Ekpe was once part of government in the Cross River region.
Before colonial rule, it performed functions that still look familiar law enforcement, courts, public regulation, and social control.
It spread widely across the region and served as a major political institution where it operated. It enforced laws, administered punishments, regulated public life, and upheld the authority of elders.
Members also used Nsibidi, the graphic sign system associated with the Cross River.
Ekpe was not merely a “secret society.” It was a political, judicial, and social institution.