The People of Akoko Edo

Have you heard about the Akoko Edo people of Edo State? Akoko Edo is located in the northernmost region of Edo State. Its borders are Kogi State in the north, Ondo State in the north-west, Etsako West (Auchi) and Etsako North (Okpella) in the south-east, and Owan in the south-west.

Origins

The history of the Akoko Edo people’s origin is highly fascinating. At around the same time when the group now known as Etsako people moved from Benin during the reign of Oba Ozolua (1483–1504), some Benin people also left Benin and settled in that region. Over time, other migrant populations entered this region.

Some of the indigenes of Akoko Edo come from returnees from the West who had gone to Ekiti but were originally from Benin. In fact, the Ado-Ekiti people are originally Benin people who had settled in those lands. If we are being frank, the entirety of the Ondo and Ekiti States were in fact a part of the previous Benin Empire.

There are a lot of theories about why it is called Akoko Edo. Some think it is a name given to the people by their neighbors because their cocks could be heard crowing very early in the morning. Others believe that its name literally means outskirt of Edo.

Geography

With a land mass of 1,371 km², Akoko Edo is slightly bigger than Benin City (1,204 km²). However, it is a place of many towns. The region has over forty towns including Igarra (its capital), Akuku, Egbigere 1 and 2, Somorika, Okunese, Lampese, Enwan, Akpama, Aiyegunle, and Ikpeshi. Despite these towns, Akoko Edo only has a population of about 386,400. That is not even close to half of the 1.4 million in the smaller Benin City!

Language

Although indigenes of the region speak eight different languages, there is some overlap. For instance, the Ojiramis can understand the language of their neighbors, the Akuku and Enwan people, but not the residents of the other village.

The older generation is more likely to understand and speak Yoruba. This is because, at some point, Yoruba was the commonest language in that region, especially during the colonial period. But the most common language spoken in Akoko-Edo today is pidgin English.

Learn about the Igbanke people of Edo State here.