YAKURR BE-IBE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND.

YAKURR BE-IBE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND (By Eteng Obono Okoi)

Yakurr comprises nine   clans, these clans are Agoi Ekpo, Agoi  Ibami, Assiga, Ekori, Idomi,  Inyima, Mkpani, Nko and Ugep.

  “Loka is the language spoken by the Yakurr people. The language is of the Bantu linguistic family, which is refers to as ‘’the people’’ is  a linguistic classification of a group of closely related people  languages spoken  in the linguistic boundary known as the Bantu line which runs from the South-Eastern Nigeria through  Central and Eastern Africa to Southern Africa.

Yakurr has been described by Iwara (1988) as one of the most widely spoken languages in Cross River State with Efik which enjoys the special  status of a lingua franca in the state.’’  

Yakurr shared their East and Northern boundaries with Obubra, in the West with Abi, and Southern boundary with Biase,

Yakurr,  like the rest of other  Nigeria  nations experienced dynamism in all aspects of life. This point should be borne in mind so that we do not get a false impression of a changeless society.

TRADITION OF ORIGIN

The tradition of origin of Yakurr  have remained a controversial issue among historians writing on the above topic. Captain Chessman in his report on  Yakurr, and Ayiga clans stated that ‘’it was fairly certain that the Yakurr people first lived near Okuni’’.

 Dr. Otu Abam Ubi in his PhD thesis asserted   that ‘’the ancestral home of Yakurr was at Lekanakpakpa.  Ubi further asserted that  Ikom people called Lekanakpakpa Onugi,  that  information  gotten from Okuni  traditions confirmed  that the Yako were their neigbour at Onugi, that they too migrated from the area’’.

Enang Bassey (1980) who wrote on the tradition of origin of Yakurr also noted that  ‘’Lekanakpakpa had been identify to be the Oban hill which  is South  Olulumo area. He further asserted that Lekanakpakpa and Onugi  are therefore likely to be the same thing, but referred to differently by the Okuni and Yakurr people.’’   Enang Bassey and Ubi  shared the same idea on the topic. That,  Yakurr people migrated from a  place called ‘’Lekanakpakpa’’ as a result of a conflict over a violation of burial tradition by Yakurr people. The migration of Yakurr to their present homeland was accomplished in three phases. The first phase constitutes Ugep, Mkpani and Idomi, the second phase constitutes Ekori while the third phase constitutes Nko.’’ But despite all these assertions  some questions of many Yakurr people were not  yet answered.

The questions  are who founded Yakurr?  Who founded the first Yakurr dynasty? Who founded the second Yakurr dynasty? Why is the Yakurr traditional political system   headed by Obol  Lopon who must come only from the Leboljimo  Matrilineal  family?

Eteng Obono Okoi (2007) in his researched paper  asserted that ,Yakurr was founded by a woman called Obia (which literally means” visitor” in Igbo language) a princess from Abiriba in Igbo land  who had a misunderstanding with her father over the palace administrative system. She ran out of the palace, and migrated northward and settled at Akpa where she had an encounter with a hunter, she narrated her ordeal to the hunter. They got married. It was  this relationship and a conquest they embarked on that formed what is today known as “Yako”. It was princess Obia that formed the first Yakurr dynasty at Akpa. On a Council of Chiefs Meeting at the Obol Lopon palace, when Obol Obia  took her seat, her womanhood was exposed to some chiefs. She saw this incident as an abomination against the kingdom. She handed over the mantle of Obol Loponship to her son Ibe.

Obol Ibe started the second Yakurr dynasty. He prove himself as a great leader and warrior, he has won many wars. Those who were conquered   during the wars were made to be part of Ibe’s  family. He has  the interest of his subjects at heart.  He was admired by all his subjects and were called and addressed as Yako Be-ibe. It was when Ibe was full of age and on a sick-bed that a misunderstanding between Yako and her neigbours  occurred. Weeks later he died. This was what necessitated an attack on Yako. Before the attack, Ibe’s family was dispersed. They migrated to their present home land and continued with their traditional political system that is today still based on Obol-Lopon.