When Kumbowei withdrew from his brother Kabowei, he settled only a short distance away on the Forcados River. His own sons, Agolo, Sagba, Apelei, and Angia left the new settlement after his death to found the towns of Agoloma, Sagbama, Apeleibiri (Toru and Bolou) and Angiama.
The pere of Kumbowei ibe now resides at Sagbama, and all Kumbowei worship Kumbowei Ziba, parallel to Kabo Ziba, and Gbaran Ziba. The additional fact that all Kumbowei towns are closely sited on the Forcados River should have encouraged unity and the growth of central authority. On the contrary, Kumbo settlements seem to have attained a position of equilibrium and autonomy, so that each could pursue its own course without reference to its neighbours. This is the obvious explanation of the situation when in 1884, the British consul, Alexander Bedford had to sign protection treaties in turn with Agoloma, Angiama, and Sagbama whereas he needed to sign but a single treaty at Patani with the Kabowei. The other possible explanation is that no pere existed in 1884 to provide overall leadership of the Kumbowei.
Sagbama Bronzes
There are few recorded traditions of the Kumbowei, and the historical significance of the bronzes found at Sagbama has not yet been fully explained. Horton, reporting on the Sagbama bronzes, among others, implies that they, along with the bronzes from Akugbene, Kiagbodo and Inikorogha, had a “Benin charter of origin”, and were connected with the title ofpere. The fact of apparent parity between the Kumbowei settlements, all founded by sons of the common ancestor, present similarities with the Mein case where bronzes from Benin were sought as emblems of authority. But it may be noted that recent tradition claims the Inikorogha bronzes of the Seimbiri to have come from the Sagbama-lgbedi Creek from which the Mein had originally come to the Forcados River. This suggestion does not simplify the problems of interpreting the origin and significance of the Sagbama and other delta bronzes. It shows that no easy explanation can be produced before further work is done on all delta bronzes.