Okpe Kingdom History
History of the Okpe Nation
Writing the History of a people colonized for centuries is never an easy undertaking. It is frost in contending postulations regarding the origin and traditions of the people, especially in the absence of reliable written historical facts or the misuse and abuse of oral evidences. The History of Okpe Nation falls within this category of competing hypotheses. While by default it is accepted by all scholars of Okpe History that Prince Igboze is the progenitor of the Okpe Nation, the dating of his migration from Benin Kingdom raises a question of historical relevance. For example, is the foundation of the Okpe Kingdom by his four grandchildren – Princes Orhue, Orhorho, Evbreke, and Esezi – the origin of the History of the Okpe Nation? Put differently, the acceptance of our default argument implies that there were no inhabitants in the present territory of the Okpe Nation before the arrival of the four princely brothers.
There were three main migratory waves from Benin Kingdom to the present territory of Delta Central Senatorial District in the Ogiso period of Benin Monarchy. The first was in the 1170s under the reign of the 1st Oba of Benin, Oba Oronmiyan (1170 – 1200 AD) that saw the settlement of Urhobo in Ughelli and other villages. The second wave was the last Urhobo migration that settled in contemporary Abraka in the 1370s, under the reign of the 10th Oba of Benin, Oba Ogbeka (1370 – 1400 AD).
The migration of Okpe from Benin Kingdom occurred during the reign of the 16th Oba of Benin, Oba Ozolua (1481 – 1504 AD). Oba Ozolua conquered several territories, including Ijebu Ode, Ondo, and towns in contemporary Edo State. For his unprecedented military conquests in Benin History, he earned the appellation “Ozolua, n’ ibaromi” meaning “Ozolua the Conqueror”. He had several sons, including Prince Eze of Aboh, and Prince Igboze that migrated to contemporary Delta Central Senatorial District in 1550, and whose son, Prince Okpe had four princely sons: Orhue, Orhorho, Evbreke, and Esezi. They resided individually and collectively in several villages, moving from Olomu to Okperikpere (Okpe Isoko) and through contemporary Ozoro enroute to Orerokpe. It is instructive to note that, when the Four Princely Brothers, our forefathers founded the Okpe Kingdom with its headquarters in Orerokpe, it was established as an independent ethnic nationality and NOT as a clan or an appendage of any other ethnic nationality. This historical fact underlines the distinct ethnic nationality of the Okpe which was extinguished by the British Colonial Office. (See the section BRITISH COLONIAL POLICY AND THE OKPE NATION below for more details on the distinctiveness of Okpe ethnic nationality).
Let us permit ourselves a little digression by delving into an aspect of historical curiosity vis-à-vis Okpe – Itsekiri affiliations. The 15th Oba of Benin, Oba Olua that reigned from 1473 – 1480, the father of Prince Iginua (Ginuwa), was the senior brother of Prince Okpame who later became the 16th Oba of Benin and assumed the title of Oba Ozolua. (See, https://edoworld.net/Oba_Ozolua.html; [Benin Obas {1200AD -Present} (edoworld.net)]
It is on record that Oba Olua ordered his first son, Prince Iginua, accompanied by a retinue of sons of several palace chiefs, to travel out of the Benin Kingdom in search of a safe haven from the hands of some palace chiefs who he feared wanted to harm his son. (Itsekiri people: Kingdom History and culture of the Iwere | Pulse Nigeria). A huge oak boat was constructed and carried by Prince Iginua’s servants from Benin through the forests to Sapele. Prince Iginua and his entourage traveled on this oak boat from Sapele along the present Ethiope River in search of a safe haven. A respected scholar of Itsekiri history, William A. Moore in his book HISTORY OF ITSEKIRI, published in 1936, provided an interesting information when he averred that:
“Prior to the advent of the Benin Prince Iginuwa, the territory now known as the Kingdom of ITSEKIRI or IWERE, was inhabited by three tribes, namely, Ijaws, Sobos (Urhobos) and the Mahims.”
Prince Iginua and his royal group were constantly on the move in search of safety from the reported expedition by some Benin chiefs searching for him. Thus, Prince Iginua was a fugitive. This constant movement took its toll on him and his entourage. He was exhausted and died in Ijala, where he was buried. The claim that “Iginua became the Olu of the Itsekiris” (Oba of Benin Dynasty (edofolks.com) is historically untenable. For further elucidation, see “AN INQUIRY INTO OKPE HISTORY”, published in OKPE PEOPLE’S FORUM, WhatsApp Platform, October 13, 2022.
Our digression raises a fundamental challenge that begs for an in-depth historical and archeological analysis. Since Prince Igboze was said to have migrated to contemporary Delta Central Senatorial District in 1550, that is 70 years after the passing of his uncle, Oba Olua, and 46 years after the passing of his father, Oba Ozolua, we are compelled to speculate on the likely year that his cousin, Prince Iginua and his roving royal oak boat sailed from Sapele. Is it out of the range of conjecture to say that Prince Iginua was born around 1450 and was forced to migrate from Benin in 1478 at 28 years old? If we accept this conjecture, and further suggest that Prince Iginua and his entourage sailed from Sapele in 1506 and traveled through the territory that “was inhabited by three tribes, namely, Ijaws, Sobos (Urhobos) and the Mahims”, as opined by William A. Moore above, it implies that there were inhabitants in Sapele and surrounding villages of contemporary Okpe Kingdom, long before the appearance of Prince Igboze in the region. Bearing in mind that “Sobo” (“Urhobo”) was the appellation imposed on the Okpe and Isoko by the British colonial office. This suggests a gap in the historiography of the Okpe Nation which Okpe Union is addressing via its scholarship awards to some Okpe undergraduates.
GENEAOLOGY OF THE OKPE PEOPLE
The uniqueness of the Okpe Nation is that each Okpe national is a descendant of one or two ruling houses of the Okpe Kingdom: Orhue, Orhoro, Evbreke, and Esezi. Thus, the Okpe ethnicity satisfies all the properties of statehood and nationality as the nationals share the same common ancestry as depicted above, the same language, culture, and traditions. The Okpe Kingdom has a clearly defined territory under a single monarchy and a permanent population of Okpe ethnicity. In fact, Okpe is one of the few ethnic nationalities in Nigeria that possess these clearly defined properties. The others are, inter alia, in alphabetical order, Benin, Nupe, and Itsekiri, etc.
In terms of its territory, Okpe Nation’s land mass of 1,014.3 square kilometers, is larger than Andorra (468 square kilometers), Malta (316 square kilometers), and Liechtenstein (160 square kilometers) put together.
Population comparison of these four nations.
| Okpe Nation(2016) | Andorra (2022) | Malta (2022) | Liechetenstein (2023) |
| 416,800. This figure excludes Okpe nationals residing outside Okpe territory in other locations in Nigeria and in the Diaspora. For example, it is estimated that Okpe nationals residing in Uvwie LGA exceed the Okpe in Sapele LGA. Furthermore, two Okpe villages, Ohore 1 and Ohore 2 are incorrectly grouped in Uvwie LGA. | 79,824, 000 | 533,286 | 38,435 |
The choice of the first Orodje of Okpe Kingdom was a marked deviation from the Benin tradition where the first son is crown king. In choosing the first Orodje of Okpe, the four Brothers settled on the youngest via a unique democratic formula. The eldest, Prince Orhue was too old and proposed that the youngest, Esezi ascend the Throne. This was because the two middle brothers, Orhorho and Evbreke were too quarrelsome. By this process of elimination, the youngest brother was adjudged suitable to be the first Orodje of Okpe. However, in a unique display of a novel democratic practice, the brothers decided to crown their youngest brother, who ascended the Throne as Esezi I, the first Orodje of Okpe Kingdom. It was a democratic experiment in contradiction to the absolute monarchical system of the Benin Kingdom. The four princely Brothers all agreed that the Orodjeship would rotate among the four Ruling Houses.
However, due to his dictatorial rule, Esezi I was assassinated in 1779 and the kingdom was thrown into chaos and civil unrest. While on his death bed he allegedly cursed that the Okpe will never be peaceful under an indigenous king. It was not until 1945 that the next Orodje of Okpe was installed. Though the enthusiasm that ushered in Esezi l as the first Orodje of Okpe was short-lived, and the Okpe Kingdom plunged into a prolonged interregnum of almost 166 years, it is a remarkable feat of the Okpe spirit that, irrespective of this long period, the four founding ruling houses of the Okpe Kingdom did not fragment into separate kingdoms. The proud salutation of Okpe Agbamueni succinctly describes this period of Okpe History.
The migration from Orerokpe to the founding of villages and towns in the Okpe Kingdom was accelerated. It is remarkable to note that they maintained their territorial sovereignty, internal cohesion, and unity of the Okpe Nation through mainly intermittent central gerontocracy in sustaining a central leadership Council, the Udogun Okpe which is made up of chiefs drawn from various districts of Okpe.
During the interregnum Okpe was a republican polity. But beneath the surface of republicanism was a strong desire to restore the Okpe monarchy. Thus, when the Okpe Union (established in 1930) initiated the process of restoring the Okpe monarchy, the notion met with favourable reception among a cross section of the population, though some elders were fearful that a new Orodje would be as dictatorial as Esezi I. This fear informed the thinking of those elders who were a bit reluctant to endorse the position of the Okpe Union. However, this opposition changed in 1942, and a new Orodje was subsequently installed in 1945.
MAP OF OKPE, DELTA STATE, NIGERIA
The above map clearly delineates the boundaries of Okpe Nation with her neighbours, while the blue line indicates the boundary between Sapele Local Government Area and Okpe Local Government Area, the two local government areas in Okpe Nation. The boundary between Okpe and Itsekiri is the Benin River towards the Ethiope River down to the Benin Creek (known as the Hole in the Wall Creek). This Hole in the Wall Creek runs through Ugbukurusu, Elume up to Ughoton/Ugbokodo boundary with Omadino in Warri South.
On the east, the boundary between Okpe and Urhobo is the Ethiope River with Mosogar and Jesse on the East-Southern flank, and Oghara on the East-Northern flank. The land boundary between Okpe and Urhobo on the East, is between Aghalokpe and Okpara (Agbon Clan) of Ethiope East LGA. On the Southern flank the boundary is at Erere Creek near Effurun Roundabout in Uvwie Local Government Area. Lastly on the South-Eastern flank, the boundary between Okpe and Urhobo is the Okuokoko-Agbarho bridge on the East-West Road (Effurun Ughelli Express Road).
British Colonial Policy And The Okpe Nation
We all know how the British, for their selfish administrative convenience fused diverse ethnic nationalities into one. This British policy gave rise to the falsity of classifying Okpe as a clan of Urhobo. Most contemporary Okpe were born and raised in this falsity.
According to R. E. Bradbury, a renowned British scholar, (The Benin Kingdom and the Edo-Speaking Peoples of South-Western Nigeria, 1970, p.128) the classification of Okpe among the Urhobo was influenced by geographic contiguity and the expediency of British colonial administration “rather than a linguistic basis.” He concluded that “Okpe is …closer to the Edo of the Benin Kingdom than are the Urhobo dialects proper”.In the 1930s the Okpe was placed in “Western Urhobo” and the Isoko in “Eastern Urhobo.” By administering the Okpe under the Urhobo umbrella, the British set in motion a process that led to the gradual but a systematic attempt to deny Okpe ethnicity which was erroneously subsumed under the Urhobo. Over time, this grave error of British colonialism assumed a “truth” of its own as the outside world and several Okpe began to refer to the Okpe as “Urhobo.” This falsity was inherited by post-colonial Nigerian governments. A similar fate befell the Isoko of “Eastern Urhobo.” However, unlike the Okpe, their western counterpart, the Isokos were able to extricate themselves from the Urhobo appellation and restored their independence as a distinct ethnic nationality.
Notwithstanding the long years of interregnum, and the attempts by some powerful leaders to establish mini kingdoms, the Okpe people remained together as a Nation, thus giving significance to the slogan “Okpe Agbamua eni” (the unity of Okpe is stronger than an Elephant). The establishment of the Okpe Union on May 16, 1930, in Lagos, galvanized the Okpe people into greater resolve. The Okpe Union, the oldest ethnic organization of Delta State, and in Nigeria, became the mouth piece of the Okpe Nation and a defender of Okpe Identity. It championed the fight for the restoration of the Okpe Monarchy and succeeded in doing so when the British colonial regime approved the coronation of the second Orodje of Okpe Kingdom, Esezi II on January 1, 1945. Though the monarchy was to rotate among the four ruling houses, it was however decided by the Ruling Houses that a prince from the Esezi Ruling house be crowned the Orodje, as a way of appeasing the gods for the curse placed on Okpe Kingdom by Esezi l.
Even though the Okpe succeeded in resuscitating the Okpe Monarchy, the struggle for the reinstatement and recognition of its distinct ethnic nationality is an ongoing task that the Okpe Union is spear-heading in collaboration with other Okpe organizations in the sensitization of the population and the Government of Delta State. This struggle is between two contending forces in their respective interpretations of Okpe History. The first group maintains that Okpe is an independent ethnic nationality and not an appendage or a clan of any other ethnic nationality. (See, for example, Rev. Dr. Charles E. Osume, The Okpe People, 2006; HRM Orhue l, LL.M., CFR, mni., Orodje of Okpe Kingdom, Tradition and Governance in the Okpe Kingdom: A Keynote Address Delivered on September 1, 2007 AT THE 3RD ANNUAL CONVENTION OF THE OKPE UNION OF NORTH AMERICA HELD AT MARRIOTT HOTEL, COLLEGE PARK, MARYLAND, MD. USA AUGUST 31 – SEPTEMBER 03, 2007; Kingsley Ehensiri Akpederin, Okpe Identity and Development in the 21st Century, 2017; O. Igho Natufe, “Spearheading Okpe Leadership in Delta State”, A Keynote Address delivered on May 26, 2012 at the 7th Annual General Meeting & Conference, Okpe Union of North America, Held at Detroit Marriott Southfield, Southfield, Michigan, USA, May 25 – 27, 2012; “Okpe Identity and Traditional Rulership: An Analysis”, in various social media, August 21, 2021; “Who Is Afraid Of Okpe Identity”? in OKPE PEOPLE’S FORUM, WhatsApp, September 11, 2021). Opposed to this view is a group that believes that Okpe is a clan of the Urhobo. (See, Otite, Onigu. Autonomy and Dependence: The Urhobo Kingdom of Okpe in Modern Nigeria, 1973: Joseph Asagba, The Untold Story of a Nigerian Royal Family. The Urhobo Ruling Clan of the Okpe Kingdom, 2005.)
It is instructive to note the Keynote Address at the 3rd AGM of the Okpe Union of North America referenced above, where the Orodje of Okpe Kingdom succinctly declared:
“Okpe is a unique ethnic nationality. It has distinctive roots in ancient history, tradition, culture, customs and language.”
He added:
“Our people are rooted in migration from the Bini Kingdom. This historical experience is similar to most other ethnic nationalities of the Western Niger Delta. Of all these nationalities however, Okpe History, language, tradition, and culture are closer to those of Bini which form part of the Edo group of languages.”
Regarding the wrongful excision of Okpe territory from the Okpe Kingdom, HRM Orhue l was very categorical in expressing the position of the Okpe on this issue. He averred:
“Let me also mention briefly that although the Okpe Kingdom covers the two local government areas of Sapele and Okpe, our people and communities are located in towns and villages presently and wrongly included in some neighbouring local government areas, for example, Ohorhe in Uvwie Local Government”.
For the full text of the Orodje’s Keynote Address, see the Culture & Marriage section of this website.
For more than seven decades, there has been a growing realization among leading Okpe personalities to follow the Isoko example. Okakuro James Goodluck Eguegu (of Blessed memory) represented this tendency. Two subjective factors seem to conspire against this legitimate proposition. First, the Urhobo argue that Okpe will be weakening the Urhobo nation if they emulate the Isoko. Second, some Okpe, after being assimilated into the Urhobo fabric as a consequence of flawed colonial policy, seemed conditioned to accept Urhobo as their nationality. Both viewpoints are based on weak argumentations. To endorse either is to condone the denial of Okpe nationality. And to suggest that by upholding their nationality the Okpe will weaken the Urhobo nation, we are invited to accept the lie that Okpe is Urhobo. On the contrary, the extrication of Okpe from Urhobo will strengthen the independence of both ethnic nationalities. They each need to re-define their respective identities.
It is instructive to note that, in its study, Udogun Okpe stated emphatically that
“Okpe is indubitably known to be a distinct and autonomous Kingdom, an ethnic entity from its beginning. The people and their language are distinct and are named after their progenitor, Okpe, whose four sons founded the present day Okpe Kingdom”. (Udogun-Okpe, THE OKPE PEOPLE OF DELTA CENTRAL SENATORIAL DISTRICT, DELTA STATE, NIGERIA, 2020, p. 2)
Irrespective of this powerful statement that corresponds with the position of the Okpe Union, it is baffling that the traditional and political leaders of Okpe Kingdom publicly declare at the same time that Okpe is a “clan”, a “sub-unit” in the “Federated Urhobo Kingdom”.
The Okpe language is very different from the Urhobo, just as the Urhobo is different from the Itsekiri, and the Itsekiri is different from the Isoko; even though they may all trace their respective origins to Benin Kingdom. However, due to their proximity and century-old relationships, it is normal to find commonalities between all these diverse ethnic groups. At the same time, it must be stressed that, the cosmological bond that binds an Okpe to a fellow Okpe is not the same that binds the Urhobo people. For example, when an Okpe addresses another Okpe as “omizu me,” the salutation carries a more profound sociological and historical significance than the Urhobo’s “omoni.” By addressing an Okpe as “omizu me,” the speaker is evoking a deep spiritual bond with his/her fellow Okpe citizen that underlines their common ancestry as the children of Okpe. This is absent in the Urhobo, for example.
Besides the linguistic uniqueness of Okpe vis-à-vis the Urhobo, for example, the Okpe Kingdom is one of the only two kingdoms with defined ethnic boundaries in Delta State with a singular King. The other is the Itsekiri kingdom. All other ethnic groups, including the Urhobo, have multiple kingdoms which underline their different origins and histories. That the Okpe and the Urhobo belong to the same Edoid linguistic grouping does not make Okpe an Urhobo or vice versa.
The narrative that we grew from the children of Prince Okpe is inviting but, it seems not definitive. Are we saying that the entire territory of 1,014.3 sq. km Okpeland was uninhabited before the arrival of princes Orhue, Orhorho, Evbreke and Esezi? It is our conjecture that there were people habiting the present territory of Okpeland whose language was dominant in the area. To disregard this will be anti-History. Given that Prince Eze of Aboh was a brother of Prince Igboze, we can postulate that they both spoke the same language while in Benin Kingdom. But the spoken language in Aboh is markedly different from his Bini language. The same is true with Prince Igboze.
Following the passing of Prince Igboze in Olomu, according to HRM Orhue l, Prince Okpe and his four sons and relatives left Olomu to “found another settlement called Okpe r’Ikpere (Okpe Isoko) in present day Isoko territory”. Later Princes Orhue, Evbreke and Esezi migrated “from Okpe r’Ikpere (Okpe Isoko) and finally founded and settled at Orerokpe”, while Prince Orhorho, “who had stayed behind during the last stage of migration, moved northwards and founded a settlement called Orhorho in Isoko territory now known as Ozoro. Orhorho subsequently joined his other brothers later in Orerokpe”.
It is vital that we interrogate the existence of two Okpe “nationalities”: one in contemporary Akoko Edo in Edo State, and our Okpe located in Delta State. There is a fascinating ancestral relationship between both. Before he ascended the throne as the Oba of Benin and assumed the name Oba Ozolua, he was Prince Okpame living in exile in Ora. According to the renowned Benin Historian, Jacob U. Egharevbe, the Okpe Chiefdom in Akoko Edo “was founded by one of Oba Ozolua’s sons”. The Chiefdom is headed by an Olokpe of Okpe. ( The History of Okpe people Akoko Edo , Edo state (edoworld.net) ) Oba Ozolua had many sons, including the Alani of Idoani, Olokpe of Okpe in Akoko Edo, Uguan of Ora, Owa of Owo, Awojale of Ijebu-Ode and Eze of Aboh, all of whom were brothers of Prince Igboze the father of Prince Okpe and the progenitor of Okpe Kingdom. (Oba Ozolua (edoworld.net) Prince Okpe was born in Okpe Chiefdom in Akoko Edo, hence he was named Okpe. His uncle was the founder of Okpe Chiefdom. Which language were Oba Ozolua’s children and grand- children speaking before they migrated from Benin Kingdom to establish their respective kingdoms? This question is vital because of the differences in spoken language in, for example, contemporary Owo, Ora, Aboh, and Okpe Kingdom.
This is a critical question that Okpe scholars must grapple with in their research. In the meantime, our theory is that the four sons of Prince Okpe, Orhue, Orhorho, Evbreke and Esezi settled in Okpeland already inhabited by indigenous peoples that were Okpenized. The territory could not have been uninhabited. Therefore, it is highly probable that Princes Orhue, Orhorho, Evbreke and Esezi named the Kingdom in honour of their father, Prince Okpe, while they adopted the language of the indigenous peoples, in return for which the latter accepted the suzerainty of Okpe Kingdom. This theory is buttressed by the findings of William A. Moore above that Prince Iginua and his entourage traveled through the territory that “was inhabited by three tribes, namely, Ijaws, Sobos (Urhobos) and the Mahims”, long before his first cousin, Prince Igboze arrived in the present Delta Senatorial District.
Furthermore, it is premature, in our view; to conclude that “Okpe is an ancient Kingdom, which has existed before the Birth of Christ” as argued by Udogun-Okpe (THE OKPE PEOPLE OF DELTA CENTRAL SENATORIAL DISTRICT, DELTA STATE, NIGERIA, 2020, p.3). Similarly, the postulation that refers to Egypt as the origin of Okpe is a mere conjuncture that lacks any historical, cultural and anthropological bases. To equate MENA of Egypt to the word MENA in Okpe as a basis of arguing that “Okpe has its origin traceable to ancient Egypt” (THE OKPE PEOPLE OF DELTA CENTRAL SENATORIAL DISTRICT, DELTA STATE, NIGERIA, 2020, p.3) is a very poor and lazy analytical construct in establishing a correlation between Historical facts. Names and words of the same or similar spellings have different meanings across ethnicities in the same country or in different countries thousands of kilometers apart. Take the name OKORO, for example, which is present in the South East and South-South states of Nigeria. On the basis of this, can we conclude that an Okpe OKORO migrated from an Igbo OKORO or vice-versa? What about Ekpeme in Okpe and Ikpeme in Cross River State? Or Sanco in Okpe and Sancho in Trinidad? Or Osunde in Bini and Sunde in Norway? Or Maduka in South East Nigeria and Madukha in India? Or Edo in Bini and Edo in Japan? In Bini, Edo was a male slave that saved Prince Ogun from being attacked by supporters of Prince Uwaifaikon. Upon his accession to the throne he, Prince Ogun as Oba Ewuare “renamed the city to Edo” (now Benin City) [See, Iro Eweka, Dawn to Dusk, New York, 1998], while in far away Japan, Edo was the ancient capital of the country.
In our view, there is a distinction between the establishment of the Okpe Kingdom and the history of the indigenous peoples that we assume lived in the present territory of Okpe Kingdom.
So far, the Benin Empire narrative of the establishment of Okpe Kingdom seems to offer a direct historical genealogy as shown below.
