KOKORI-OKPARA ORIGIN AND MIGRATION PART 5

This he did by fabricating false information about him. One was that Osifo was changing into leopard to kill children who want for hawking. Secondly that Osifo's governmentwas a bad one. Because, there was incessant killing of children at the time, Agbon people believed these allegations and assassinated Osifo. But sooner orlater, it became known that theseallegations were untrue. Kokori rose for retaliation because Osifowas their son. This coupled with the fear of reprisals from the Oba, who was the grand father of Osifo, made Agbon descendants fled from Isiokolo 48. However, Chadwick account is at variance with the above. According to him, a witch doctor consulted, revealed that Osifo was responsible for the killings of children in the community. Thepeople of Agbon reported surreptitiously to Oba of Benin, who sent men to kill Osifo. Osifo's family, infuriated by Agbon people's perfidy provokedmore trouble, and was driven from Isiokolo 49. Chadwick goes further to state that: The elders of the town met to solve the problem of keeping the peace and decided that because Agbon was too large for a gerontocratic government and control by old men the elders of each quarters should emigrate with their people to new sites. Odeze led the Okparas to a site chosen by some hunters (Osia, Odeze and others). Even then the town was considered to be too large and to ease the friction, which was bound to arise, the elders of Uruerigbe decided to move on still further … 50. The above excerpt suggests something beyond the Osifo issues, which led to dispersal from the Agbon town. There is an undertone of population explosion leading to migration ofAgbon people from their original settlement. Above all, we find that, the evolution of contemporary Kokori and Okparasub-clans was sequel to the dispersal of Agbon descendants from Agbon town. While still at Agbon, Kokori and Okpara gave birth to children. Both two families had their different quarters where they lived. Among the children of Okpara were. Eregbe, Erhi and Etorogba. Erhi in turn gave birth to Osia, Isaba Uvwiaghoa, Onoriaro and Okei among othersOkpara was already dead at the time of migration from Isiokolo. Thus Osia and others led Okparasto a new settlement. Osia plantedan Oghriki tree near the present site of Okpara hospital on reaching Okpara. The essence of this was to allow their people make love, for the presence of the tree symbolizes that, that place was a settlement. It was a taboo among them, for people tomake love in the bush. One of Osia's descendants must be the chief priest of the Oto Shrine because it was Osia who planted the Oghriki tree 51. As the population grew, both due to the birth of new immigrants like Esume, the people of Okpara began to spread out. Esume who was Osia's in-law founded Osia street,but because he was an in-law, the street was named after Osia. Omovwiona founded Urhu-iniovwona, one of Isaba's children founded Urhu-Egbo; Ogene founded Urhu-Ogene, Ononaro founded Imodje street; the descendants of Eregbe founded Eregbe quarter, and Ete-ogba children founded Ogba quarter. Some Okpara people also moved away to found new settlements like Ovu, Okpara water-side Otumara Ogba village,Obi, village, Adarode, Okurofo, Aghwariore, Ugbegbe, Ugbuwherhe, Okarunoh, Omude, Agborhoro among others. Today Okpara is a thriving sub-clan in Agbon kingdom with numerous villages and streets 52. Kokori on the other hand was founded by one Ozegbe. He led, Kokori people to land, flowing with milk and honey, which he found during one of his hunting expeditions. Soon after Kokori people's settlement in the site, Oziegbe embarked on ambitious expansion of Kokori frontiers. This was not without opposition. He had to contend with stiff opposition from invaders. To protect the territorial boundaries of Kokori, men were sent out to build villages around the frontiers. Oneof the villages resulting from this effort is the Urhu-Okpe village, between Okpara and Kokori. In recognition of Oziegbe's enormous contributions to the founding of Kokori, the Kokori people, particularly Ekrivie people, established a shrine where he is being worshipped53. Today Kokori is a reckonable sub clan in Agbon kingdom. It is apparent from the above discussion that Agbon people at a point in time lived in Irri. But because of discrimination and language barrier they migrated to Utokori near Ughwerun. They later pushed towards the presentUghelli and eventually got to a place where they settled. This place was to be named Agbon Town, after the acclaimed father of the Agbon people. However, while it is true that Agbon left Irriand after some stay in different other places got to Agbon town, it would be wrong to assert that Uzere threw up the present Agbon kingdom. Or that the present Agbon people are descendants from Irri in Uzere. This is because, certain factors show that Agbon people might have come from elsewhere to settle in Irri.TO BE CONTINUED........