Isoko North’s capital city is Ozoro. According to legend, Opute founded Ozoro when he and his wife, Ozoro, moved to Isokoland in the Niger Delta Region in the seventh century from the coasts of Igodomigodo, the previous name of the Benin Kingdom. This occurred between 600 and 618 AD, under the rule of Ogiso Orrorro, the seventh Ogiso (King) of the Great Benin Kingdom. The local government headquarters of the Isoko North Local Government Area in Delta State, Nigeria, is located in Ozoro, the most populated town in the Isoko Nation. The oral tradition that has been passed down to the current generation speaks proudly of their ancestry and descent from “AKA,” or EDO and Ubini, as their people affectionately refer to the Great Benin Empire.
Opute, their founding father and great ancestor, was a legendary warrior. From ancient Benin, he immigrated with his spouse Ozoro. Opute was compelled by circumstances to abandon his birthplace. He was a persona non grata because of issues at home. According to oral tradition, Ogwaran and Opute were sons of the same father but separate mothers. A brawl broke out between their mothers after they argued in the marketplace. During the battle, Okpe, Opute’s younger brother, accidentally blinded Ogwaran’s mother by shutting an arrow.
Opute is terrified of his giant brother Ogwaran’s infamous strength and wrath. Opute left the Benin kingdom with his wife Ozoro, his younger brother Okpe, and his brothers Odume, Osumiri, Ozormo, Etimi, Iselewu, and Obodogwa—all descended from the same mother—before Ogwaren could return. Obogelowo, Ogwaran’s medicine man, gave Opute and his brothers a fierce chase. When they reached the Ologbo River, Obogelowo broke off the chase and went back to Benin; he was unable to cross the river for fear of losing his magical abilities. With a wealth of magical abilities from his victories in battle and endeavors, Opute departed the shores of Benin. His father gave him a magical staff (“Usu”), the seed of a possession tree, and the replication/artifacts of his own deity.
Opute used his magical “Usu” to search for a favorable location to settle during his escape from Benin. He carried out the custom of pushing the “Usu” into the earth and bringing it out in each likely settlement. If he successfully pulled it out, such a place was deemed as not suited for habitation. After several suns and moons on his journey of destiny, countless rivers and streams crossed, numerous attacks by both men and monsters subdued, and numerous testing locations that the “Usu” rejected, he eventually arrived upland in the heart of the Niger Delta.
He places his “Usu” in the ground precisely where the communal god of Eri-Okpe is currently kept. Unlike in the previous “unwanted” site, he was unable to remove the Usu from the ground at this fortunate place. His holy settlement had been selected and accepted by the powers that trailed, led, and supported him! In order to gain control of the land, he planted the possession tree here and erected a shrine for the ancestral deity there. Later on, Okpe, his younger brother, rose to the position of high priest for the ancestral deity. The god eventually took on the name Eri-Okpe, which comes from the name of its high priest Okpe. As of right now, the long-standing Okpe family is recognized for producing the deity’s high priest.
Opute gave birth to five sons who, in a way reminiscent to the current Benin City ring road, established at Uruto, Erovie, Etevie, Urude, and Urumudhu, in that order. The boys then fanned out and settled in star-fashion form from Ala, which marks the geographical and administrative heart of Ozoro. Along with Opute, the other brothers who fled the Benin kingdom established their own communities. Odume located Aboh, Okpe located Okpe, and Ossumiri located Osisa. Afor Clan was formed by Etimi, Obodogwa found Obodogwa, Iselegw found Iselegwu, and Ozormo found Ashaka. However, Opute’s ancestors created Usie and Ofagbe.
Opute’s Sons made life miserable for Okpe, his wife, and their kids when Opute passed away, which fueled their growing animosity. Okpe established his own community at the current site of Okpe-Isoko town after leaving Ozoro with his family. Following his departure, the deity appointed a new high priest, ending his role as its high priest. The next high priest’s family was named Olua-Okpe, which yields the high priest of the ancestral deity, as the deity had become known as Eri-Okpe after the name Okpe. According to legend, Okpe moved from Okpe-Isoko to Orero-Okpe once more, supposedly to get away from Opute’s sons’ ongoing problems. He lived there for the remainder of his life.
One of Opute’s many magical abilities was her affinity for wild animals, particularly lions, which she saw as representations of strength, authority, and dignity. He possessed the ability to make the country manifest with an enormous number of lions. The name “Egwo-Idudu,” which translates to “the land of fear” or “the dreaded land,” comes from the lions’ roars that surrounded Ozoro’s domain, protecting it from outside invaders. This, along with Opute’s reputation as a fierce warrior, made Ozoro a feared figure to all the nearby towns. This matched and supported the wife’s name, Ozoro, which means “there is fear” in Isoko. In the end, the town Opute created was dubbed Ozoro rather than Opute for the same reason.
While Christianity is the most common religion in Ozoro, many locals still follow African traditional religion, which dates back thousands of years before European settlers arrived in the continent. The numerous ancestral shrines that are still visible in Ozoro attest to this. A critical analysis of the typical Ozoro indigene’s belief system will show a mix of pagan and Christian influences.
