Somorika (formerly known as Wavo) is a town located about five kilometres North-East of

Igarra Igarra (also known as Etuno) is the Local Government Headquarters of the Akoko Edo Local Government Area of Edo State, Nigeria. The town is made up of the Ubobo, Utua, and Uffa quarters. It is beautified with rocky terrains, and is surrounded by ...

in the

Akoko Edo Akoko Edo is a Local Government Area in Edo State, Nigeria. Its headquarters is in the town of Igarra. It has an area of 1,371 km and a population of 262,110 at the 2006 census. The postal code of the area is 312. As of 2016, its populatio ...

Local Government Area of

Edo State Edo, commonly known as Edo State, is a state located in the South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria. As of 2006 National population census, the state was ranked as the 24th populated state (3,233,366) in Nigeria, However there was controversy ...

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

Description

The town speaks Okpameri Language. The town is divided into three quarters which are; 1. Oyinokara 2. Igeni 3. Oyenovo The community has a shrine called Ulokuaigbe Shrine that was established in 1955 to solve spiritual problems of the indigenes and strangers. The major doctrine preached in the shrine is the principle of ''“love your neighbour as yourself and do unto others as you want others do to you”''. People travel from all over the world to seek the town’s ancestral powers. To get to the town you have to climb seven hills. The community has a lot of histories, mysteries and work of art which are not man-made. There are basic seven age grades in the somorika community and they are; Isisiboto, Isiri, Ekuefe, Iposha, Ekualeburu, Ekuopa, Ibiase. The village head is known as the Imah of Somorika.

History

According to oral tradition, Somorikans are said to be the warriors of

Benin Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the north ...

who pulled out from the military assignment at the era of

Oba Ewuare Ewuare (also Ewuare the Great or Ewuare I) was the Oba (king) of the Benin Empire from 1440 until 1473. Ewuare became king in a violent coup against his brother Uwaifiokun which destroyed much of Benin City. After the war, Ewuare rebuilt much ...

of Benin kingdom. The leader of the warrior is reported to be a native of usilowa quarters of the benin kingdom. According to history, Somorika, Ogbe, Onumu have a common ancestors from immigrants from Benin. They settled together at Idah and later settled at Egay near Okene and then at the west of

Ibillo Ibillo is one of the largest town situated in the Akoko-Edo local government area in Edo State in Nigeria. Ibillo is surrounded by several neighboring towns/villages including Ikiran Oke, Imoga, Ekpesa and Lampese which are all part of the Twenty ...

and now they are no longer existing. They moved to their permanent sites.

Tourism

This community has a lot of rocks that are as high as 1700 feet. One of such is the Oriakpe rock (the big rock that has a human shaped rock on top of it). Another well known rock is the Odeburu rock which is reported to be the highest pinnacle of the kukuruku hills. The pinnacle can be seen from nearby town and villages even as far as

Auchi Auchi is a city in Edo State, Nigeria. Auchi Sacred Kingdom (ASK), which is part of Etsako West Local Government Area of Edo State, serves as the Local Government headquarters. Other towns in the Etsako West local government area include: Uz ...

. During the colonial era, Somorika served as relaxation and vacation spots for the British officers and their families. The community has a lot of cultural festivals. Another is the Iresha spring which flows as deep as 50 feet, the water is very chilly and forms ice in extreme temperature. They have other rocks and caves which serve as a defence to the somorikans.

References

{{coord missing, Nigeria Populated places in Edo State