top of page
The Clans.
Ekpeye was the first of the three sons of Akalaka who migrated from Benin Kingdom in the 15th Century. He was born in Benin (Edo) and married a Benin girl called Iyavaeme. He lived permanently at their last settlement (Olube) now called Ula-Ubie.
At Ulobe, his wife bore him four male children namely Ubie, Akoh, Okobo and Upata. As the first son of a great general, Ubie was brought up also as a warrior, a brave hunter, a notorious herbalist, a farmer, a trader, a juju priest and all other attributes of a great man. He was the Nye-so-eja-eleof Ulobe and the chief priest of his father, Akalaka shrine Ogbolo now Ogbolo-Imaji brought from Benin. He conquered many tribal wars including the Ikpachors and drove them away from the land now called Ekpeye land.
​The children spread themselves through the length and breathe of the land between Orashi and Sombriero rivers. Ekpeye had to his credit seventy-six towns and villages.
Ubie Clan.
Ubie was the first son of Ekpeye. He was the spiritual head of the land. He took over the leadership and the administration after his father's death. Ubie was the chief priest of Ogbolo shrine. He was a great medicine man, a brave hunter, a farmer, a trader and a warrior. He had four sons namely, Esu, Opia, Akwa and Ihu. His children did the services of the Owos, insignias of the ancestors on behalf of the families of Ekpeye land.
The towns and villages of Ubie are Ula-Ubie (the head village of Ekpeye) Ubeta (the administrative centre), Odiereke, Ikodu-Ekpeye, Odioku, Ubarama, Ubio, Anwunugboko, Ihuechi, Oyigba, Ogoda, Egbe, Ombor, Oshiebele, Olokuma, Owube, Ebiriba1, Ebiriba2, Ihuakpa and Odido.
Akoh Clan.
Akoh was the second son of Ekpeye. He lived at Ula-Ehuda as his place of settlement but later moved to the site of his shrine called Ugbokor Akoh near Odiomisama village. He was a brave hunter, a trader, a farmer, and a great medicine man.
He named his first son after his place of domicile Ehueda (Ahoada), and founded the waterside at the bank of Sombriero River which was developed as a fort against invasion. The position of the place attracted trade with the new Calabar. It became the seat of the Colonial Government after the Ekpeye/British war of 1900.
Akoh was the second son of Ekpeye. He lived at Ula-Ehuda as his place of settlement but later moved to the site of his shrine called Ugbokor Akoh near Odiomisama village. He was a brave hunter, a trader, a farmer, and a great medicine man. He named his first son after his place of domicile Ehueda (Ahoada), and founded the waterside at the bank of Sombriero River which was developed as a fort against invasion. The position of the place attracted trade with the new Calabar. It became the seat of the Colonial Government after the Ekpeye/British war of 1900. Towns and villages of Akoh are; Ula-Ehuda ( the head village), Ahoada now an entity of its own, Ogbo, Abarikpo, Ihuajie, Ihugbogo, Odiemerenyi, Odiemudie, Odiemisama, Odieke, Ekpena, Odiaje, Eligbo, and Ukperemini.
Igbuduya Clan.
Okobo was the third son of Ekpeye. He was named after the box of medicine and charms of his father. He was a brave hunter, a fisherman, a medicine man, a farmer and trader. He moved southward from Ula-Ube into the forest and swamps of the eastern bank of Orashi River.
He made a hunting camp in the forest of the place and tracing the viability of the area during his hunting expedition, he planted medicine and charms at the camp to pacify the goddess of the area. There was what is now called Ugboko-Okobo (Okobo shrine), the position of the present Ulo-Okobo 2. Because of the mysteries of the spirits of the gods at the shrine, he moved a bit further to where Ula-Okobo1 is now situated. As time went on, some of his children moved to the site of the shrine, the former settlement of Okobo now called Ula-Okobo2.
He had many children; he named the first son Adhime-gbe Obu meaning hope. Ugbeobu, a brave hunter like his father went on hunting expeditions. He discovered many lakes and fish swamps. As a fisherman, he decided to settle at the area and prepared medicine in a clay pot called Idu and buried it in that forest to pacify the gods of the area. That is where Idu now stands. He had eight children, seven males and a female. He called his first son Idu. They emerged as towns and villages of Ekperede, Ebrass, Akalaolu, Akalamini, Onito and Emezi. With the children of Ugbeobu now called Ugbobi, other children of Okobo were Oshika, Odialugboji, Odiopiti, Upatabo, Odiogbo, Odieke, Okogbe, Ogbologbolo, Obodi, Ogbode, Uyakama, Odigwe and Anakpo.
When the white man came, the interpreter referred to the people of the area as people of the forest, meaning, "emene Igbuduya," the towns and villages became towns and villages of Igbuduya which is now Igbuduya group of villages. Ula-Okobo is the head village and Okogbe is the administrative towns because of its central location.
Upata Clan.
Upata was the fourth son of Ekpeye and was cherished by his father. He was very healthy during his birth. The father called him Upata, abridged from Upata-Ukpa, meaning a shell of good and well dried fishes.
In Ekpeye, children were named after ancestors, objects, place of birth, days of birth, notable animals and birds, such as Eyi (Cow), Ugo (Eagle), Oji (Iroko) and so on. The interpreter misinterpreted the names to the whiteman to mean (marsh) Oloto or Upata in Ekpeye as recorded in the intelligence report of cadet Newington, paragraph 31. The child was neither ugly nor dirty as a marshy place. Olube where he was born was not a marshy area. Ula-Upata means the dwelling place of Upata and NOT a marshy area.
Akoh and Upata were the first to receive western education and christianity then Ubie and Igbuduya (Okobo). Upata like his brothers, was a brave hunter, a farmer, a trader, a warrior and a medicine man. He bore many children both males and females. The children have emerged to towns and villages they are; Ula-Upata ( the head village), Idoke, Ihuaba, Edeoha (the administrative town), Ihuowo, Okporowo, Odiabidi, Ogbele, Okoma1, Okoma2, Oshiugboko, Ubumeze, Udebu, Ochigba, Ozoechi, Ikata, Ula-Ikata, Ihubuluko, Ihuike, Ihuama and Okpoga Udhodu.
bottom of page