NKPORO TRIBE
Nkporo tribe is a warring tribe in Arochukwu region, Abia state (Nkporo Okwe ancient kingdom).
The word “Nkporo” was an Ibibio-Efik word which means buffalo, the Ibibio-Efik people describe the set of people called Nkporo today as Nkporo due to the way they were able to conquer their enemies in wars.
Why would the Efiks be the ones to name the people Nkporo?
Cheerfully addressing them as “Nkporo” affirmed that the Ibibio-Efik people and the said Nkporo people were living together in the ancient times as one people.
We would need to have a little historical background of the Efik people to help us make logical submission on the Nkpolo of NKO people.
There are different versions of the Efiks and Nkporo people. Some scholars believed that they migrated from Palestine or somewhere around Palestine.
According to Onoyom Ukpong Ph. D “ The Efik aboriginals are recorded to have migrated from Palestine, following the Roman conquest in 63 B.C…”
The main proponent of the “Palestinean origin” is Eyo Okon Akak. The Palestinean origin holds that the Efiks people drifted to Egypt through the Nile river, also to Nubia (Ethiopia).
Some scholars believed that from Nubia, they finally settled at southwestern regions of Cameroon including Bakassi.
One would have traced the origin of the Efik people to Egypt due to the Nsibidi writings which is reminiscent of the Egyptian hieroglyphics.
As an Afrotheologian and philosopher, I don’t subscribe to the “Palestinean origin” of the Efik people. I am ok with the submission that they migrated from Egypt or Nubia and eventually settled at southwestern regions of Cameroon including Bakassi.
It was from this region majority of them moved to Arochukwu, in Abia.
AROCHUKWU
Some scholars believed the Aros were on the land before the arrival of the Efik people and after about Four hundred years of settlement as guests, a war broke up between the Aros and Efik, that led to the movement of the Efik people out of Arochukwu.
Other scholars believed that Efik people were the first to settle in the land or they were the original settlers of Arochukwu (Ndi-Ngwa).
A descendant of Iwhuroha, named Diobu…a leader and reputable Igbo man left Iwhurola with his followers to the larger portion occupied by Ibibio-Efik.
Hospitality is one of the qualities of the Ibibio-Efik and Yako people. Diobu and his followers were welcomed and they lived with the Efik people for many years, intermarried and had children…this made the Diobu people (Nkporo people).
The Ibibio-Efik people were scared of the rapidly increasing population of the Diobu people, so they decided to ask them to leave their land, and this resulted to a severe war between the Diobu and Efik people.
The Diobu people eventually conquered the Efik and sent them out of the land with the support of the Ohafia and Abiriba people.
This was how the Diobu and his followers gained the land of their host (Ibibio-Efik).
This historical war is the foundation why till today, the people of Obi-Ngwa Local Government Area are not peaceful with the Ibibio-Efik people.
The Ibibio-Efik people still believed that the war was not settled.
The captured ibibio-Efik people were forced to become the followers of Diobu and they lived their lives as the Diobu people.
The part conquered by Ohafia warriors is known as Abiriba.
The inhabited land of Diobu and his followers alongside the captured I ibibio-Efik people is called Ndi-Ngwa.
Ndi-Ngwa is made up of Abs North and Aba South.
King Josiah Ndubuisi Wachukwu was the first king of Ngwa people (Nkporo) and died on 2nd Jan.,1950.
Nkporo people speak Ngwa language.
Some scholars believed that Nkporo people came out from the Efik people and they might be right in their submission due to the fact that Diobu and his followers intermarried with the Efik people and had children…these children possibly established the Nkporo community (Arochukwu).
Nkporo people are also the Arochukwu people or Ndi Ngwa people…the lived with the Ibibio-Efik people, intermarried and had children that formed their increased population.
NKPOLO OF NKO
Obol Okoi adopted a son, whose father was an Arochukwu descendant. This boy lived with Obol Okoi as the only son he had and eventually left Lekanakpakpa with him, fought alongside with him in all the battles they encountered in cold and heat…he eventually buried his father in the thickest forest meant for warriors like Obol Okoi.
This Arochukwu adopted son led the Yako people after the dead of Obol Okoi and he was eventually crowned the Obol Lopon of NKO people. His name is AWUGO…OBOL AWUGO!
Do you think Obol Awugo Arochukwu’s family did not settle in Nko, even after he was dethroned?
Do you think they named the Ukpawen region “Nkporo” which was spelt as “Nkpolo”?
Do you think “Nkporo” and “Nkpolo” are not connected at all?
We will need to study Obol Awugo, to help us view “Nkpolo” logically and have rational historical submission.
