A secret society or club found in some West African cultures, particularly among the Efik people of Nigeria, that serves social and judicial functions.
From Efik language (Niger-Congo family). The word comes directly from the Efik people's traditional governance system. The term has been used in anthropological literature since the 19th century to describe these important social organizations.
Egbos show how societies without written laws created complex justice systems using secret societies—they're like the original community courts that actually worked for centuries before modern legal systems existed in those regions.
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