Ibi is a town and administrative district in Taraba State, Nigeria. The town is located on the south bank of the

Benue River The Benue River (french: la Bénoué), previously known as the Chadda River or Tchadda, is the major tributary of the Niger River. The river is approximately long and is almost entirely navigable during the summer months. The size of its bas ...

, opposite the influx of the much smaller Shemankar River. Both the Taraba River and the

Donga River The Donga River is a river in Nigeria and Cameroon. The river arises from the Mambilla Plateau in Eastern Nigeria, forms part of the international border between Nigeria and Cameroon, and flows northwest to eventually merge with the Benue River in ...

flow into the Benue within the LGA. Ibi is one of the sixteen

local government areas A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a state, province, division, or territory. The phrase i ...

of Taraba State, and is governed by an elected chairman.

History

Ibi is located where the traditional land trade route of eastern

Igboland Igboland (Standard ), also known as Southeastern Nigeria (but extends into South-Southern Nigeria), is the indigenous homeland of the Igbo people. It is a cultural and common linguistic region in southern Nigeria. Geographically, it is divided b ...

crossed the river trade route of the Benue River. it is home to the Jukun people who are predominantly Farmers and fishermen (especially those along the river bank) (up river). . By 1899 the Niger Company established a trading station at Ibi, and by 1901 telegraph service to

Lokoja Lokoja is a city in Nigeria. It lies at the confluence of the Niger and Benue rivers and is the capital city of Kogi State. While the Yoruba (Oworo), Bassa Nge and Nupe are indigenous to the area, other ethnic groups of Nigeria, including the ...

had been established.Arnott, D. W. (1958) "Councils and Courts among the Tiv--Traditional Concepts and Alien Institutions in a Non-Moslem Tribe of Northern Nigeria" ''Journal of African Law'' 2(1): pp. 19-25, p. 19 The British took control in 1900 and established Ibi as the administrative headquarters of western Muri. As cotton was one of the major crops of the area, steam powered cotton gins were established in Ibi in the early 1920s.Duggan, E. de C. (1922) "The Cotton Growing Industry of Nigeria" ''African Affairs'' 21(83): pp. 199-207, p. 203

Climate

Notes

{{Taraba State Local Government Areas in Taraba State Benue River