The fragmented nature of the Igbo pre-colonial political system qualified it to be described as

1. Analyze the question The question asks for the term that describes the Igbo pre-colonial political system, which was fragmented, with no single central ruler.

2. Explain the concept Pre-colonial Nigerian societies had two broad types of political systems:

• Centralised systems (e.g. Hausa-Fulani emirates, Yoruba kingdoms, Benin Kingdom): a king, emir, or Oba had supreme authority, with a hierarchy of chiefs and officials beneath him.
• Non-centralised or acephalous systems (e.g. the Igbo, Tiv, Ibibio): "acephalous" comes from the Greek a (without) and kephale (head), meaning "headless" or "without a head." Power was spread among many units such as villages, kindreds, age grades, title-holders, and village assemblies. There was no single ruler over the whole Igbo land.

3. Solution, step by step

• Fragmented, with independent villages and village groups → there is no central authority.
• Decisions were made by the council of elders (Ndichie), the Ohanaeze (village assembly), age grades, secret societies (e.g. Ogbu-ni-ofu, Ekpe), and the Umunna (kinship group).
• Evaluating the options: • A. Centralised: wrong, this is the opposite of the Igbo system. • B. Ceremonial political arrangement: wrong, it describes a figurehead role, not the Igbo structure. • C. Acephalous: correct, it means a society without a single head or ruler. • D. Republican system: wrong, this is a modern concept of elected representatives, and it is not the technical term for the Igbo pre-colonial setup.

4. Answer C. acephalous in nature

5. Exam tip Remember: "A-cephalous = A-head-less." If a JAMB question mentions fragmented, stateless, decentralised, or no king, think acephalous. Likewise, the Igbo, Tiv, and Idoma are classic examples, while Hausa-Fulani, Yoruba, and Benin are classic examples of centralised states.