The Oron Nation (Akpakip Oro) was a sovereign and egalitarian society from c. 1200 until 1914 when it was forcibly incorporated into Nigeria.

Ahta was declared dead but, two months after his disappearance, he reappeared with a species of sweet yams known in Oro as Nyin-Eni.

This stool remains the oldest surviving artifact of Oro and in the Lower Cross River Basin.

[3] Ahta aya-Arah brought the six tribes that made up the Oron Nation together by introducing this yam to the different clans, which visited him daily, with his influence reaching Cameroon.

The Oron Nation prospered as an independent community with a rotatory system of kingship among the different tribal leaders.

The kingdom functioned as a free sovereign and egalitarian society until from the late 1800s until 1909,[4] when the British invaded the region and forcibly absorbed it into the Southern Nigeria Protectorate.

Ekpe became the legislative, executive, and police system of Oron as every high chief and title owner had to be a member of the Ekpe society, which is made up of seven grades in Oron: Nyamkpe, Nkanda, Usongo, Ekpeyong, Esa, Ibang, and Eyamba.

The main function of Akata was to detect antisocial behavior, publicize crimes, and ridicule of culprits into correction.

Akata members were famed for their ability to concoct songs to spotlight offenses like immoral association between the sexes, pregnancy without a husband, stealing, witchcraft, and other crimes supposedly committed in the dark.

[9] In Oron, every person in the community both male and female, except very young children, was expected to belong to an Nka.