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By 1884-85 AD. The Europeans at the Berlin Conference divided Africa among themselves.

The British who conquered this part of West Africa operated through sea ports where the early Europeans had established trading posts. Up to that time the Europeans were satisfied with their trading operations along the coast. They left the influential African

Chiefs to perform the role of middlemen between them and people of the hinter land in both the slave trade and the palm trade that replaced the slave trade after its abolition.

By 1857 the Church Missionary Society (C.M.S) through the help of some ex-slaves,

Under the leadership of Bishop Samuel Ajayi Crowther had reached Onitsha with the gospel of Christ. From Onitsha they began to move into the hinterland both eastwards and westwards. Before that time they had been operating mainly along the routes of the Royal Niger Company (R.N.C) which had important bases in Lokoja and Asaba.

As the Europeans and their men of of the West African Frontier Force were marching westwards of the river Niger from the Asaba end, news reached Ubulu-Uku that the white men were advancing and that many towns and villages had fallen to them. Everyone became worried.

  In Ubulu-Uku the Ekumeku organization was led by people like Idegwu (Ogbu-Okpukpu)Osu, Unegwu Eze Alume and Nwiwu their mother.

These people prepared some charms that were said to be capable of making the white men turn back to another destination. The charms known as Okili, were said to have been buried at the four cardinal points from where they were expecting the white men.

Despite the preventive charms prepared for preventing the white men from getting into Ubulu Uku, the Ekumeku leaders did not take chances. They trained militarily, and prepared something that would let them know the time the white men defied their charms and came into their territory. They prepared herbs and fed to a cock, which was suspended in a palm tree, with the instruction to crow everyday, except when it sited a white man. The cock was not fed anything afterwards. It continue to was stronger until one fateful morning in 1904, when it did not crow, indicating that the white men had defied the boundary charms and entered Ubulu land. The Ekumeku member, with their resolution – (Onye azokwana ka anyi kwu),  rallied round and set out to battle with the white men.

The Ekumeku masaccare the British forces in large numbers, by laying an ambush in the forest around Alumu village pond called – Enugu Ogodo Alumu. A native flutist was mounted at the top of a palmtree, with an opening at the center. He would in turn use the music of his flute to inform his men,  whenever he sees the British forces. This later took an unfortunate turn, when the British forces located and kill the flutist. The  invinsible Ekumeku forces of Ubulu Uku, without the help of the flutist, were  eventually conquered. With the conquest of the Ekumeku forces, the whole of Ubulu Uku came under British rule.