HOW BENIN EMPIRE DEALT WITH THE INSUBORDINATION OF DEJI OF AKURE IN AD 1818
After the success of the coup d’etat staged by Ezomo Erebor against the usurper, Prince Ogbebor, Erebors nephew, Prince Erediauwa returned from exile in Ewohimi in Ishan, and assumed his rightful office as Osemwende, the Oba of Benin.
As was customary, whenever a new Oba of Benin ascended the throne of his father, the Chalk of Good Tidings was sent to all the vassal potentates in the Benin Empire, informing them that a new Oba was on the throne in Benin City.
One of the ranking chiefs in the Iwebo Chancellery of the Palace, the Osague of Benin, was the Emissary entrusted with this Chalk of Good Tidings to the Akure monarch, the Deji of Akure.
The name of the Deji was Arakale.
The day that the Osague presented the royal chalk at the palace of the Deji in Akure, he was suitably dressed as the benin chief of rank that he was, adorned with the ceremonial neck beads of the ikele, bead arm-lets and anklets, and the bead neck-choke of the odigba. He was thus regally resplendent, and his host, the Deji was filled with covetousness for these chiefly items of adornment.
Arakale accepted the Chalk of Good Tidings with joy, and prayed for the good health and longevity of the new Oba of Benin, and for peace and fruitfulness all over the Empire.
Later, in the Osague’s place of domicile, there at Akure, a little misunderstanding broke out between one of his wives he had travelled with to Akure, and a local tobacco seller, as narrated by J.U Egharevba in his “Short History of Benin”.
It was suspected that Arakale himself had instigated the misunderstanding. The quarrel led to a fight, and the Osague came out from inside the house to lend some help to his wife. He was attacked and murdered in the fracas.
The Deji of Akure thereupon seized all the Osagues chiefly coral beads adornment.
News of the happenings in Akure reached Benin, that the Oba’s Emmisary had been murdered. The year was 1818.
War was thereupon declared upon Akure by Oba Osemwende, and a punitive Expedition assembled for the task.
According to the fairly detailed account of the episode by J.U Egharevba three Benin war commanders, led by Erebor the Ezomo, were in charge of the Akure Expedition. The other two commanders were the Ologbosere and Imaran.
Let us quote Egharevba: “The Ezomo went by way of the Okearo approach to Akure. The Ologbosere by Okelisa, and the Imaran by Isikan and Isinkin. At Oke-Elegbin, a mile from Akure, Omonoyan, the captain of Artillery of the Ezomo’s troops, fired a canoon which ruined the house of the Deji, and the town was taken by assault”.
The ruler, Deji Arakale, successfully fled the fallen town. He sought refuge in Ado Ekiti, but was refused succor by the Ewi, the monarch of the town, for fear of the Benin Army. So he went to Uju, and from there he went on to Uhen. The Uhen ruler, the Arinjale took him prisoner and returned him to the victorious Ezomo in Akure.
Of the three Commanders of the Benin army who undertook this campaign, only one, the Imaran, returned to Benin alive. The Ologbosere, on his return journey to Benin, died of natural causes, and was buried in Okemuen village, by the head-waters of the Orhionmwon river, near Ehor town. This was the same village where his descendant, Irabor, the Ologbosere of the “Benin Massacre” fame of 1897, successfully resisted the British occupation of the Benin territories for two and a half years after Benin fell, until he was wounded and captured there, in june 1899, by a full-fledged British Military Expedition named the “Benin Territories Expedition”, only a little less sophisticated in armament than the Expeditionary Force which had captured Benin City in February 1897.
Erebor the Ezomo, on the other hand, contracted Small Pox soon after he had achieved victory in the Akure war, and died before setting out to return to Benin City. J. U. Egharevba narrates that the Ezomo was then buried near Akure by his fellow War Chief, the Imaran, helped by Ezabayo, the Ezomo’s senior lieutenant.
Ezabayo Street in Benin is named after this lieutenant.
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In 1818, during the Benin Empire’s rule, the Deji (traditional ruler) of Akure, Oba Ogunsheye, faced accusations of insubordination and defiance against the authority of the Benin Empire. The Benin Empire, under Oba Ogbebor, took decisive action to assert its authority and punish the Deji for his perceived disobedience.
The exact details of how the Benin Empire dealt with the insubordination of the Deji of Akure in 1818 are not extensively documented in historical records. However, based on general practices of the time and similar historical events:
- Military Intervention: The Benin Empire likely sent military forces to Akure to enforce its authority and quell any resistance. Military campaigns were often used by African kingdoms and empires to assert control over subordinate territories and rulers.
- Political Sanctions: The Benin Empire might have imposed political sanctions on Akure and its ruler, such as economic restrictions, trade embargoes, or diplomatic isolation. These measures were aimed at weakening the Deji’s power and influence.
- Replacement of Leadership: In extreme cases, African kingdoms sometimes deposed or replaced rulers who were deemed too defiant or disobedient. It’s possible that the Benin Empire considered replacing Oba Ogunsheye with a more compliant ruler to ensure Akure’s loyalty.
- Negotiation and Diplomacy: Depending on the circumstances, the Benin Empire might have also employed negotiation and diplomacy to resolve the conflict peacefully. This could involve mediation by respected elders or diplomatic envoys to reach a settlement acceptable to both parties.
Unfortunately, specific details regarding the exact methods used by the Benin Empire in 1818 are scarce. The history of African kingdoms and empires often relied on oral traditions, which could vary in their accounts. Therefore, the above points provide a general understanding of how such situations were typically handled within the context of African political history during that period.