THE FOUNDING OF MODERN OREROKPE.
Modern Orerokpe Town was founded in the year 1928. It was Founded by Late Chief Ayomanor Evwida and 12 other Okpe Chiefs, the 12 others were Chiefs Egbele, Temisan,Eche, Akalusi, Esobiebi, Edjeba, Okpedia, Echerusi, Agbaifo, Omarin, Kogoro, and Aga.
The 13 Chiefs above were Later Joined by 7 other Chiefs,.....These were Chiefs Umujakporue, Akpoto,Amoife, Ighefu, Iyoboko, Oserue and Ogoro.
It should be noted that there was an Ancient Town in the site, of Modern Orerokpe, that Ancient Town was not Called Orerokpe, it was called '' ADANE OKPE''. It was so Called, because it was founded by 4 families, headed by 4 brothers, these brothers were Orhue, Evbreke, Orhoro and Ezezi. The 4 families lived in 4 large Streets, represented by their names, each family living in its own quarter, the central Point where the 4 streets met was called the ''Adane''.
The Size, extent and boundaries of that Original ''Adane Okpe'' is now Lost. This Followed the REGICIDE of Esezi the Ist in 1780, and the Consequent Crisis, which led to the destruction, burning and desertion of the Town by the Okpe Inhabitants into diaspora in search of New Lands and Peaceful settlements.
Now before the Coming of those Chiefs above in 1928, only 3 men lived in Orerokpe, 2 of them were Non Okpes, Who Were these men??
They are 1) Idiavwore 2) Ajokperiniovo and 3) Akalusi.
Only Akalusi above belonged to the Okpe Clan.
Idiavwore came from Ophori Agbarho, to seek refuge in Orerokpe Town.....He was a Chieftain of His own People in Ophori Agbarho, and So around 1924, Someone killed his own brother, and as a Chief he was suppose to allow the Community to handle the Matter, .....but being a Warrior, he wreaked Vengeance on the entire family of The Murderer, and fled, to the abandoned Town of Orerokpe, where he met the Town Unoccupied, he thus deforested the beginning of the Esezi quarter, and build his Village called ''Oko Idiavwore''.
Later his Kinsman Ajokperiniovo, Joined Him and both Men dwelt there Peacefully.
In 1925, they were Joined by One Chief Akalusi from Mereje Town.....Chief Akalusi then was the Head of all the Scattered Ezezi descendants. But he dwelt in Mereje. Although Mereje belonged to the Orhue family, there were many descendants of Ezezi and Evbreke in Mereje Town.
Chief Akalusi Came because according to Him, he received an ''Oracular divination', that he had the right to serve ''Okpe Edio'' in Edion at Orerokpe On behalf of the Okpe Kingdom. He Promoted the Reunification of all Okpes and the restoration of the Kingship to the Esezi family in Orerokpe.
So he called a meeting of all the Elders of Okpe from the 4 families in 1925, but only the descent group of his own families attended,. The Elders of the Other Families Opposed the idea of an Okpe reassembly, especially if it would mean appointing a Successor to Esezi I.
But Akalusi refused to return back and Joined Idiavwore and Ajokperiniovo in the Esezi Ward.
But these 3 men above were at no time NEAR THE ADANE, which is Considered to be the Epicentre of the Town.
The Adane was later deforested in 1928.
The factors that led those 13 Chiefs to Return to deforest the Adane in 1928 are:
1) The Oha Ovu land dispute and the Consequent Provincial Court Judgement in 1924 in Warri, in Which a large tract of orerokpe land was lost to the ovus.
2) The Oracular Divination of the Edion Shrine by One Chief Agbaifo, following the serial loses of these lands to the OVUS, by OHA beginning with Olukobare Village in 1912......The message of the Edion Oracle was clear, that Oha, should stop fighting for the Capital, and the lands,....the land and the Fight does not belong to OHA alone, it belongs to the Entire Adane,, the 4 family heads must come together to reclaim the Town.
This Divination from the Edion Shrine, had Multiple Confirmations also from the Shrines of Ekpokpase, Olokun, Izuokpe and Ibuerimi.
3) The Recommendations of the Intelligence and Assessment Reports Written by Fellows and Kerr, both British Colonial Officers, that the Okpe SOBO clan Court, the ancient, Odogun Council, be restored at the ancient Capital Orerokpe, so that the British can indirectly Govern the entire Okpe using this reconstituted odogun Council, the Report was written in 1928.
So who was the First Chief of the 13 Chiefs to deforest the Adane, after it was deserted for about 150 years,...and what did the Oracle of Edion, (the OGWEDION), demand from Him?? What was the Sacrifice that Placated the anger of the ancestors, and thus restored the Town??
To get answers to these Questions, you will have to read my Soon Coming book ''the Chronicles of Orerokpe Town'''