How the Igala Kingdom Emerged from Aguleri: Insights from the Eri Papers
Chapter Two of the Eri Papers explains how the land of Agu Ukwu once belonged to the Ugbene people. It describes how Nriifikwuanim, son of Eri, arrived from Aguleri and settled on land granted by the Adama (Ugbene) community. The text establishes a ritual law: “Ivbe Nri evbe Adama.” When Eze-Nri received homage, he in turn honoured the Adama, who remained the original landowners. It records inheritance customs and the five villages that trace their lineage to those early hosts. Eri’s children—Agulu of Aguleri, Menri of Nri, and Attah who founded the Igala Kingdom in today’s Kogi—illustrate that the Igala people stem from Aguleri. This genealogy confirms that Kogi’s Igala kingdom came from Eri’s son, not the other way around. The chapter also refutes the claim that the Igbo arrived by ship from Kogi. It affirms that the crown and community ties predated the rise of the Igala rulers, putting that myth to rest.
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