*Introduction*
The history of Old Bende — Ohafia, Edda, Abam and Abiriba — does not stop at Ikom. It crosses into Mamfe, Akwaya, Bali and Eyumojock in Cameroon, and reaches the Congo Basin at Ouesso. This chapter reconstructs that forgotten eastern alliance, built with Jukun of Kwararafa as war partners, not mercenaries.
*1. Origin of the Alliance: Akparaja*
The name Akparaja explains the alliance. In Jukun of Wukari, _Akpara_ is the broad beheading sword. In Ohafia, _Ja_ means to cut. Joined as _Akpara-Ja_ — the blade that cuts in one stroke. Abiriba forged it, Ohafia carried it, Jukun gave it royal sanction. It was tied _horizontally on the waist_ with palm shoot in mouth as covenant sign. This blade became treaty object exchanged between Ohafia and Jukun chiefs in Wukari and Mamfe.
*2. The Migration Route 1700-1850: Ohafia → Congo*
The Aro trade network, which included _part of the current Ibibio territory, the Cameroons, and Tiv, Igala, and Idoma areas_, needed Jukun navigators of the Benue and Ohafia-Abam warriors as escorts.
Route: *Ohafia (Abia) → Ikom → Mamfe (Manyu River) → Akwaya (pass) → Bali-Nyonga (Grassfields) → Eyumojock → Cross River → Congo River (Ouesso Basin)*
At each stop, settlements were founded through blood oath _Igba Ndu_, not conquest.
*3. War Chiefs Called Ohafia / Affia in Cameroon*
This is the proof that the name traveled as title.
*Chief Affia Oko — Mamfe, Besongabang (Early 1800s):*
Abam-Ohafia. Led 30 warriors with Akparaja to help Ejagham king of Mamfe against Boki. Given land on Manyu River. Stool still called _Etchu Affia Oko_. Family performs Ikpirikpi Ogu with George wrapper and keeps Akparaja as staff.
*Chief Ohafia Ndukwe — Akwaya, Mkpot-Amazaba:*
Edda-Ohafia. Led marchers to defend Akwaya Pass. Remembered in Ekpe chant: _"Ohafia Ndukwe brought the leopard cap"_ — _Okpu Agu, round slanting cap made of black, white and red wool with leopard pattern_ reserved for warriors.
*Chief Abam Affiah — Eyumojock, Otu:*
Abam-Abiriba. Controlled Ekpe trade Ikom-Mamfe c.1830s. Warriors _tied Akparaja on their waists while beating Akpatakpa drum_. Mediated peace between migrants and Ejagham.
*Chief Ohafia Bessa / Affia Bessa — Bali-Nyonga:*
Jukun-Chamba + Ohafia. Son of Jukun prince and Ohafia woman. Helped Bali king defeat Bamileke 1895. Compound still called _Ibo-Bali_. Introduced _waist wrappers, animal skins, beads and charms, anklets and rattles_ war dress to Grassfields.
*Chief Affia Ekpa — Kumba / Congo:*
The farthest. French colonial record 1905 lists _les Affia du Congo_ — warriors from Benue with Aro who reached Likouala, Congo. Fishing camp at 3°12'N, 18°08'E still called Ohafia, founded by Igbo fishermen who came with Jukun boatmen.
*Why Ohafia → Affia?* Ejagham and Oroko languages drop initial O. Ohafia becomes Affia/Affiah. Same blood, same cap, same dance.
*4. They Still Dance Ohafia War Dance in Cameroon*
In all five stools, the dance is identical to Ebem Ohafia:
_Four men, Okpu Agu leopard caps, white chalk, beads, George wrappers blue and red with sun, palm shoot held in mouth as oath of truth and resolve, Akparaja in right hand._
This is _Ikpirikpi Ogu — War Dance of Power, or art of beheading one's enemy_. As described: _a human skull is a proof of a man's courage_ — but today performed as memory, not war. Dancers hold _small palm shoot in his mouth and a short cutlass in his right hand_.
During September, they celebrate same calendar as Ebem Ohafia — which in 2026 held _Nkwo Nzukoro, Eke Mbu, Ikere Ji Agwuwa, Eke Agwuwa Ekpe Umirima, culminating in Orie Ekpe Ebem Ukwu on September 26_. In Cameroon, they call it _Manyu Yam Festival_ but ritual is same: elders eat first, palm shoot in mouth.
*5. Why and How We Lost the Story — Three Cuts*
*Cut 1: The 1914 Border.* Britain-Nigeria and Germany-Cameroon drew a line through Ejagham-Ekoi-Ohafia-Jukun alliance. One brother became Nigerian Igbo, one became Cameroonian Ejagham. Festivals like Ikere Ji could no longer be shared. British District Reports, Buea & Mamfe Archives 1928-1930 filed Affia under "Ejagham" and Ohafia under "Igbo".
*Cut 2: The Mercenary Lie.* Colonial officers wrote Ohafia as _mercenaries hired by other communities_. Our elders say _Ndi Agha_ — war partners bound by covenant, with land rights and intermarriage. The label mercenary made permanent settlements look like temporary camps. So stools like Affia Oko were recorded as "stranger quarters" not co-founders.
*Cut 3: Post-1960 Nation Building.* Cameroon pushed Oroko/Ejagham identity, Nigeria pushed Igbo identity, Congo pushed Bangala identity. Chiefs hid Ohafia name to survive. They said "we are Manyu people" but continued dance in private.
Result: A 300-year alliance stretching from Wukari to Congo was erased by a line on map and a word — mercenary.
*Conclusion*
Ohafia, Edda, Abam and Abiriba in Cameroon and Congo were not mercenaries. They were war allies of Jukun of Kwararafa, founders of Besongabang, Akwaya, Eyumojock, Bali and Ouesso. They left behind chiefs named Ohafia/Affia, the Akparaja sword, Okpu Agu leopard cap, and Ikpirikpi Ogu war dance still danced today.
As elders in Mamfe and Ebem Ohafia both say: _"We did not fight for coin. We fought for covenant."_
*Sources for Footnotes:*
1. Ohafia and Abam oral traditions recorded 1929; Colonial District Reports, Buea & Mamfe Archives 1928-1930.
2. Rev. J.U. Ndukwe, _Cross-River Migrations_, 1927.
3. French Archives d'Afrique Centrale, Brazzaville, Series C Congo-Cameroun 1905-1910 — _Guerriers du Benue avec les Aro_.
4. Cameroon National Archives Buea: Mamfe Division Reports 1922 — Abam and Ohafia quarters.
5. Ebem Ohafia Development Union Festival Program 2026 — Nkwo Nzukoro to Orie Ekpe Ebem Ukwu Sept 20-26.
6. Ethnography of regalia: Okpu Agu leopard cap, Akparaja tied on waists, beads & charms, palm shoot in mouth.
7. Republic of Congo, Likouala Dept — Fishing settlement Ohafia.
8. Oral interviews: Chief Ifeanyi Okali (Ebem), Besongabang Elders (Mamfe), Chief Ndukwe Family (Akwaya), 2024-2026.
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