EDO STATE PART III: VISITOR’S GUIDE
THE AFEMAI (ETSAKO) PEOPLE
By Uji A Iliyasu
Occupying the hilly, savannah-fringed terrain of northern Edo State, the Afemai — most commonly known today as the Etsako — are the second-largest ethnic group in Edo State after the Bini. Historically dubbed the “Kukuruku” by colonial administrators, they are a proud, warrior-descended people whose towns, from Auchi to Agenebode, form the commercial and educational backbone of Edo North.
Short History
The Afemai people trace their ancestry to the Benin Kingdom, with oral tradition holding that their ancestors migrated out of Benin City during the reign of Oba Ewuare the Great in the mid-15th century, and in further waves under his successors. These migrations were driven by internal upheavals within Benin — succession disputes, harsh royal decrees, and periods of war — that pushed groups northward into the hilly, more defensible country that became Afemai land. One well-documented account traces a prince named Omorodion, who left Benin City following a succession dispute after the death of Oba Eweka I and founded the settlement of Uwokha (now Uokha), a name derived from the Bini word for “bush.”
The migrating groups first settled together at a place remembered as Aviele before splitting into different directions — an episode Etsako oral historians liken to the biblical Tower of Babel — giving rise to the three related but distinct peoples of the Afemai bloc: the Etsako, the Owan, and the Akoko-Edo. The Etsako remained the largest of the three groups and consolidated into twelve autonomous clans occupying what are now Etsako East, Etsako West, and Etsako Central local government areas, administered from Agenebode, Auchi, and Fugar respectively.
During the colonial period, the whole Afemai bloc was administered as the “Kukuruku Division,” a name taken from the Kukuruku Hills — the rugged highland terrain that served as a natural defensive barricade during inter-tribal wars and, notably, during Nupe slave-raiding invasions in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The name “Kukuruku” itself is remembered as either a rallying battle cry used by warriors defending the hills, or a label imposed by Nupe invaders; either way, it came to be seen as derogatory, and a renaming campaign led by the Etsako Union beginning in 1933 eventually saw “Kukuruku” formally replaced by “Etsako” in 1942, though the older name still lingers in references to the Kukuruku Hills themselves.
Language
The Afemai peoples do not share a single common language — a fact local cultural historians are careful to point out, since “Afemai” (understood to mean roughly “our people” or, in another rendering, “we have agreed,” reflecting unity among migrating clans) describes a shared ancestry and region rather than a shared tongue. The Etsako, Owan, and Akoko-Edo speak distinct languages, and even within Etsako itself, clans speak varying dialects. The most widely spoken Etsako language is Yekhee (also called Afenmai or Iyekhe), an Edoid language closely related to Bini, with roughly half a million speakers as of recent counts. Because no single dialect is universally understood across the wider Afemai region, cultural bodies such as the Etsako Language Research and Development Centre have worked to develop Etsako/Yekhee as a central reference language for the broader Afemai community, partly in response to UNESCO-driven concerns about the preservation of Nigeria’s smaller indigenous languages.
Music and Dance
Etsako musical and dance tradition is deeply tied to communal and seasonal life — harvest celebrations, masquerade festivals, and title-taking ceremonies all carry their own distinct musical accompaniment, driven by drums, gongs, and wind instruments in patterns shared broadly across Edoid peoples. Masquerade performance remains a central feature of public festivity in Etsako towns, often organised by specific age-grade societies and performed during New Yam celebrations and other seasonal rites. As with neighbouring Edo groups, music in Etsako culture functions as both entertainment and record-keeping — praise songs and oral chants preserve genealogies, historic events such as the Nupe invasions, and the achievements of past leaders, making performance an important vehicle for passing down history to younger generations.
Belief and Religion
Etsako people were originally practitioners of African Traditional Religion, centred on a supreme creator deity, ancestral spirits, and local nature deities associated with hills, rivers, and specific clan lineages — beliefs that shaped everything from farming calendars to burial custom. Today, the religious landscape of Etsako land is notably mixed: the community includes practising adherents of traditional religion, Christianity, and Islam side by side, a diversity less pronounced in some other parts of Edo State and reflecting Etsako’s historical position at a crossroads between the largely Christian south and the Muslim-influenced trade routes to the north. Ancestral veneration and respect for traditional title-holders remain culturally significant even among Etsako Christians and Muslims, particularly around chieftaincy and major life-cycle ceremonies.
Kingship
Like the Esan, the Etsako have no single paramount monarch; authority is distributed among the traditional rulers of the twelve autonomous Etsako clans, each with its own royal or chiefly lineage and title — figures such as the Onogie, Otaru, or other clan-specific titles depending on the town. This decentralised structure mirrors the pattern of independent, clan-based settlement that produced Etsako land in the first place, with towns such as Auchi, Agenebode, Fugar, Uzairue, Weppa-Wanno, and South Ibie each maintaining their own traditional ruler and palace. Traditional rulers continue to play an active ceremonial and advisory role in local governance, presiding over festivals, customary law matters, and community development initiatives alongside elected local government structures.
HRH Alhaji Aliru Highbred Momoh, Ikelebe III (Otaru of Auchi)
Foods
Etsako land’s fertile, well-watered terrain supports a broad range of staple and cash crops, and the local diet reflects this abundance: yam, cassava, rice, and maize form the backbone of the cuisine, commonly prepared as pounded yam, garri, or fufu and served with vegetable, egusi, or ogbono soups enriched with fish, bushmeat, or meat. Groundnut is a particularly significant Etsako crop, used both as a snack (roasted or as groundnut cake) and as an ingredient in soups and sauces. The region’s rivers and streams also support fishing communities, adding fish to the everyday diet alongside farmed produce, and palm wine remains a staple drink at both everyday gatherings and formal ceremonies.
Climate and Weather
Etsako land’s hilly, savannah-transition terrain gives it a somewhat different climate profile from the dense forest zones further south in Edo State — generally a little drier and cooler, especially at elevation around the Kukuruku Hills. As across the state, the year divides into a long rainy season, roughly April to October, and a shorter dry season from November to March that includes the harmattan period in December and January, when dry, dusty winds sweep down from the Sahara. The hilly landscape and relatively open terrain make Etsako land pleasant for outdoor exploration and hill-climbing during the dry season, when visibility and footing are generally best for visitors interested in the region’s dramatic scenery.
Courtship and Marriage
Etsako traditional marriage, like that of related Edoid peoples, follows a structured process rooted in family involvement rather than a purely private arrangement: courtship is typically followed by formal introduction visits from the groom’s family to the bride’s family, negotiation of bride price and marriage items, and a formal ceremony involving the presentation of kola nuts, drinks, and gifts as tokens of respect. Etsako naming and identity customs are also notable — historically, the community placed value on dental modification (chiselling of the teeth) as a mark of beauty and eligibility for marriage among brides, a practice tied directly to the people’s own name, since “Etsako” is understood locally to mean “those who chisel teeth.” While this specific custom has faded in modern times, the broader emphasis on marking marital readiness and eligibility through recognised cultural markers remains part of Etsako social memory. As elsewhere in Edo State, elders preside over the formal aspects of the union, and celebration afterward typically draws in the wider extended family and community.
ETSAKO beautiful bride and groom
Industry
Etsako land is one of the most economically diverse parts of Edo State. Farming remains the predominant occupation, with roughly six in ten Etsako people engaged in agriculture, producing groundnut, yam, maize, rice, and cassava on notably fertile land, supplemented by fishing communities along the region’s rivers, hunters, and specialist blacksmiths. The area is also mineral-rich, hosting commercial-quantity deposits of coal, limestone, potassium, and other resources, which has supported a stone-mining industry and cement production around Auchi. Auchi itself has grown into one of Edo State’s most vital commercial hubs, anchored by Auchi Polytechnic, one of Nigeria’s most respected technical and vocational institutions, drawing students and commerce from across the country. Community leaders often highlight that security in Etsako land compares favourably with other parts of the state, and the area is generally noted for its hospitality toward visitors.
Tourist Attractions
Etsako land’s defining feature for visitors is its dramatic hill landscape combined with a genuinely welcoming, commercially active local culture. Key attractions include:
The Kukuruku Hills, the rugged highland range that gave the wider Afemai region its colonial-era name and once served as a natural defensive barricade — offering scenic hiking and panoramic views for visitors interested in the region’s geography and history.
Auchi Polytechnic, one of Nigeria’s leading tertiary institutions and a major point of civic pride, drawing visitors and prospective students from across the country.
Auchi town itself, a lively commercial hub with markets, craft trade, and a strong cement and stone-mining industry visible in the surrounding landscape.
Agenebode, situated on the banks of the River Niger, offering river views and access to riverine trade and fishing activity distinct from the hillier interior.
Traditional palaces of the twelve Etsako clans, particularly around Auchi, Fugar, and Uzairue, which host festivals and ceremonial events open to respectful visitors.
Seasonal New Yam and masquerade festivals, held across Etsako towns and best experienced by coordinating with local clan associations for exact dates.
Kukuruku Hill
Auchi Polytechnic
Prominent People
Etsako land has produced a number of nationally prominent Nigerians across politics, the military, and public life. Adams Oshiomhole, born in Iyamho in Etsako West, rose from leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress to become Governor of Edo State (2008–2016) and later national chairman of the All Progressives Congress, remaining one of the most recognisable Afemai political figures in the country. Chief Julius Momo Udochi, credited as the first Nigerian ambassador to the United States, and General George Agbazika Innih, a one-time military governor of Bendel and Kwara States, are both notable Etsako figures from earlier generations. High Chief Raymond Dokpesi, founder of Africa’s largest private television network, DAAR Communications (owner of AIT and Raypower), and a prominent politician, also hails from Etsako East. Michael Imoudu, celebrated as a pioneering Nigerian labour union leader, and Group Captain Brai Ayonote, a former Vice President of the African Olympic Committee, further reflect the breadth of Etsako contributions to national life.
Adams Oshiomhole
Dele Momodu
Raymond Dokpesi
Burial Ceremony
Traditional Etsako burial customs, rooted in the community’s original African Traditional Religion, place strong emphasis on rites that honour the deceased’s status, lineage, and standing within their clan. Burial typically proceeds through recognised stages — a mourning period, formal interment, and, for titled elders and traditional rulers, later commemorative rites that can involve extended family gatherings, masquerade performances, and public tribute befitting the person’s community standing. Because Etsako land today includes practising Christians, Muslims, and traditionalists side by side, burial practice varies more visibly here than in some other parts of Edo State, with religious affiliation shaping specific rites even as broader customary expectations — respect for elders, communal mourning, and family-led ceremony — remain widely shared across faiths.
References
Wikipedia, “Etsakọ people,” “Afemai people,” “Afenmai language,” “Kukuruku Hills,” “Adams Oshiomhole,” “Anthony Anenih,” “Edo State”
Pulse Nigeria, “Etsako: A brief walk into the land of kukuruku hills”
Etsako Progressive Union, “History”
Ogbona Elites, “History and Culture of Etsako and Afemai,” “How did the name ‘Etsako’ come to be?”
Africa Cultural Movement (A.C.M.), “The Afemai People Of Edo State Nigeria”
allAfrica.com, “Nigeria: Election – 30 Notable Things You Need to Know About Edo”
Legit.ng, “Opinion: How PDP will battle APC for Edo state”
Photo credits: images sourced via web search from Pulse Nigeria and other publicly available cultural/travel features on Edo State.