Wukari

Wukari became a leading centre of the Jukun peoples of the middle Benue, with a sacred ruler known as the Aku. His authority rested on his role as intermediary between his people, their ancestors, and the gods; through him they sought rain and good harvests. Jukun chiefdoms across the valley acknowledged his religious leadership, even where they had rulers of their own.

Tradition associates the founding of Wukari with a succession dispute at Bye-pi, a former centre of Kwararafa. The claimant Katakpa left with followers and crossed the Donga, establishing a settlement that grew into Wukari. By the eighteenth century the Jukun were firmly established along the middle Benue, and the institutions centred on the Aku reached beyond the town itself.