THE STORY OF ONOJA OBONI LEGENDARY - Onyeji Nnaji

THE BRIEF HISTORY OF ONOJA OBONI

Extracted from the oral text, Onoja Epic by Oneji Nnaji

Read also: The History of Umuonoja

Onoja Oboni remains one multicultural epic, hero and legend that has remained exceptionally significant in the consanguinity trace of the Igbo, Benin and Ida. Onoja’s ancestry showed him a king, while his hobo depicted him as a legend in the likelihood of the cosmic hero; Ikenga. In search of ancestral birthplace, Onoja left his foot prints in Umuekete, along the Agulu areas of Anambra State; Umuonoja, a community in Nsukka; the city of ancient legends, Ogurugu; Ama-Nkanu in Enugu state, peopling population till when finally he arrived at Nkalaha where he lived in his last days and died. Onoja was survived by three children: Ofu (whom he named after his mother’s home), Omaba and Oyide. The descendants of these sons survive today as communities in the North-eastern part of Igbo land: Nkalaha and Obeagu (pronounced Ubegu). Research also proved evidence of this population in the present day Bayelsa state. Here they are the community of people referred to as Umuodumu.    

Benin City (theologically referred to as the kingdom of Idu; the city of king) did well in the reign of Ogiso (King of the sky: the god who embodies the cosmos whom Benin takes for their ancestral god-man, Idu). The ambition to make Benin an empire began to take gradual shape since 4^th century when the city began to expand to accommodate the various communities that comprised the facets of Edo region. Before the end of 5^th century, Edo and the surroundings had been dully assimilated into the organized structure of Benin society and religion. By this time, although their population was growing increasingly, people had begun to gain knowledge of the existence of other set of human beings in places different from their very vicinity. It was apparent to them that other people would possibly exist elsewhere northwards, although they had not been discovered. This invariably kindled the desire to move about for further discovering, while some also moved to far places in search of animals to hunt. At the middle of the 5^th century, Attah left for an expedition, northward, during which he founded Ida.

Attah landed at the place he called Ida; there he settled. A few distance from his residence were the Jukuns, a set of people with a different language entirely. They lived in Celtic style. By the beginning of the 6^th century Ida had begun to grow numerically. There was a relative influence by the Jukuns who began to exercise resolute influence on that part of land. The Jukuns were more developed in their population and were bossy. Unlike them, Ida was limitedly coiled into their little population, without a king. They ascribed loyalty to Mela, an artefact institutionalized by Attah at the time of inception; a god of the earth (sacred soil). They paid loyalty to it and lived their daily lives by the dictates and instructions of the priest of Mela, called Atama. Towards the end of 6^th century, Ebule-Jonu was forestalled the first Attah to reign among them as a king. She was the eldest of Attah direct family line then alive. Meanwhile, Attah means father. Ebule was designed to rule alongside the priest of Mela and his subordinates.

Ebule-Jonu was succeeded by her brother, Agana-Poje, who died at the arrival of the 7^th century. He was the immediate younger brother of the late Ebile-Jonu, and was succeeded by his only son, Idoko. Idoko’s reign as the 3^rd Attah of Igala was remarkable with the restructuring of the customary body which composed the cabinet from Mela. He increased the custodians to nine people. This was done to accommodate responsibilities across persons as their population was becoming engrossing. He was survived by two sons; Atiyele and Ayegba. Atiyele, the elder son, moved eastward and founded the kingdom of Ankpa, while Ayegba Om’ Idoko stayed behind and succeeded his father as the fourth Attah Igala. About this time, Awuwa also left Ida and went southward where he founded Nkanu land. He landed at Ibeagwa-Nike where he settled. This idea made Nike the eldest of Nkanu land among her sisters. Oral tradition also asserts that Awuwa appeared to his children in dream, after his death, and instructed them to construct “Nwa Awuawa,” the earth goddess of Nike which survives till date. (See Agbo 2011).

Ayegba was of much significance to the historical development and survival of Igala kingdom. One of these significances is his victory over the Jukun forces and military strength (Atayi 2012). Igala was formally vassal to the Aku Uka of Wukari through whom the Jukuns exercised influence on the igala people and tried to control them. Ayegba summoned courage and waged war against the Jukuns and conquered them to establish the independent kingdom of Igala. By this declaration, Ayegba became the founder of the present Attah ruling dynasty. Oral sources proved that the success of Attah Ayegba in this war was borne out of his inestimable sacrifice. (Okakachi 2011). 

According to oral tradition, Attah Ayegba Oma Idoko offered his most beloved daughter, Inikpi to ensure that the Igalas win a war of liberation from the Jukuns' dominance while Attah Ameh Oboni was known to be very brave and resolute and revered for his stiff resistance of the British and his struggles to uphold some ancient traditions of the Igalas. When he got wind of a plan to depose and exile him by the British, he committed suicide by hanging himself to forestall the plan; for this and other numerous exploits recorded in his time, he is regarded by most Igalas as the last real traditional Attah Igala.

Ayegba included his first son, Akumabi in his cabinets. Latter Akumabi took a chieftaincy title to become the first chief of Amanata. Akumabi succeeded his father and reigned as Attah Igala. After his days as Attah Igala, the procedure for acquiring Attah seat and ascending on the throne became alternated and shared among the descendants of Ayegba Om’ Idoko (the family lines of his sons shared the throne, turn by turn).

It was the time when it was the turn of Itodo Aduga to reign as Attah Igala that the imperial expansionism of Benin Empire began to become realistic. Benin became an empire starting from 1440 and spread her military arms wide to conquer subordinate cities. Towards the end of Amacho’s reign as Attah Igala (1380s-1420), Onojah Oboni was born. Amacho reigned as Attah before Itodo ascended to the throne to reign as Attah Igala (Time Life. 1994 & Atayi 2012). Within this time, the priest in charge of the customary function of Igala Mela was Idu. He predicted Onojah’s destiny to Oboni. Considering the political turbulence on ground as conspiracy was suspected among the kingmakers, Oboni resolved to put Igane, his wife away. This was the condition that brought Igane back to Ofu, her home town.

Idu predicted the unusual features of the progeny to Oboni, who saw it disgusting to harbour such a mysterious child. Onojah, yet unborn, was seen as abominable child. Igane had returned to Ofu when Onojah was born. At birth, she called him Onoja Oboni (reflecting on the royal linage which Onojah belonged). Okwoli (1977) remarked thus: 

Onoja Oboni belongs to a special ring of eminent souls in the collective history of the Igala. Even if the group were not all giants, they certainly had giant size ambitions. Certainly, Onoja Oboni’s numerous raiding activities in the area finally led to the spread of Igala culture into Igboland.  

At birth, Onojah had outstanding features. For the first time the people of Ofu saw a child with extra fingers. Okwoli also remarks:

The traditional account as related by the Chief Priest indicates that Onoja Oboni had six fingers on each palm as well as six toes on each foot. He seemed to have been linked to the Idah royal house, through a female, which made his claim to the throne difficult to realise.  

This traditional account is in some area contorted. Of course, Onojah had six fingers each but the idea that he had additional foot may be very sceptical (see Nnaji 2003). He grew up under the care given to him by his mother, assisted by his maternal uncle who in turn acted as his father. His features placed him repulsive among his peer which invariably made him a bully. His sudden departure from Ofu was on the account of his mother’s death. Igane, his mother was killed by an ancestral python which the community had harboured. Onojah arranged and killed the snake. This attempt set the villagers against him. During this time, Itodo had been installed the Attah Igala. Following this incidence, Onojah left Ofu. He absconded with Edina, the daughter of the community’s elder. From Ofu they moved south, towards Nsukka communities where he lived in recluse. Yet he did not give up his hunting life. This sole activity gave him several descriptions in Ogurugu and Nsukka areas where he was known. Okwoli observed,

 If you drive past the university town from Nsukka in Enugu State and proceed for some 40 minutes through a green landscape, you will soon arrive at Ogurugu. To get there you would also have to turn off the main road at a point, and meander along for a little while. All of a sudden Ogurugu looms before you with a kind of silent power, which you can easily sense. Here are the remains of an ancient wall which seems to have encompassed the community at some time, and even the ruined remains are quite impressive under the late evening sunlight at the time of the visit. The remains of the wall recall similar scenes which this writer has seen in the far North, so that viewing same in Eastern Nigeria is a pleasant surprise. Ogurugu, which lies deep in Igbo land, is an Igala village, which was a favourite haunt of Onoja Oboni, an Igala giant, who played a role in spreading Igala culture and presence into parts of Igbo land.

Another account explained Onojah Oboni as not only a giant, but that his activities were also quite phenomenal. “Onoja Oboni was an Igala giant… who was banished from Idah on this account by the Attah.” This explains the ignorance of his journey and personality to the people in the east who looked at him suspiciously. Onojah was a tall, elegant and vibrantly looking young man, fair in complexion and relatively huge. The present Nkalaha community has attributed his size to that of Ebe Nwachi (died 1939). They believe that he was the more obvious figure that took after Onoja's size among his linage of the modern time. He was a brave hunter who lived at the time when men live long. His brevity and adventure won for him the respect he enjoyed among his peer and made his name to survive his generation and beyond. His successive adventure and its accruing success survived his name as a legend (Nnaji 2003).

In the early 15thc, Benin was fast becoming an empire. Her military sophistication was without comparism among her neighbours. When Ida was conquered in 1434, the communities in the surrounding began to set their fate to their wit. This opportunity, again, brought Ida to the vocabularies of Edo language even though their original language had been grossly influenced by the Jukuns and Igbo language centuries gone. Many centuries ago, one of the sons of Eri invaded Igala land during when versions of Igbo vocabularies got fused into Igala language (see Okakachi 2011). He also noted,

In Nsukka and the rest of Igbo land, there is a popular masquerade called Agabaidu, and this is a significant cultural point. In Nsukka, the word Agabidu is used to refer to an eminent man, while it is used to refer to a King in Igala. Also Asadu is the word for kingmaker among the Igbo, while it is called Achadu among the Igala. There are some other words which are signs of close cultural ties shared by both Igala and the Igbo. These include Atama, which means Chief Priest in both languages. Ajogwu means warrior among the Igala and the Igbo" Both the Igbo and Igala have four market days which are – EKE, ORIE, AFOR & NKWO in Igbo and EKE, EDE, AFOR & UKWO in Igala seriatim. What more can be more binding! Is it that we both eat OSIKAPA as rice, ABACHA as cassava, EGWA/AGWA as beans, store our clothing in AKPATI called box or that the names - Okolo, Oji, Okwoli, Akoh, Odiba, etc in Igala are called Okoro, Orji, Okoli, Akor and Odida in Igbo? What is more important is that we are today celebrating togetherness.

About this time, Onojah moved further eastward. His name grew large in the base community and he moved eastward, for he would not want to be seen. They moved further towards east and settled first in Ama-Nkanu (then called Ama Nkalu). This was the descendants of Awuwa. It was from here he moved further in his hunting life, within and far from the village. One day, in the cause of his hunt, after he had travelled farther than he could return the same day, his hunting dog, moving back and forth, suddenly returned with water all over its body. He followed the dog and came to a river within the tick forest. He drank of the water and continued his hunt. At down, Onojah built an Ulo-Egu (tent), sat under it to take his snuff. First, he poured snuff to the ground, at the entrance to the tent and said some prayers requesting for protection in his new home. The next day, he returned to base. Since he was looking for a possible virgin land that had animals to hunt for meat, he confided in his wife. In her approbation, they moved to the land. They arrived at the new home in the morning hours when the sun was still bearable to their vulnerable skin. He did not give the land any name. They left Ama-Nkanu in the 1440s, few years after Benin became an empire. Before their departure, his first son had been born and he called his name Ofu. This is the more viable trace of his origin as his memory could keep him on. Ofu was the village of Igane, his mother, and also Edina his eloped wife.

In the contemporary Nkalaha language, the name Ofu means the wall built usually at the front and around a compound which can obstructs someone from beholding another at opposite direction. When the wall is built round without any compound, some of the inhabitants called it Uhvo or Itere. In this concept, as Nkalaha language infers, Onojah was rather referring to the instinct which he believed had given him - Onojah - protection and care in his days of hobo. This refers to the tent he constructed at inception. All these explain why Nkalaha language, today, is assigned meaning through Igala language and Nkanu language.

In the new home, they were sustained by the meat he caught daily and Ite-asu, yams that grew as weeds. Few days later, two other hunters located him through the smoke produced by the fire from Edina’s cooking place. Onojah gave them meat and water to drink, then he sat in talk with them. The two men, who called their names as “Oji” and “Okpanshi,” revealed that they were of Ida origin. These men were welcomed with joy by Onojah as brethren. Oji looked much older than Onojah, but Okpanshi was as though the youngest of the three.

By this time Awo had come into the land and was accommodated also as a brother. He was given the hilly part of the land, southward. Awo came together with his brother, Edeneye. Both were descendants of Ezekuna; the ancestral father of Ezza. Awo’s descendants are called Amaezegba village. The last to come into the land was “Eke and his brother, Egbu.” they came from Ikwo. They founded Amegu village. By this time and beyond, people had come to live in the land with the aforementioned men to make their villages. A day came when Onojah received visitors from Ama-Nkalu. They had come to know Onojah’s rout. He received them and told them how he founded his new home. Other founding fathers were there with him. The strangers returned to their home. On a return visit, Onojah went with his own people; the fathers of other villages. They were received. The eldest man, after their introduction, referred to them as the Nkalu who live beside Eha-Amufu. With time the words were coined to Nkalaha. (Traditional history holds that Nkalaha was so called because the founders passed through Eha-Amufu).