Aba Women ' s Riots The Aba Women ' s Riot started in November 1929 , when thousands of Igbo women from the Bende District of Nigeria , the nearby Umuahia and other places in eastern Nigeria traveled to Oloko to protest against the Warrant Chiefs , whom they accused of restricting the role of women in the government . This incident become known as the " Igbo Women ' s War of 1929 " ( or " Ogu Ndem , " Women ' s War , in Igbo ) . It was organized and led by the rural women of Owerri and Calabar provinces . During the events , many Warrant Chiefs were forced to resign and sixteen Native Court s were attacked , most of which were destroyed . Events and causes . The women ' s revolt of 1929 was sparked by a dispute between a woman named Nwanyereuwa and a man , Mark Emereuwa , who was helping to make a census of the people living in the town controlled by the Warrant , Okugo . Nwanyeruwa was of Ngwa ancestry , and had been married in the town of Oloko . In Oloko , the census was related to taxation , and women in the area were worried about who would tax them , especially during the period of hyperinflation in the late 1920s . On the morning of November 18 , Emereuwa arrived at Nwanyereuwa ' s house and approached Nwanyereuwa , since her husband Ojim , had already died . He told the widow to " count her goats , sheep and people . " Since Nwanyereuwa understood this to mean , " How many of these things do you have so we can tax you based on them " , she was angry . She replied by saying " Was your widowed mother counted ? , " meaning " that women don ' t pay tax in traditional Igbo society . " The two exchanged angry words , and Nwanyeruwa went to the town square to discuss the incident with other women who happened to be holding a meeting to discuss the issue of taxing women . Believing they would be taxed , based on Nwanyeruwa ' s account , the Oloko women invited other women ( by sending leaves of palm - oil trees ) from other areas in the Bende District , as well as from Umuahia and Ngwa . They gathered nearly 10 , 000 women who protested at the office of Warrant Chief Okugo , demanding his resignation and calling for a trial . The Oloko Trio . The leaders of the protest in Oloko are known as the Oloko Trio : Ikonnia , Mwannedia and Nwugo . The three were known for their skills in speaking , their intelligence and their passion . When protests became tense , it was often these three who were able to deescalate the situation , preventing violence . However , after two women were killed while blocking colonial roads as a form of protest , the trio was not able to calm the situation there , the police and army were sent to the town . The legacy of Nwanyeruwa . Nwanyereuwa played a major role in keeping the protests non - violent . She was advanced in age compared to many who led the protests . Under her advice , the women protested in song and dance , " sitting " on the Warrant Chiefs until they surrendered their insignia of office and resigned . As the revolt spread , other groups followed this pattern , making the women ' s protest a peaceful one . Other groups came to Nwanyeruwa to get in writing the inspirational results of the protests , which , as Nwanyeruwa saw them , were that , " women will not pay tax till the world ends [ and ] Chiefs were not to exist any more . " Madam Mary Okezie . Madam Mary Okezie ( 1906 – 1999 ) was the first woman from her Igbo clan to gain a Western education , and was teaching at the Anglican Mission School in Umuocham Aba in 1929 when the women ' s revolt broke out . Although she did not participate in the revolt , she was very sympathetic to the women ' s cause . She was the only woman who submitted a memo of grievance to the Aba Commission of Inquiry ( sent in 1930 ) . Today , the major primary source for studying the revolt is the Report of the Aba Commission of Inquiry . After the revolt , Madam Okezie emerged as founder and leader of the Ngwa Women ' s Association and working for the rest of her life to support women ' s rights in Nigeria . " Sitting " . A major tactic in the protest s was what is known as " sitting " . Along with singing and dancing around the houses and offices of the Warrant Chiefs , the women would follow their every move , invading their space and forcing the men to pay attention . The wives of the Warrant Chiefs were often disturbed and they too put pressure on the Warrants to listen to the demands of the women . This tactic of " sitting on the Warrants , " i . e . following them everywhere and anywhere , was very popular with the women in Nigeria , and used to great effect . Results . As a result of the protests , the position of women in society was greatly improved . In some areas , women were able to replace the Warrant Chiefs . Women were also appointed to serve on the Native Courts . After the Women ' s war , women ' s movements were very strong in Ngwaland , many events in the 1930s , 40s and 50s were inspired by the Women ' s War , including the Tax Protests of 1938 , the Oil Mill Protests of the 1940s in Owerri and Calabar Provinces and the Tax Revolt in Aba and Onitsha in 1956 . On two occasions British district officers were called and security forces forced to break up protests . During these occasions , at least 50 women were shot dead and 50 more wounded . The women themselves never seriously injured anybody against whom they were protesting , nor any of the security forces who broke up those protests .