Efio-Ita Nyok|3 May 2016|6:33am
Cross River State leading rights activist and Special Adviser —Prosecution, to the President Muhammadu Buhari, Barr. Okoi Obono-Obla has recently taken to his social media account to go down memory lane and etch a historical analysis of communal strive, war, tension, etc as it has transpired among the Ekoi people of Cross River State central senatorial district. He did this in a post titled: 'Are the Ekoi People Cursed?'. What follows is the article of the quintessential legal expert on communal wars in Central Cross River State of Nigeria.
ARE THE EKOI PEOPLE CURSED?
By Okoi Obono-Obla
The current communal violence between Nko, Inyima, Mkpani, Onyeadama and Inyima in Central Cross River State has greatly saddened me endlessly and ceaselessly!
It has brought into fore the ancient animosity, hatred, prejudices, division and infighting that has dogged, the history of the EKOI people right from South, Central and West Africa for the past eight hundred years ago!
This unenviable history of the EKOI people permanently at war with them led to the fragmentation of the Ekoi people and splintering into numerous tribes both in South Africa, Central and West Africa! The numerous tribes we have in Cross River State is a dialectical consequences of the ancient bickering, squabbling and warring which the EKOI people are notorious for throughout their chequered history.
The disintegration of the EKOI AKPA kingdom five hundred years ago which caused massive migration and movement of EKOI people from the present Central Africa and Cameroon Republics have not thought the EKOI People a lesson! How sad!
It is characteristics of the EKOI people to war and fight themselves! But must we continue like this? The EKOI people are also known as Ejagham are an ethnic group found in the present Cross River State of Nigeria and extend eastward into Northern Cameroon.
Ekoid Bantu languages are spoken by numerous groups including the Boki, Bete, Mbembe, Ufia,Yakurr, Okuni, Ojo, Bakor, Umon, Bokomo (Ikom Urban) etc in Cross River State. The Ekoi are related to the Efik, Annang and Ibibio people. The Qua Ejagham people of Calabar claim to be the first Ekoi people to have migrated from the present Cameroons to the present Nigeria.
Today, the EKOI people are found in large numbers in Cameroon. Are the Ekoi a cursed people? Recall how the BAHUMONO people of EBOM and Ebijakara of Abi Local Government Area, another sub group of the EKOI fought themselves to a standstill ten years ago! Today the thriving community of Ebijakara is no more! It lie in total ruin!
When will the Ekoi people learn!
*Efio-Ita Nyok
Is a Blogger & the Editor of Negroid Haven