 The Kingdom of Nri was a religio @-@ polity , a sort of theocratic state , that developed in the central heartland of the Igbo region . The Nri had seven types of taboos which included human ( such as the birth of twins ) , animal ( such as killing or eating of pythons ) , object , temporal , behavioral , speech and place taboos . The rules regarding these taboos were used to educate and govern Nri 's subjects . This meant that , while certain Igbo may have lived under different formal administration , all followers of the Igbo religion had to abide by the rules of the faith and obey its representative on earth , the Eze Nri . 
