The fact that certain Europeans and other Africans like Boston and Bishop Samuel Ajayi Crowder initially wrote history about Igala kingdom, made it very clumsy, complicated and stultified with the attendant ambiguities and irregularities coupled with what I will preferred, false assumptions and erroneous believe about the personality of Abutu-Eje and other notable events such as the personality of Achadu Oka Ata, the distortion of Ebule Jonu as “the first Ata Igala”, a strange Ata Idoko different from Idoko the son of Aganapoje and many more.
There is therefore, a compelling mandate on all of us to put the facts on the table of public opinions for accurate and intelligent assessment of these bare pieces of information about our origin and culture .
Abutu -EJe to me, is not a Jukun but an Igala origin as a representative (counncellor) in the then kwararafa royal court who was left behind when the first migration of Igala from Wukari ( Jukun) to Amagede Ife in the present Omala local government( old Benue valley) Abejukolo, the present Omale local government Area of Kogi State .
In considering the accounts of Igala exodus along side with other ethnic groups within the context of old kwararafa kingdom to a point of no returns from: The tower’s of babel to Egypt from Egypt to Sudan from Sudan to Ethiopia from Ethiopia to Congo from Congo to the present day Borno state of Nigeria and from brono to kwararafa (Wukari) the present day Taraba state and from Taraba to Omagede ( Abejukolo-Ife. ) and finally from ife- Amagede to Idah. Archaeologically, the settlement at Ife- Amagede ( Old Benue valley) can be dated to 4th century BC, The Otutubatu Shirine,Tombs, Name of streams, communities and urban structures appearing in the 9th-13th Centuries are all facts backed on this research and subject matter. Between 700 and 900 A.D. the City ( Old Benue valley) began to develop as a major artistic center,” And “by the 12th Century the Igala artists were already creating bronze, stone, trap, arrow, Cutlass, and terracotta sculptures.” The phase of Omala ( Old Benue valley) before the rise of the likes of Oyo and others – between 1100–1600, is sometimes described as a “golden age” of Omala ( Old Benue valley)
while archeological evidences futher reviewed that the first Igala group arrived Idah from ife- Amagede ( Old Benue valley) around 500 BC . It’s important to note that, Kwararafa was a population of multifaceted ethnic state comprising Jukuns, Igalas, Ebiras, Agatu (Idomas), Nupe, Igede, and a host of others living as a Confederated state led by the Jukuns. However, as an individual groups made up of different clans or tribes like in the case of the present Nigeria with National Assembly been represented by different ethnic nationalities. However, the call to leadership became necessary as this leaders exerted and willed considerable authority over their followers. As a result of conflict of interest, some of the Igalas moved out of Wukari living others behind to Ibi, Ibi is in the present Taraba state ( Ibi meaning, ibi-dogba adubi, ibidubi Adagba in Igala dialect) and then journeyed down to Amagede
(Abejukolo-Ife) but later still moved futher living others behind to the South ward( Igala Mela-Idah(kogi state) The leadership position assumed and the role played by the duo of Eje, Ada -Adagba, Abutu the later son of Eje and Ogala Eje through thick and thin to the present day Igala land can not be over emphasized.
History has it that, the present Abejukolo was named after his popular word “Aboji kilo”. His quest for total unification and freedom saw him at Abejukolo on his way from Wukari while on getting to a particular sport (Abejukolo ) there was confusion as to which direction to go in furtherance of their journey.He insisted they stayed a little before continuing their journey but some were afraid of the unknown and possible attacks from the enemy as was the case in those days. It was then probably act of annoyance he said “Aboji kilo” meaning ” who is doubting should go” now corrupted to ABEJUKOLO in the present day Omala local government Area of Kogi State.
The word : ” Aboji kilo ” spoken by Abutu-Eje far back then before becoming a King was an Igala language and the word ” Abutu” in Igala means a child who was convinced after several efforts and attempts by the mother whereas “Eje ” is leopard which donoates braveness and strength according to Igala tradition.
There are several school of thoughts about Abutu-Eje personality:
The likes of Bishop Samuel Ajayi Crowder, Clifford and Boston posit that he was conceived and birthed by a leopard
Which to me was a great distort and disservice to the good people of Igala Nation. As False as their accounts sounds, it’s unfortunate that some Igala historians are yet to come out of this erroneous assumptions.
The other groups erroneously believed that Abutu-Eje is/was of jukun origin while others further argue that his an Igala Origin as there is no any proof to justify his Jukun Origin. The school of thought that post Abutu-Eje a Jukun and leopard origin assertions does not hold water considering the fact that there were no scientific or empirical prove to back up their illusions. Another key and vital point from the above is that in terms of language, culture, name bearing and many more,
Proved Samuel Bishop Ajiyi crowder, Clifford, Boston and Abutu-ejeh Origin stands as an imaginary assumptions. Just like same assumptions held by the Yorubas regarding Oduduwa; Oduduwa was believed to have descended from heaven with a sand and a chicken on a spot above the waters where the present day Ile ife is situated hanging unto a rope, spreading the sand on the waters and making the chicken to spread spread the sand on the water to become dry land.You and I know that this account’s is faulty on all premises bearing in mind that it lacks scientific and empirical proves and could be best regarded as a figment of the writers imagination.
It is possible that at kwararafa, Abutu- EJe who with Ogala and others led Igala group from Egypt to kwararafa (the confederacy conquest state) Abutu-Eje must have stayed back due to some reasons while Ogala and others like Ada Adagba, Aba led Igala to our present abode ( Amagede in Ife -Omala)
Even in the Bible and Quran, when several ethnic groups migrate together, for instance let’s take Bible as a case study, leaders or the most elderly of the clan or group would serve as the leader : these on the other hand serve the people their leaders by judging their conduct, coordinate and guide their movement and activities. So it must have been the case with our forefathers, since kwararafa was a Federacy conquest with different tribes and clans there is possibility of every tribes representatives at the royal Court.
Could it be that Abutu-Eje and Ogala were the then IGALA representatives ( Noble counncellors) at the royal Court and it might be only those leaders (counncellors) that would serve as the go between his own tribe & others but were distortedly captured as “Jukun royal counsellor” by Boston and Clifford’s accounts ?
Because, as it were then, not every person from his tribe would understand the dominant & the then ruling tribe (Jukun). As a result of their migration, many Igala leaders must died on their way due to the duration of their journey. ( 1000-2000 years on the average)It is pertinent to note that there were other several Igala leaders from the top down to Ada Adagba, Ogala, Idoko Abutu Eje that led Igala race from Egypt to kwararafa kingdom or from Borno to the present taraba state before Igala broke away to the present day Ile-ife and Idah respectively. It should be note that Abutu -Efulu founded Abejukolo with his brother Achalla Abutu
While the following are the early settlements of Omala ( Old Benue valley) according to their hierarchychal order;
1Amagede- mostly dominated by the Agatu brothers
2.Odo
3.OLaugo
- Echa
5.Ikor
6.Igah
while Abejukolo was a latter creation by the son of OYIGEBE.
Today, there are several questions begging for answers resulting from this arguments: According to Bishop Samuel Ajayi Crowder and Boston, “Abutu-Eje was conceived and birthed by a leopard. I ask Igala historians, how could that be? What is the Nexus between man and animals regarding procreation?
He could have been possibly become a leopard being born of a leopard. But how do you reconcile that to his human personality?
To me, the “Eje ” in Abutu nomenclature does not suggest a title but rather a surname and the Igala meaning of EJeh is leopard while “Abutu” in Igala means a child who was convinced after several efforts or attempts by the mother whereas “Eje ” is leopard as earlier stated! In all my research toTaraba and among the Jukuns friends in school, there is nothing like Abutu, Ogala Amichi, Aganapoje, Ajogwu, or EJeh in terms of name bearing or any meaning in their language.To me,The nomenclature”Ejeh in Abutu is a surname supporting the fact that “Abutu ” has a father and the father must have been the “EJeh”
I think this is purely a mistaken identity propagated by a deluded minds. Other questions demanding answers;
- are After leaving kwararafa Confederated unions, who led the Igalas to Otutubatu-Abejukolo-Ife(Omagede)?
(2)Before Abutu-Eje journeyed to meet them afterwards, and at what point(place)did he meet them?
(3) If Abutu EJeh had not met or related with these set of people before (IGALA) how could he have confidently traced Igala all the way from Wukari in the present Taraba state Amagede (Ile-ife-Omala) and Idah the present Igala abode?Above all, Abutu Eje and his house hold would have been denied. Again,
(4)Is there any justification of leopard fathering Abutu-Eje?
(5)What about the cultural diversities and differences between Jukun and Igala ?If truly Abutu EJeh was a Jukun origin, Just like British introduced some British policies in Nigeria during the colonial rule, Is expected of Abutu- EJeh to have done the same to Igala traditional institution
(6) How possible could Ayegba had led war against his ancestors (Jukuns)?
At this point, Any Jukun or the Ibo assumptions by Bishop Samuel Ajayi Crowder, Clifford and Boston must be lampooned, castigated and jettisoned.
Abutu-ejeh the present rulling class- Ayegba dynasty are purely and 100 percent Igala and not jukun neither Ibo as speculated from different quarters.
Looking back on the influence of the Igalas before the creation of Nigeria, The Attah Amocheje (an Ancient ruler of the Igala kingdom) was one of the earliest rulers in present day Nigeria to sign a treaty with the British. He signed this treaty with the British as early as 1841, twenty years before Lagos signed hers with the British in 1861. The Igalas also controlled all activities and navigation on the Niger River at Idah many years before the advent of the Europeans.
The Igala sons and daughters around the world are advised to learn their history and be proud of our achievements and contribution to the Nigeria project.
We should be inspired by the great achievements of our predecessors, and also learn from their mistakes so we do not repeat them.
I sincerely enjoined our native scholars and historians to wake up and engage themselves on fact finding mission to nail most of these aged obnoxious and notorious assertions based on imaginary figment with a fictitious and delusional colorations in our noble history.
God bless our Ancestors.
Felix Solomon Omachoko
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