Okpella is a clan situated along
Benin
Benin, officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It was formerly known as Dahomey. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the north-west, and Niger to the north-east. The majority of its po ...
-
Abuja
Abuja (; , ) is the capital city of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, strategically situated at the geographic midpoint of the country within the Federal Capital Territory (Nigeria), Federal Capital Territory (FCT). As the seat of the Federal G ...
federal high way. Going by the last National Census figures, it has the population of 20,652 and is one of the three main towns that make up
Etsako East Local Government Area of
Edo State
Edo State, Edo, officially known as Edo State, is a States of Nigeria, state in the South South, South-South Geopolitical zones of Nigeria, geopolitical zone of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. As of 2024, the state was ranked as the List of Ni ...
. It is made up of two sub-clans, each with their villages; Ogute sub-clan, which is made up of Ogute-Oke, Awuyemi, Imiekuri, Igiase and Imiegeli, Okhu villages, and Oteku sub-clan, comprising Komunio and Iddo.
The language spoken in the clan is Okpella, a dialect of Bini which has evolved. Okpella is known for its natural
sedimentary rock
Sedimentary rocks are types of rock (geology), rock formed by the cementation (geology), cementation of sediments—i.e. particles made of minerals (geological detritus) or organic matter (biological detritus)—that have been accumulated or de ...
based mineral resources, which include
gold
Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...
,
limestone
Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...
,
calcium
Calcium is a chemical element; it has symbol Ca and atomic number 20. As an alkaline earth metal, calcium is a reactive metal that forms a dark oxide-nitride layer when exposed to air. Its physical and chemical properties are most similar to it ...
, and
granite
Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...
,
feldspar
Feldspar ( ; sometimes spelled felspar) is a group of rock-forming aluminium tectosilicate minerals, also containing other cations such as sodium, calcium, potassium, or barium. The most common members of the feldspar group are the ''plagiocl ...
,
talc
Talc, or talcum, is a clay mineral composed of hydrated magnesium silicate, with the chemical formula . Talc in powdered form, often combined with corn starch, is used as baby powder. This mineral is used as a thickening agent and lubricant ...
,
clay
Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolinite, ). Most pure clay minerals are white or light-coloured, but natural clays show a variety of colours from impuriti ...
,
marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3) or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) that have recrystallized under the influence of heat and pressure. It has a crystalline texture, and is ty ...
, and it plays host to the defunct Bendel Cement Factory,
BUA Cement Factory and
Dangote Cement Factory.
The people of Okpella are predominantly farmers, and are known to grow in large numbers, yams,
cassava
''Manihot esculenta'', common name, commonly called cassava, manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America, from Brazil, Paraguay and parts of the Andes. Although ...
,
tomato
The tomato (, ), ''Solanum lycopersicum'', is a plant whose fruit is an edible Berry (botany), berry that is eaten as a vegetable. The tomato is a member of the nightshade family that includes tobacco, potato, and chili peppers. It originate ...
es and
ogbono. Its Ewo market, located at Okugbe in Oteku sub-clan and on the busy Benin-Abuja Road and congregates every fourth day. Okpella is a natural town with citizens who share a communal bond prevalent in most African societies, the town also consists of
Muslims
Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...
and
Christians
A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words '' Christ'' and ''C ...
who live peacefully among themselves despite their religion backgrounds.
History
The origin of Okpella people was not documented, it was preserved in oral traditions like African people.
The sub-clans in Okeplla were created as a result of clashes between HRH.
Abdulmalik Asekhomhe Afegbua and Chief Sado Ikor in 1935. Afegbua, who had assumed the position of Clan Head in 1916 later became the district head of the
Kukuruku Division in 1920,
leaving the Clan Head position vacant for Sado to become the Clan Head. In 1929, the district system in Nigeria was abolished, Afegbua returned to Okpella to contend for the position of Clan Head, which led to communal clash that ended up to an election conducted for both Afegbua and king SADO. King SADO was the reigning Eramhe (father of the clan) and won the ballot and continued as the sole clan head till his demise in 1952. Chief Afegbua thereafter returned to ascend the clan head of Okpella again.
The Late Clan Head, HRH. Andrew Yesufu Eshioramhe Dirisu who reigned for 48 years came from Ogute Sub-Clan.
Tradition
The Okpella people believe in a supreme deity called Eshinegba, which is known as creator of all things both in the physical world (agbo) and the spirit world (ilimi).
Villages
*Afokpella, Awuyemi, Iddo, Igiase, Imiegele, Imekuri, Ogute-Oke, Okugbe, Okhu
Ogriga
See also
Notes
References
{{coord missing, Nigeria
Populated places in Edo State