The Akpa Question: Interconnections of Identity Across Nigeria and Beyond (2)

by Okoi Obono-Obla

The Akpa Question: Interconnections of Identity Across Nigeria and Beyond (2):

One of the responses to my article “Akpa Interconnections: Language, Culture, and History Across Nigeria and Beyond” published on chatafrik.com on 1 June 2026 was from Chris Udi, who wrote:

*Hello Hon. Okoi,
Please, what’s the difference between “Akpa” and “Ejagham” people?
Don’t you think these interconnections should centre around Ejagham and not Akpa? What really informs your grouping decision in this matter?
My name is Chris Udi. I’m your brother from Uyo.*

That is indeed a very interesting question, one that has always agitated my mind. In Yakurr tradition, it seems that the Akpa people are the Ejagham people, and there is little doubt about that. Perhaps I may have to invite the leading Ejagham historian, Professor Sandy Onor, to offer his perspectives.

My response to Chris Udi was:

I believe Akpa and Ejagham are one and the same. However, I wanted to follow the trajectory of the person who initiated the discussion, since he specifically used the term Akpa. From all indications, Akpa refers to Ejagham. When colonialism arrived, it attempted to reshape identities by introducing new ethnicities and tribes that our people themselves had never recognized.

Earlier, I had pondered and reflected on this “Akpa Question” on my Facebook page on 25 June 2023:

*Who are the Akpa?
There is Abakpa in the Ojor community in Akamkpa Local Government Area of Cross River State.
The Yakurr people glowingly talk about Akpa! When Yakurr chiefs pray, they begin with the great “wou akpa”!
We also have Akpa‑Okoyong in Odukpani.
There is Ikot Akpa in Bakassi Local Government Area of Cross River State.
Calabar was called Akwa Akpa by the Efik people before the Portuguese renamed it Calabar.
The Yache people of Yala Local Government Area in Cross River State are Akpa.
The Yakurr people in Cross River are Akpa.
The Abua people of Rivers are Akpa.
The Ogbia people of Bayelsa State are Akpa.
The Jukun tradition mentions Akpa.
The Arochukwu account of origin also speaks of Akpa.
According to Arochukwu tradition, Akpa warriors were invited to fight alongside the Aro during their wars with the Ibibio. Their firearms impressed their Igbo allies, and Akpa leaders such as Osim and Akuma Nnubi helped secure victory, forming the alliance that became the Arochukwu kingdom around 1650–1700.
Even the Idoma and Jukun traditions of Benue and Taraba States mention Akpa.
In Akwa Ibom State, many communities bear Akpa in their names, such as Ikot Akpa‑Esop, Ikot Akpa Ekpuk, and Ikot Akpa Esa.
Yet, despite these widespread references, nobody has ever clearly told us who the Akpa people are.
The Efik people of Cross River State called the neighboring Qua “Abakpa.”
In Cameroon, several places and landmarks allude to Akpa, including Akpa Abatin and the Akwayafe (Akpakorum) River, which empties into the Gulf of Guinea and forms part of the boundary between Nigeria and Cameroon.
Our historians, cultural scholars, and anthropologists must research the Akpa tradition, a thread that runs throughout the cultures and peoples of the Cross River Basin.*

In my article, I had mentioned that former President Goodluck Jonathan is from Ogbia, which I shared with Ellie Yari, who had prompted me to write the piece. His reaction deepened the mystery and raised further questions: Are the Akpa people also Igala?

Ellie Yari wrote:

*Yes, Former President Jonathan is an Ogbia man; his town is not far from mine. The present MD/CEO of NDDC, Chief Samuel Ogboku, is also Ogbia. The first civilian governor of Rivers State (before Bayelsa was carved out), Chief Melford Obiene Okillo, was Ogbia.
We migrated out of the Cross River Basin long ago, reaching Anambra in search of iron ore. Our Akpa ancestors were advanced in metalwork. We founded Obigbo, later renamed Igbo‑Ukwu, where artefacts link us to the Cross River Basin.
In Akpa language, Umor means “relative.” The original title for king was Atah, still used by the Igala, whose ruling houses are known as the Atah clan. Even today, the Igala monarch is called Akpa II.
The former name for Calabar was Atakpa (Ata‑Akpa, King of Akpa). There is another Atakpa in Kogi State, where the Ata Igala resides.
Our ancestors did not enter Nigeria through Cameroon but through the Benue‑Niger confluence, as part of Kwararafa. Akpa language became a lingua franca in Kwararafa, which explains shared words across Ogbia and other groups.
Many towns in Cross River founded by Akpa can be interpreted in Ogbia. For example, Abini in Biase Local Government Area has relatives in Ogbia. There are several Okoroba towns in Cross River, and another in Bayelsa founded by Ogbia. Itigidi in Abi has its counterpart Otuigidi in Ogbia. These connections are undeniable.*

Conclusion:
The Akpa question remains unresolved but deeply fascinating. From Yakurr prayers to Efik traditions, from Arochukwu wars to Ogbia migrations, Akpa appears as a cultural thread woven across Nigeria and beyond. Whether Akpa is synonymous with Ejagham, or a broader identity that connects Igala, Ogbia, and other groups, one thing is clear: this is a subject that demands further scholarly research. The Akpa tradition may hold the key to understanding the shared histories of many peoples in the Cross River Basin and beyond.