 From the Ogiso era, until Oba Esigie conquered Udo, the Ovia river at Unuame was reputed to be the boundary to exit or enter Igodomigodo land (Benin Kingdom).Giving weight to this claim, studies by Wesler and Allsworth-Jones (1998) maintained that the Ovia river at Unuame, between Benin and Udo, acted as the final boundary for the exiled and dead on their way out of Benin land, and also the point of entry for the Ife-based dynasty at Benin.The traditional head of Unuame is the "Okao of unuame", a recognised chieftaincy title and viceroy to the Benin Monarch.