Located within the heartland of the Igbo ethnic group of South-East Nigeria, Abba is in Nwangele Local Government Area of Imo State.
In colonial times, Abba was under Okigwe District but in 1947 the town was transferred to Orlu District.
Abba later became part of the Nwangele Division of Orlu Province, Eastern Region, and with the creation of Imo State was under Nkwerre – Isu Local Government Area.
When Nkwerre-Isu split, Abba was in Nkwerre Local Government Area and in 1996, Abba became part of Nwangele Local Government Area.
Before its delineation into four autonomous communities, Abba comprised four main villages: Umuokwara, Umudurunna, Ekitiafor and Ogwuaga.These four villages are collectively known as Abba Ama Ano.
With boundaries in the east with Dikenafai and Okwelle, in the west;Isu and Umuozu, in the North; Owerri-Nkwoji and Umudi, and in the south with Umunachi and Eziama, Abba has a table land with arable soil that supports diverse crops – tubers, vegetables, fruit and other economic trees.
There are no rivers in Abba, but in olden times, there were many streams and tributaries, including Mmiri Ebu, Okware-eleke, Nwodei, Iyieke, Iyiafor, Mmiri-ukwu-ugiri, Obor, Otakwu, Nwankpi, IyiUmuoma, and Iyi-Umuoke-Umudi.