The native inhabitants are still mainly Efik.
A powerful bond of union among the Efik, and one that gives them considerable influence over other tribes, is the secret society known as the Egbo.
Each tribe has a different ju-ju, and each speaks a separate language or dialect, the most widely diffused tongues being the Ibo and Efik, which have been reduced to writing.
It was not till the early part of the 18th century that the Efik, owing to civil war with their kindred and the Ibibio, migrated from the neighbourhood of the Niger to the shores of the river Calabar, and established themselves at Ikoritungko or Creek Town, a spot 4 m.
The great secret society called Egbo is an Efik institution.