AGBO’RIKO AND THE HISTORY OF OROKAM

IN THE BEGINNING

Agbo the son of Oriko, the ancestral father of the Ai-Agboriko clan (comprising of the trio of Ai-Igwu, Ai-Idoga and Ai-Okpe lineages of Orokam district of Benue State) came to settle in the jungle now called Orokam located 140 km south of River Benue probably in 1720. According to oral traditional history, Agbo had migrated from Apa settlement in the present Kogi State where he was born to an Idoma father and an Igala mother called Oriko. He was more popular among his mother’s people hence the name linkage to his mother instead of his father as custom among the black Africans. A village in Aloma, Kogi State named Aomaoriko (translated Oriko’s children) is believed to be formed by Agbo’s step siblings. Agbo’s father or grandfather had possibly journeyed along the course of River Niger through River Benue from the present Otukpo to live in the Igala land.

Many hundred years earlier, the Igalas had broken away from the Kwararafa Kingdom to form the Igala Kingdoms in Idah and Ankpa due to leadership tussle between them and the Jukuns in the defunct Kwararafa Kingdom. The Igalas probably carried their Idoma brothers along. They were later joined by other Idoma natives among whom were likely the Agbo’s progenitors. In 1800, the Kwararafa Kingdom collapsed after been invaded and conquered by “horse-riding” Fulani Jihadists led by Mallam Otman Dan Fodio.

Growing up, Agbo took to hunting and selling of his games in the nearby villages of the Igboland situated south-east of the Igalaland where he was born and bred. Several times, Agbo had hunted games in the Orokam jungles up to the tick forests of Owukpa, another neighbouring village. As this persevered, he thought it wise to relocate from his home in Igala land to pitch his tent in the jungle wher he had met an older hunter earlier in the course of his hunting expeditions. The old man live all alone in the same jungle. Agbo therefore left his home in Apa (probably now Apata in Adoru District of Idah Local Government of the present Kogi State) and pitched his tent near his new old man friend. The old man who identified himself as Inamu was kind and hospitable. He was the ancestral father of the present Ai-Inamu clan of Orokam district. The two soon became friends and began hunting games together as two, they say, are better than one. Inamu was not the first to discover and settler in the jungle; one Okam, probably an Igbo man as the name suggests, had lived there before. Sadly, Okam left no offspring behind before he met his death. That notwithstanding, the men who later came to live there thought it wise to immortalize him hence the name Ole Okam (Home of Okam, now altered as Orokam). Agbo and Inamu shared a common disposition; they both were hunters and they probably spoke same Igala language. Though Agbo’s decision to relocate to Ole Okam jungle was triggered by his desire to be closer to his major market in Igboland, he obviously had no inkling that that singular decision would blossom into something great and significant; -the birthing of a land of great people.

Agbo continued his hunting expeditions and frequented the markets in Igbo land. Years later, another Idoma hunter from Ugboju (a village approximately 50km north east of Ole Okam) wandered into the jungle where Agbo and his old man friend, Inamu lived. The hunter who identified himself as Okoh probably hoped to keep wandering and hunting but due to the hospitable disposition of the duo of Agbo and Inamu, decided to stay with them. (Some oral traditional history believe that his name was Okoh; but a more authentic research traced him to a village called Nwaba-oju “Oko” in Ugboju Ehicho; a community that is still in existence 50 km north of Orokam. The Oko people of Orokam identify with the Oko people in Ugboju where the ancestor certifiably hailed from). In the course of time, Agbo shifted friendship to the new friend from Ugboju. And the two constituted a team for better hunting expeditions.

Later, as years passed, Agbo who was probably the older of the two, married a wife from the Igbo-speaking Amala village in the present Enugu state about 10 km south of the jungle where they lived. Soon, he began to raise a family and that required he spent more time at home. He took to crop farming in addition to his hunting occupation. His children, two boys and a girl namely; Agada, Idoga and Edugwu assisted with their parents in the farm. Time crept by and the children were all grown up. Edugwu was given in marriage to Okoh, her father’s friend from Ugboju village as a second wife. Edugwu (preferably called Edugwu-Iye) is the iconic mother of the Oko people of Orokam today. Agada (later called Igwu) and Idoga also grew and each found a niche for himself. The both got married and moved their tents a little apart from their father’s.

Two men later joined the trio of Agbo, Okoh and Inamu namely Onah and Akor to form a stronger bond in that jungle. According to traditional history, Onah was of Otukpo origin while Akor came from an Igala land. The later had two sons, Idoga and Abah who are the progenitors of the Akor clan today. The men lived peacefully in that jungle and continued to expand as the years go by with each minding his own business and helping the other fellow out of their difficulties. Their children were intermarrying and living peacefully among themselves. It is the descendants of these five ancestors that birthed the Orokam district of today.

Tragedy struck one day and Agbo’s loving wife from Amala died after a brief illness. Devastated, Agbo refused to take another wife for a very long time as he continued to mourn her. But he would not remain lonely forever. To cushion the impact of loneliness, he had to remarry eventually. He picked a wife from another Igbo-speaking village of Ikwo near Obollo-Eke in Enugu State. Ikwo is believed to be part of Owukpa community. The marriage which was blessed with a son named Okpe was short lived as age had begun to tell on Agbo’s strength and health. He took ill, and, battling with the pains and ailments that come with age, Agbo paid a long visit to his friend and in-law Okoh in search of healing and succour. His young wife returned to her people in Ikwo and visited occasionally to check on her husband. There under the watch of his friend, the illness heightened and he died in the arms of his only daughter, Edugwu and his young wife. He was buried there at his in-law’s place. But more than two hundred years after, what was believed to be his remains were later exhumed and taken to his homeland near the cieba tree in Ipole Orokam. This was probably due to reason of sentiment.

Agbo’s bereaved widow finally returned to her people in Ikwo village carrying her toddler along. After many years, Okpe returned to his fatherland to live among his half-brothers but did not feel accepted. He returned to Ikwo where he lived till death met him. In the early twentieth century, some of his descendants returned to Orokam and were allocated some hectres of land where they live till date. They are the present Ai-Okpe (or Ai-Ododo Ojo) lineage of Agbo’riko clan today.

Agbo’s oldest son, Agada continued to expand his family. He married two wives, one from Ekere village in Owukpa, a distant village south east of Orokam; and another named Ofugu from Igbo land. He had relocated some distance away from the family house to build his own huts under a cieba tree called igwu not far from the Enumabia stream. This informs why his descendants are referred to as Ai-Igwu (Igwu’s children). His descendants later refuted the name and preferred been called Ai-Agada instead of Ai-Igwu. Agada had five sons namely (in order of birth): Agbo (named after his father), Osogwu, Ori son of Ofugu (Ofugu was Ori’s mother), Omninyi and Idoga. These are the progenitors of Ai-Agbo, Ai-Osogwu, Ai-Ori Ofugu, Ai-Omninyi and Ai-Idoga family lineages respectively as they later came to be known.

Sources (through oral narratives): Late Pa. Okoh Agbo Pa. Onu Ameh Pa Emmanuel Onyeke Pa Odoh Atama Pa Abah Ogah Chief Gabriel Okoh

Written by Onu Oche Okeson