tradition, in the 17th or early 18th century by migrants from the area of the Benin Empire, who settled at the point where the Niger divides into the creeks of the delta. Ruled by an Obi in a style influenced by Benin, it grew into the strongest power on the lower river.
Rule and society
The Obi ruled with titled chiefs, and the kingdom commanded fleets of large war and trading canoes. Aboh was a middleman between the hinterland and the coastal states such as the Bonny Kingdom, carrying slaves and later palm oil downstream. Obi Ossai received the explorers Richard and John Lander in 1830 and negotiated with the British Niger Expedition of 1841.
Decline and legacy
British and company steamers in the late 19th century broke the river middlemen, and the Royal Niger Company dominated trade. Aboh was absorbed into the Protectorate of Southern Nigeria by 1900, and the Obi of Aboh continues as a traditional ruler in Delta State.
On the connections map
Open the full map →Connections (1)
- Kingdom of Aboh was a protectorate of Royal Niger Company territories1886 CE – 1900 CE
Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Kingdom of Aboh. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-aboh
- MLA
- “Kingdom of Aboh.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-aboh. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Kingdom of Aboh.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-aboh.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Kingdom of Aboh’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-aboh (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻