IGBODO  ORIGIN

Igbodo clan is made up of six villages and five primary divisions and each of them came from different places spread across Edo, Delta and Anambra states.

 

ANIKPEKWU
Anikpekwu was founded by Ikpekwu (Ekpekun) from Benin. When the various communities where to fuse up into Igbodo ,a dispute arose on who should become king. It was only Ikpekwu who produced the higher symbols  of political leadership he had collected from the Oba and none raised any objection and he thereafter became the priest of Aniozuzu shrine.

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ANIEYIME
Anieyime people came from Ute Ogbeje and was founded by Eyime. They were closely assoociated with Anikpekwu from the very beginning and this is where the erroneous impression that they came from Benin originated from. To this day many people in Aniomaland still bear Eyime. A past commissioner of Science and Technology for Delta state Dr Roland Eyime is an Ndokwa man. Because of their connections with the Ute people they are an extension of the group that came from Nri which includes Owa,Ogwashi and Utchi.

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ILABOR
Ilabor people came from Ukhun near Ekpoma hence the appelation Ilabor Ukhun’gbede . It was founded by Kehue. Kehue had two sons Amasi and Zenakpo and there are three Okpukpus representing these three early ancestors of the Ilabor people. It was from those two sons that the seven villages of the sub clan descended from. ‘Gbede refers to Agbede the maternal home of Kehue.

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NDOBU
Ndobu people came from Ihi (Nri) hence the appelation Ndobu Ihi-Ochi. Because of its close association with Ilabor from the very beginning they were assumed to be of Esan origin. The claim of Chime in Ndobu history is simply because Ndobu had married an Agba woman from Onicha Ugbo. It was because he was the first priest of Nkpitime in Enuaniland which is closely revered in Umuezechime clan since they were in-laws that brought up this assumption of Ndodu having Umuezechime links. The ochi in that appelation means that he was the first priest after he had won Kehue in a task to become the priest. The other section of Ndobu Idumu Mbiri came to Ndobu their maternal community from Ikeze Mbiri.

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IDUMUOBIOR/IDUMOZEI
Though these two communities are considered as distinct quarters in practical sense they exist as one because of their Umuezechime ancestry. Idumuobior was founded by one Ohem’ugbede an Iyase of Obior while Idumozei was founded by Mozei a royal son of Obior. Later they were joined by Umuasibe from Obior and Idumuisei led by one Kwazu from Issele Uku. The last group is Idumuwolor which came from Benin.

From above,its apparent that Igbodo people came from seven distinct places namely Benin, Ukhun, Nri, Obior, Issele Uku, Mbiri and Ute Ogbeje . There is a common saying Igbodo Bia Abia meaning Igbodo is a land of people that came from different places .

 

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CHIEFTANCY IN IGBODO

In Igbodo clan we have clan and village chiefs. The clan chief are called Nzele Ani while the village chiefs are called Nzele Ogbe. The Nzele Ani titles are Iyase ,Odogwu,Isama,Oza,Okwulegwe, and Onihe.
The Nzele Ogbe titles include Iyase, Odogwu, Isama, Uwolor, Oza and Okwulegwe.
The Nzele Ogbe titles confirment vary from one quater to the other. In Ndobu and Ilabor the titles are rotated between the villages but this is not the case in the other sub clans.
There are also titles like the Odoziani, Okailolo, Obaseki and Olikeze. In Igbodo we don’t confer Olikeze title on a native of the land.