KOKORI-OKPARA ORIGIN AND MIGRATION PART 3

According to the account of Okumagba, Agbon was one of the numerous children of one great man called Urhobo, who came from Benin at about 1057 A. D. to settle in Erhowa in Ase village. He traces Agbon's origin to settlement among the Aproza family of mid-western Ijaw. This place of Agbon's settlement cameto be known as Erhowa. 23. But the fact that Erhowa is in Isoko-Isoko South Local Government Area, makes an aspect of the above account a misleading one. Andy Omokri and Professor Otite's accounts aswell trace the origin of Agbon to Benin, under the umbrella of Urhobo migration. Omokri and Adjara particularly, state that, according to oral tradition Agbonpeople were among the Edo-speaking groups involved in the exodus from Bini about the 9th century because of oppressive rule of the legendary Benin Oba, Ogiso. 24. However, Omigui has postulated that the Agbon peopleof Urhobo are -mixed Urhobo, Itsekiri and Benin elements-25. Professor Peter P. Ekeh discreditsthis postulation, pointing out that the view would alarm the people of Agbon, who vie for the status of the most authentic Urhobo sub-culture. In the 1940's and 1950's, Peter Ekeh pursues, during which Bradbury and Lloyed Collected the data Omuigui probably refers to, therewas settlement of Itsekiri in Agbon towns on the river Ethiope. Such towns include Okpara waterside, Igun and Eku. But they left for Sapele because of decline of the riverine trade onwhich they relied. Perhaps, the Benin elements have been in Igun and Ovu both of which haveimmigrants of Benin like Dohosa family. 25. There is also the view that the Urhobo people's exact origin is not known, yet they are closely related to their immediate neighours linguistically and culturally. And that the oral history of the Urhobo people is contradictory for -it claims that their origins are closely related tothose of the Binis, but at the same time show that they are not Binis. There are other connections made to Igbo, Isoko and Ijo. For the fact that the three groups mentioned, have different cultural systems, a conclusion is drawn that the ideathat Urhobo came from the threeis doubtful, somehow. 27. Ade Obeyemi has also proposed in his writing: ……At the other extreme we find claims that are virtually impossible. For example, the claims of …. Many Urhobo chiefly families to Benin origins… 28. In the same vein, professor A.E. Afigbo in his -Benin Mirage- makes bold attempt to lay to rest claims of Urhobo origins to Benin. For him: …. the Bini thesis does not, as it seeks or claims to do offer a satisfactory explanation of how south Central Nigeria was peopled 29. It is germane to note here that, Okpara and Kokori are typical Urhobo towns whose peoples share common ethnolinguistic continuum with other Urhobo groups. Therefore the question of uncertain origin of the Urhobos as a group does not seem less important in the discussion of their origins. A prominent chief among the Urhobos, chief Okumagba has presented an account of Urhobos origins. Following a period when Benin political affairwas turning topsy-turvy in a hectic course, as a result of succession dispute created by political vacuum, a consequence of the death of ruling Ogiso, there was a mass movement of migrants from Bini, «Urhobo» who was at this time suffering from neurosis of security because of the political chaos and anarchy, also decided to move to a Bini-harassment-free area. Thus Urhobo group moved down across the Ethiope river. They turned Southwards and came to Ase river near Ibrede. Still pushing further, along Ase river they probably went Southwards along the river. They got to the mid-western Ijaw country, close to Patani where they settled among the aproza family. These groups who were known as Urhobo came to be known as Urhoho 30. Professor Peter P. Ekeh has also tried in some measure to resolve the problem of the uncertain Urhobo origin in his search for Edoid cultural history. He considers Iyi-Eweka statementthat -the first batch of Urhobo immigrants from Benin landed in-Abraka- and turned South wardsto the rest of Urhoboland. 31. He discredits this hypothesis and implied in his paper, is the fact that the Urhobos who were supposed to be fleeing persecution could not have settled so close to Benin as in Abraka where the agents of Ogiso could easily reach them. Heemphasizes a common claim in many Urhobo traditions, which holds that, the earliest migrants' settlements are in Isoko. This is at the furthest area from Benin. He posits that, the father away from Benin, the older the migrantgroups. Furthermore, he states that any study of urhobo history and culture that belittles the enormous -contributions from Isoko will do so at its own peril- 32. As regards the question of Urhobo claim to Igbo, Ijaw and Benin origins, authorities like professor Peter Ekeh would say that they are suspicious of Bradbury's account ascribing Igbo origins to some Urhob sub-cultural units.