This is the story of HRH Okojie Okolo N'Ogbidi, the Onojie (king) of Uromi (1857 –1944), of Edo State, Nigeria. Okojie waged remarkable war against the British & refused to giveup his traditional rights & privileges under indirect rules that he was exiled 3 times.
#Thread 👇
#Thread 👇
By the end of the 19th century when the British was unseating the traditional rulers in Nigeria & establishing British colonial system. When the British invaded kingdoms in Nigeria some rulers surrendered easily some without a fight but the Edos fought back.
The British 1st invaded Benin city and were resisted by Oba Ovonramwen of Benin. The binis lost & the Oba was exiled to Calabar in 1897. Next they moved east & invaded Uromi in 1901. What the British didn't know was that the Esans are warriors and good in military campaigns.
The Esan military under the Benin Empire captured towns for the empire including Eko (Lagos). (Read: Edo Civilization, Esan War Machine and the Founding of Lagos - ihuanedo.ning.com/m/group/discus… )
At the time of invasion, Okojie was the crown prince. His father, king Okolo was the Onojie of Uromi. Okojie had a son, Prince Uwagbale. The British expedition force invaded with 226 men, cannons & shot-guns but were held back by Uromi military lead by Okojie.
Unlike the Benin invasion which lasted for 13days, the Uromis held the British for 45days with only dane guns, bows & arrows. The British were overwhelm by the guerrilla tactics of the uromis that they called for reinforcement of 50 more soldiers & focused on capturing King.
The Uromi Force was so good that the British officer Major Heneker attested to it in his report.
The British later captured King Okolo who later died in captivity. This demoralized the people & most villages began to surrender. However, that did not deter Okojie & his troops. Eventually, the people called for a truce & the British demanded Okojie’s presence for a parley.
As soon as Okojie arrived at the venue of the purported peace meeting, he was arrested, tried, found guilty of inciting the people of Uromi against the British, and was subsequently exiled to Calabar on the 30th of April, 1901.
According to W. Fosbery (the Political Officer who accompanied the Expeditionary Force), he was expelled because:
Few months later, Okojie was brought back from Calabar, coronated as the Enogie of Uromi & appointed the President of the Native Court charged with administratively overseeing the Uromi territory on behalf of the colonial authorities.
Still, Okoje didn't fully accept the new system of govt, countering it with passive disobedience & maintaining his opposition to British rule. He ruled like a pre-colonial monarch. The British were pissed, exiled him the 2nd time to Benin City in 1919 & install his son as Enogie.
From exile Okojie protested his removal, writing petition after petition and insisting he is still the King as long he is still alive. Through his loyalist, he continued to mount tension, protests & demonstrations in Uromi for his re-call even after 5yrs in exile in Benin city.
The British were woried that Okojie’s proximity to Uromi was dangerous to the peace of Uromi. They moved him further from Benin to Ibadan but Okojie was a diehard. He escape from Ibadan in 1926 to Uromi. He was later rarrested & exiled for the 3rd time to Ibadan again.
In 1927, the colonial authorities increased tax for adult males throughout Southern Nigeria, causing anti-tax riots in Uromi. The people became violent accusing Enogie Uwagbale of bringing hardship and demanded for the release of Okojie.
Enogie Uwagbale has been performing badly in administration and has proven to be a disappointment to the colonial concerns. In order to avoid crisis in Uromi the British released Okojie from exile in 1931, reinstalled him as Enogie & readmitted him to the Council.
Okojie reigned again as Enogie from 1931 until his death in 1944. He continued to resisted the limitations placed on his rule by the colonial authorities until his death.
End.
End.
