Mapping the Journey: Origins of the Efik from Makida to Calabar

The term “Efik” originally meant “the oppressors” and referred to clans that controlled inland trade routes. These included the Iboku, Efio-Ekpo and Obodom communities such as Idua, Enwang and Oron. Early Efik traced their ancestry to a pan-ethnic group called Ifa. These mercenaries migrated from North Central Africa in waves, settling in the Benin Kingdom as religious specialists known as Efa. Over centuries, many Efa moved on to Igbo-Ukwu, then to Ibom, Uruan and Creek Town. Along the way, they intermarried but preserved unique customs like elaborate twin ceremonies and royal burials. A popular Efik phrase, “Tongo Eyo Makida,” recalls their first settlement at Makida. Their migration from North Africa through Benin, Igbo-Ukwu and Uruan shaped the rich heritage of the Efik people in modern Calabar.

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