The nsibidi script is used by the Efik, and Ekoi peoples who live in the Cross River region of Nigeria and western Cameroon. The script is used by the initiated members of a secret society called the Leopard or Ekpe Society. During the precolonial era, Ekpe society functions were many and varied. Apart from enforcing laws, its courts judged important cases and recovered debts for its members.

The nsibidi script is used for recording short stories, proverbs, court cases, messages, and the records of the Ekpe Society.

Messages may be found:

• carved on calabashes

• painted on walls,

• printed on cloth,

• tattooed on the human body,

• drawn on the ground in charcoal and chalk,

• and scratched or painted on masks.