08/04/2025
Of Ojuromi of Uromi: Matters Arising From The Uromi 16
A few days ago, my attention was drawn to a publication made by HRH Zaiki Edenojie II, the Ojuromi of Uromi kingdom, before and after which the public have been fed with many skewed narratives that might have gained the life of a conspiracy theory, about the person of the revered throne of Uromi Kingdom, of Edo State. The publication, titled "Press Briefing From The Palace of The Ojuromi of Uromi" commiserate with the bereaved families of the 16 victims of the mob killing that occurred in Uromi on 27th March, when a group of suspecting youths swamped on the passengers of a truck with occupants said to be travelling from Portharcourt to the North enrout Uromi. The truck, said to have resisted an earlier check by vigilantes, was eventually halted, before it was discovered that the vehicle was also occupied with guns, charms and cash sums. The ensuing chase and resistance led to a mob action that unfortunately took the lives of 16 occupants of the truck, with some occupants successfully securing their escape from the mob. In his statement, the Ojuromi cleared the air about some indiscreet social media attack on the Palace, while he called for calm from all concerned, noting that the situation was being brought under effective control. I thought it was an appropriate outing.
As many concerned citizens of Esanland, I rebroadcast the HRH's briefing across my social media handles. I have, accordingly,
kept tab with comments and reactions. On the aggregate, there appear to have been short supply of information from the Palace of Uromi, that should continuously set the records aright for the concerned public.
I'm neither an indigen of Uromi nor a consultant to the Palace. So the views traded here are simply mine, born out of the duty incumbent upon me as a Chief of Esanland, and one with a fair access to the pen. I have therefore nosed around for the facts of the matter, perhaps in defence of the Royal House.
It's reasonable to lay an indepth background to the lingering security situation in Esanland that would inevitably climax in a horrendous 27, March, 2025.
The security situation in Esanland, had recently been of grave concern to indigens - home and abroad - as many sons and daughters have continued to be waylaid and pushed into the bushes in hostage by "Fulani headsmen", and sometimes in cahoot with indigens. Many who have come home to burry their loved once have ended up being buried in the bushes, maimed, dehumanised and traumatised, most times even after payment of ransom. Mothers and sisters get r***d in the presence of their husband and children, in their farms. Any form of resistance has had whole family abruptly removed from earth.
Thus, the reasonably agrarian communities of Esanland have been denied their main source of livelihood as fear of the hell-ordained Fulani kidnappers who have taken over the bushes, farmlands and inter-community roads remain the beginning of wisdom. Many indigens who eke a living from tilling the ground as divinely admonished, have been further reduced to indigent community dwellers. Instead, they are now forced to rely on stipends from diaspora relatives who were already stretched and overburdened by the ever expanding help-me industry back home in Nigeria.
As if operating in the fringes was
not enough gains, the sons of hell have gone to residences in Uromi, Ubiaja, Ugboha, Ekpoma etc, to take targets hostage for cash exchange that the latter hardly has opportunity to bargain, within the usual short notices granted.
The very limited number of the Police available to man the vast operation network of the evil doers has become more obvious, leading to self help in the forms of vigilantes and other youth wings across Edo State.
Matters might have become worsened when the state vigilantes network was recently proscribed, (Just when neighbouring Ondo state's red kitted Amotekun daily gains admirable shape and efficiency in the job of providing alternative intra-state security for her people). And the military buffering once visible along major inter-community roads have become less and less visible in their security enterprise, thereby creating additional feasibility and incentive for the sprouting of more kidnapper cells. May I now return to the crux of this article, which is about the vile reference to the monarch of Uromi in the matter arising from the Uromi 16.
What are some of the near comical reasons adduced and suggested by some of the monarch's uninformed critics, for which some answers will hopefully do? Let's state a few significant once: 1, that the monarch made a none-native Hausa man Chairman of Uromi market, over and above the indigens
2, that he honoured an Hausa man with a traditional title and 3, that the monarch is in an unhealthy wholesale cow business relationship with the none-native, wherein he is bound to protect their interest over and above his own subjects. The monarch has since convincingly refuted this claim of business alliance.
But let's first inform the cynics that the present generation of Hausas found in Uromi is at least the fifth-eight generation. Let's also buttress the known fact that
until the recent disquiet in the North and the resultant surge down South of the Fulani/Hausa/Tiv tribes, which inevitably took along with it an unwholesome proliferation of strange variant of crime in the South, the Hausa tribe had never been in history as a truculent group in Esanland or Uromi - for proper context.
Or, is it that because there are obvious indications that most of the kidnappings and mayhem carried out in the Esan corridors and elsewhere in Edo State, have been linked to the Hausa/Fulani tribe enough reason to seek to ostracise the many good once who had lived around us? Conversely, is it tenable that the unfortunate fact that an Esan monarch was sometimes caught napping in an unholy syndication with kidnappers enough reason for indiscretioned generalisation that other monarchs could be so guilty? If not, on what ground does the monarch's critics expect him to disassociate himself from a sect whose activities have helped to sure up the socio-economics of the fastest growing economy in Esanland?
As we nibble on the foregoing, let's be reminded also that like the Hausas, the mercantile itinerant Ibo tribe has also built an admirable community in Uromi lengthening through decades of cordiality in trade and neighbourliness, so much so that it has also attracted honorary titles from successive monarchs of Uromi kingdom, just as her Yoruba inhabitants.
These none indigenous Chiefs have served as effective interface between the Palace and the guest-indigens, such that Malam Aliu Haruna,(shown in the video by a skit maker) is the Ojiezele of Uromi kingdom. It's with this Chief and his fellow teammates that HRH the Onogie/Ojuromi of Uromi kingdom and his Excellency Governor Monday Okpebholo make several consultations, beginning from the wake of the unfortunate incidence of the Uromi 16, on 27th March.
One would have expected that this show of royal charisma would earn the Ojuromi a noble cheers from the fair minded of Uromi kingdom and beyond.
Today, let Uromi stand as a metaphor for the Esan tribe. Well-meaning sons and daughters of Esanland, especially those who are equipped with the gift of the gab, and of the prolific pen, should learn to deploy them as tools to enhance what we have, instead of engaging in preachment that seek to deprecate our traditional institutions, thereby conjoining with Nigeria's political class to denigrate that which is deserving of honour.
Now, the point about making a none-Uromi/Esan the Chairman of "Uromi market". There are an upward of five major markets in Uromi, with the main market, the Ojuromi Market, situated just about three minutes drive from the Palace. Some of these markets are spread across the vast extensions of the confederating communities of Uromi. All such markets' unions have well been headed by indigens. For instance, the current Chairman of the Ojuromi Market is Odion Idiayi.
Aside these regular markets is the Ibaleke Market also located around the seat of power. The Ibaleke market is often simply called Hausa Market, because the main traders in it are Hausas, who traditionally engage in the sale of, especially, meat, tomatoes etc. But never in the skewed narrative of hunting! Or can anyone share a testimony of where in the South that the Fulani/Hausa persons have been granted hunting permit. If at all, would Riverine
Portharcourt (where the victims were reported to be headed from) be a possible place for hunting? Who licensed their guns, if they had one? And for where could they have been licensed to operate? What local hunters union could they be identified with in Portharcourt or wherever? I'm aware that even our indigenous hunters have challenge with obtaining operationlicence. On Uromi 16, we will have to call a spade a spade. Though saddened by the mode of their killing, those boys were miscreants of sheer terrorist dimension! Back to the matter.
Granted that the Onogie might have made some intervention in the leadership of the market time-to-time, this has been purely based on invitation from, particularly, the meat section, who are said to have always had challenges with succession of their leadership. In their own wisdom, the Onogie is sometimes invited to wade in. In another instance, as part of checks on the guests, the Onogie had ensured that the market, which was recently relocated to its present position, was named in Esan language against the desire of the meat merchants. Hence the Ibaleke Market. It's this market, currently being presided over by Mallam Aliu Haruna, that has made the rounds by skit merchants and social media patrons.
Could the monarch have done more in the area of security and social cohesion of his Uromi kingdom of Esan Central? Yes! But to what extent, if not purely advisory, given that local administration as of traditional rulership is set under Nigeria's Local Governments, who are statutorily saddled with security, under the supervision of the Governor. This is definitely one encumbrance that begets the absence of efficiency in our local security system.This article is not able not delve into the arena of the ultimate campaign for a more inclusive role for traditional rulers in local governance, in Nigeria.
To further take the point home however, as noted earlier, there are two significant factors possibly missing in Uromi kingdom, namely insufficient supply of information from the Palace to, first, the Uromi public and to the general publics; and second, poor feedback from the Uromi public to the Palace. This point can be underscored by the observation that most social media ill exuberances that seek to perform their artistry in awkward absurdity, who hence, inadvertently find themselves in near desecration of the Esan traditional institutions, most of whom are Uromi(ians), should tread with caution.
We need to be careful to avoid falling prey of the shallow wisdom on the proverbial ant, who in choosing to settle scores with his fellow cockroach, inflicted his entire community with insecticide, and end up killing itself, his enemy the cockroach and the unconcerned fly! Our leaders traditional and otherwise must also do well to check and rid themselves of any untowards patronage. They should strive to create a higher kindred nexus between them and their subjects.
While at that, it's one's fervent hope that all private and public attention being given to matters arising from the Uromi/Fulani 16, by the Governor and the Onogie, would attend to the core security issues in Esanland, and once again cause a spike of social economic activities for the betterment of society at large.
Fredrick Idehenre
(The Akoamhen of Ohordua Kingdom)
