Origin Of Abbi

ORIGIN - FOUNDER – Amacha

Abbi was founded by Amacha who migrated from Achala-uku in the then Anambra State. The present site of Abbi was a virgin forest and swamps uninhabited until the arrival of the first settler from Achala-uku in the east central of Nigeria, Okpala-uku Amacha.

Amacha is the great grand ancestor of all Abbi people; though to be factual, Abbi is not a homogenous people having same root trace. The acronym ‘Abbi bu ofu” almost make most people think Abbi people have a common origin. Descendants of other immigrants like Ewolokpo, Ogwezhi, Ndueze, Okita etc. who came later are also in Abbi today. Their homogeneity is blurred because members of the respective quarters can trace their origin to separate and distinct ancestors although both groups appear to have common place of Origin.

AMACHA’S JOURNEY TO ABBI

About 16^th century [late] A.D, Amacha migrated from Achala-uku to Aboh. Amacha having children, slaves, servants and wife Omai arrived Aboh and was welcomed by Obi of Aboh. In Aboh the Obi of Aboh regarded Amacha as relations perhaps because of similarity of language.

After the death of the Obi, things changed as the two sons of the Obi, Ogwezhi and Ugbo battle for the throne. The younger one Ogwezhi was more popular and at end won the war, so the elder son Ugbo caused the Aboh land and his brother, then migrated to found where is known as Orogun today.

After the battle between the two brothers, fans of the eldest son now had strayed relationship with the new Obi as they never supported his succession to the throne. This led them to leave the Aboh land together with Efe. Those that left the Aboh land were Ama [founder of Amai], Ukwata [founder of Umukwata], Efe [founder of Orogun], Amacha [founder of Abbi] and the founder of Emu

Amacha was in support of Efe who is the right heir to the throne so he had to migrate along after being ill-treated by Obi Ogwezhi. Amacha had with him his shrine called Nze. He first made a brief stop at Umu-olu, after a while he continued to move because the king of Aboh was still sending his men to get task [Ntueze] from there, so he further moved to Ashaka, as same treatment continued he left to Ushe and from Ushe he got to Abbi.

As Amacha migrates with his people, some of them could not move further but stopped in those towns and lived and had quarters in those towns. Amacha got to Abbi with three sons and his wife Omai. The sons are Ogwezi, Okolo and Aninta. The King of Aboh was still finding his way to Abbi, until he was forcefully stopped by Udu the grandchild of Amacha.

AMACHA’S LINEAGE

AMACHA – Ogwezhi, Okolo, Aninta

OGWEZHI – Onyedem, Okubor, Otokei, Ajua, Ejine [F]

OKOLO – Okita,

ANINTA – Echi, Udu, Ogwezhi, Ukpene

THE NAME ABBI

Amacha said to his family ‘’Ka anyi bili n’ebeni’’ meaning ‘’let us live here’’ after he had used his sons to measure the whole expanse of land and was sure that no other person lived in it. It is from this language Ka anyi bili that ka abili was abbreviated from and consequently abbreviated again to what we call “Abbi”. As at this time, no other person had migrated to Abbi, apart from Ndueze, brother to Amacha’s wife who had been taken by Omai.

Amacha constructed the town as he built houses for himself and family and established the “Ani juju” as a symbol of ownership of the land he had founded. He constructed the Orile Abbi as a playground for social activities and established “Nze  Shrine” the god of war at the present Elovie.

OTHER IMMIGRANTS –

Migration Of Ndueze

Ndueze is a man a younger brother to the wife of Amacha. Omai the wife of Amacha had taken Ndueze his brother from Achala-uku to help bring up, saving her parents more stress as she sees Amacha her husband was wealthy. All through the life of Ndueze, he lived happily with the family. He got married and had Children and indeed served his sister’s husband very well. His faithfulness in service and decision to stay with them all through his life, made Amacha to entrust in his hands, the service of the Nze Shrine [god of war]

Migration of Ewolokpo.

Ewolokpo is from Achala-uku; he migrated from there and came to Abbi a place already founded by Amacha. Ewolokpo was found in the outskirt of the town called “Odor-ata” and was brought to Amacha by one of Amacha’s child. One day one of the sons of Amacha, as usual went hunting and in the bush he discovered from afar of, that smoke of fire littered the sky and so he trace to see where the smoke is actually coming from, and behold he met with an old man and interrogated him and afterwards took him to his father Amacha. Amacha discovered that they both spoke same language so he could ask him about his journey to his [Amacha] settlement. The man said his name is Ewolokpo and from Achala-uku he came in search of greener pasture.

Amacha accepted him to stay with him and live as one, and from there he Ewolokpo took the oath of Oneness.  Being one, and in a bid to make Ewolokpo part of the ceremonial activities of the already established gods of the town, he Amacha arrogated the serving of the “Ani juju” to Ewolokpo.

At this time Amacha is left with the serving of the “Ndiche we’ani” though he was formerly serving the three Ani, Nze and Ndiche shrines.

Migration of Ogwezhi

After the land of Umukwata, Amai, Abbi, Emu and Orogun had been founded, a young man without family was discovered in the hunting forest of Abbi, by the grandson of Amacha called Udu. Udu is the son of Aninta, the last son of Amacha. Udu was a strong man and he personally looks after the land regularly patrolling and indeed hunting.

One day he discovered a young man though fairly older than himself and after asking him series of questions discovered he speaks a familiar language and then brought him to the town to show his fathers. As he was questioned, he told his new found friends how he had journeyed from ubulu-uku to where he was found by Udu. According to Ogwezhi he committed abomination by defaming his father’s wife that led to him being banished out of the town

After much deliberation, Ogwezhi was accepted by the people and as of this time Amacha was very stricken in age. Ogwezhi was given the oath of oneness which he took as he decided to stay and no longer wonder in the bush. Ogwezhi as a bachelor lived at the present site of Elovie Quarter in Abbi from where he went out and took wife from another established town nearby called Emu.

 Ogwezhi after sometime had issues with the Ewolokpo, as his family member also defiled Ewolokpo son’s wife.  This caused problems as the Amacha stocks judged Ogwezhi wrong for doing such. Ogwezhi will not accept but rather went into battle with the Ewolokpo family making the Amacha children to fight against them and drove the Ogwezhi family away from Abbi. Ogwezhi and his little family ran to Orogun side where they stayed for some period of time and after pleading for reconciliation were accepted back into the town but not to their original place of stay; instead they were shown the present site where the descendants of Ogwezhi still stay till date called Okwele quarters of Abbi. Note also that when Ogwezhi ran to Orogun he also took another wife there and had children with her too.