Akoko Edo

The Ancient Akoko-Edo area is situated in the northern part of Edo state in the south of the Niger-Benue Confluence. Its dominant geographical and environmental features are chains of ancient ridges of rugged rocky hills and a cave, stretching across the length and breadth of what is now known as the Akoko-Edo LGA of the present Northern Edo State, located between "latitudes ${\displaystyle 6^{\circ }}$45 N ${\displaystyle 7^{\circ }}$ 35 N and longitudes ${\displaystyle 5^{\circ }}$55 E, ${\displaystyle 6^{\circ }}$45 E".[6] Akoko-Edo, with a population of about 124, 000 by the 1991 census, and 261, 567 by the 2006 National Population Census, occupies a land area of about 1, 371 square kilometers or 6.5% of Edoland and constitutes about 5.70% of Edo state population. The area is described as the ancestral homeland of all the sub-ethnic peoples who have been the speakers of the ancient language which is classified as Edoid.[6] Akoko-Edo is bounded in the North by the present Kwara state and parts of the present Kogi state, in the north-west by the present Ondo state, in the south-east by both Etsako west (Auchiclans) and Etsako north (Okpella), and in the south-west by Owan.[7]

The towns include Egbigere 1, Egbigere 2, Atte, Igarra, Enwan, Aiyegunle, Ugboshi-Afe, Ugboshi-Ele, Ekpesa, Ibillo, Ikiran-Ile, Ikiran oke, Ekor, Somorika, Lampese, Imoga, Ojah, Uneme-Akiosu, Ososo, Akuku, Ojirami-Dam, Imoga, Eshawa, Ojirami-Peteshi Ojirami-Afe, Dagbala, Makeke, Ekpe, Ekpedo, Bekuma, Okpe, Ogbe, Onumu, Akpama, Anyonron, Ogugu, Ikakumo, Ijaja, Oloma, Okunese, Uneme-nekua, uneme erhurun and Ikpeshi.[8][9]

The people of Akoko Edo speak Eight (8) distinct languages but overlapping occurs. The Ojiramis (Group II) for instance, understand their neighbours Akuku (Group III) and Enwan (Group I), but not the people in the other village. Yoruba is understood by mainly the older generation. Pidgin English is the most widely spoken language in Akoko Edo.