Ezza

Ezza is one of the three great clans of the north-eastern Igbo, with Izzi and Ikwo, in Ebonyi State. Its people trace descent from Ezekuna, and its name is written Ezza — the a doubled at the end, as the clan writes it.

Ezza, Izzi and Ikwo are brothers. The tradition that all three keep is that Ekumenyi was their grandfather and that Ezekuna, Noyo and Olodo were his sons — Ezekuna the father of Ezza, Olodo of Izzi and Noyo of Ikwo. Ezza and Izzi argue about whether they shared a mother as well as a father, and the argument is old and friendly: Izzi says they are half-brothers, and the marriages between the two clans are the proof either way.

The clan's founding figure is Ezekuna, and Amuzu near the Ekeimoha market is where the first settlement is remembered. That market is still the heart of the country.

Ezza is farmland on a large scale — yam, rice and cassava — and its people have spread beyond their own local government areas into Onicha and beyond, so that Ezza towns are found across northern Ebonyi.