THE IDOMA HISTORY!
The origin of the name Idoma remained a
mystery but some believe that there was once a
man called Idu Oma who is the father of all
Idoma people.The Idoma people once lived as a
community in Apa, a place north east of the
present Idoma land located in what is now
southern Adamawa and Nothern Taraba.
Evidence showed that the Idoma people have
lived around the Benue valley for more than
3,000 years. Another mysterious idomoid people
known as Akpoto were noticed to be the earliest
inhabitants of the region occupied today by
Idoma, Tiv, Igala, Ebira and Basa.
Evidence drawn from rites, songs and folklores
showed that the Idoma at Apa achieved a great
civilization with a centralized government and
were advanced in warfare, trade, crafts and they
probably traded with ancient Egypt, Nubia, Nok
before the rise of the Hausa city states, Kanem-
Bornu and Kwararafa of the Jukuns.
The rise of these Kingdoms was detrimental to the Idoma at
Apa. An intial alliance was made with the Jukuns
who tried to form a tribute state. An attack on
the Hausas overan Zaria and Kano and
attempted to capture Ngazargamu, the capital of
Kanem-Bornu empire but failed. From this
moment onwards, there was constant raiding of
Apa and environs by riders from Kanem-Bornu
empire.
Their use of chain mails and iron
chariots gave the illusion of invincibility which
cause war apathy in Apa. The final blow on Apa
was from internal power tussle between the
Idoma and the Jukuns. Kwararafa became very
unsafe forcing many and later all Idoma people
to emigrate southward.
This war is referred to "efu onya" in Idoma
history and it's laden with legends of
supernatural interventions that saved the Idoma
from the "Abakpa" as they were called.
At some
points, a python stretched over the great river
omada(Benue) for them to cross, at another
point, black monkeys or Rhesus monkeys
(Obagwu) cleaned their footsteps or leopards
attacked and chased the Abakpa away.
The different Idoma communities today settled
individually on different occasions from 1500s to
1800s.
The Agatu people are believed to have
left Apa earlier and settled initially at Abinsi
before founding present day Makurdi which they
called Ogyogo before their final settlement at
their present location. The second group left to
Igala land in a mass exodus on invitation to fight
a war with the Benins. This is probably the war
fought between Attah Aji and Oba Esigie in 16th
century over the confiscation of slaves by the
former. After the war, internal dispute between
the Igala and Idoma group led to the retrograde
migration towards ancestral Apa, but a group
stopped at the present day Otukpo region while
others continued and crossed the great river to
the North Bank. These group are known as
Idoma nokwu, today they are called Alago in
Nasarawa state occupying Doma, Keana,
Agwantashi and Obi.
At this period, about 500-400 years ago, many
Idoma groups were scattered thinly accros the
land between Jukun and Igala roughly today's
southern Nasarawa state, all of Benue state and
within the Igala, Jukun at Abinsi and Northern
Igbo lands.
Those that later left the Igala community formed
the Otukpa, Owukpa, Orokam and Ichama
communites.
Those that left Abinsi later formed Otukpo, Adoka
and other communities while others followed the
Agatu trail moving southward. They were many in
number and overwhelmed their new settlement
which is today's Apa local government leading to
emmigration of many of them. The largest group
went eastward forming Ekle, Agila, Igumale,
Ijigbam and Ulayi. They met Ufia(Utonkon) there,
another Apa migrants who initially settled in Igbo
lands before migrating towards other Idoma.
Another important group to leave new Apa were
the Ugboju led by Edor the great, they formed
the nucleus for settlement of later groups like
Okpiko, Onyagede. Agadagba, Ochobo anchored
around Oglewu. Those that remained in the new
Apa formed Ochekwu. The Edumoga community
initially settled at Abinsi before settling around
modern Otukpo where they divided early with one
group settling at Igede Into while others crossed
the Igede land to Okpoma, they formed the Yalla
community in present day cross River. Edeh the
leader of the main group moved towards present
day Edumoga.
Wukari continued to stretch her authority over
the Apa tribes until the establishment of the
Attah stool at Idah.
After the Igala-Jukun war of 1500s. The Idoma
forged new alliance with the Igala at many
Idoma, Igala, Ebira, Bassa and Northern Igbo
chiefs went to Idah to receive their beeds.
A new Apa/ Idoma empire was evolving before a
new upheaval began about 300 years ago when
the Tiv people began a vigorous push into the
Benue valley. This greatly reduced the Idoma
lands pushing them southwestward and
separating the Alago from the other Idoma body,
pushing them northward while encircling the Etilo
in present day Kasina Ala ad pushing others to
present day Taraba state, separated from other
Idoma. Ogyogo(Makurdi) was destroyed and
Abinse(now a Jukun town) was encircled.
The Otukpo too were displaced initially towards
Agatu land but later settled in Oglewu land
before founding their present land while others
like Umogidi settled in Adoka region as well as
Iga-Okpaya. Many displaced Idoma people found
refuge in other already established Idoma
communities giving rise to communities within
communities. Other Idoma people in Igala, Ebira,
Jukun and Igbo lands also migrated into other
Idoma territories
It's important to mention the Akpa(Akweya)
people who left Apa with the other Idoma groups
and also followed same tumultuous course.
Many other Idoma people left one Idoma
community for another while some Ebira, Igala,
Jukun, few Igbo and Abakpa found refuge in
Idoma land and were eventually Idomanized,
others were descent from aboriginal Akpoto.
The Fulani Jihad of 1805 reached the Idoma
lands in 1820s. This second efuonya caused
further dispersal of people. They Idoma fought
this battle with vigour and ultimately emerged
victorious.
A stronger Idoma nation was formed but no
central government, each community had it's
chief and they traded and exchanged ideas with
neighbouring Eloyi(Afor), Tiv, Igala, Igbo, Hausa,
Jukun and indirectly with Yoruba and Benin
kingdoms.
At the end of the 19th century, new invaders
were set to attack, this time, not horse riders
from the North with chain mails but sea farers
from the Atlantic with white skin. The British
sent Hausa into Idoma territories to tap natural
resources indiscriminately leading to their killings
which triggered the Anglo-Idoma war. Odugbeho
in Agatu was burnt down in 1899, then Akwu was
destroyed completely and the British marched on
Adoka burning down all Adoka ehaje as reprisal
for the slaughter of eight abakpa before entering
Ugboju where they encountered resistance from
chief Amanyi who was defeated and exiled to
Keffi and finally Onyagede was added to the
northern division with capital at Ankpa. The
southern division was formed by the Trenchard
patrol who pacified modern Ado, Ogbadibo and
Igede communities with capital at Okpoga..
The colonization of Idoma land was complete but
the British met resistance from the people. In
1924, the northern and southern divisions were
united and divided the into 22 districts with the
district heads forming the Ojira k'aoche.
The greatest challenge was the Ogbuloko wars
triggered by high task which was suppressed
brutally.
The British effectively ended slave trade, used
the indirect rule system and conscripted many
Idoma youths to fight in the world wars, Burma
and Congo.
The Idoma native authority was created in 1927
on pressure from Idoma Hope rising union(IHRU)
with the first administrative center at Okpoga
before it was moved to Otukpo for ease of
administration.
This paved way for the installation of the first
Ochidoma HRH Chief Ogiri Oko in 1947. It was
the entire 22 district heads that unanimously
surrendered their ancestral staff to from the new
Idoma nation.
Chief Ogiri Oko opened Idoma nation to
missionaries who brought schools and the
Christian religion. He made streets and sited the
Otukpo market. After his death In 1960, HRH
Ajene Okpabi was given his staff of office by
Queen Elizabeth herself marking the end of an
era. Indeed, Nigeria has gotten her independence
and the Idoma people will tangle with the new
nation.
As part of northern province, many Idoma people
went to Kaduna, the capital while others went to
Ibadan because of the booming cocoa farm.
The Biafran war of 1967 hit Idoma hard. Agila
was invaded while Otukpo was bombed. Many
Idoma sons fought in the army at various
capacity and conscription of Idoma youths at
Otukpo by the Nigerian army was rampant. Our
Iyalla brothers were suddenly on the Biafran side
as well as the Igbo's we traded with in same
market.
The creation of Benue Plateau in 1967 with the
capital at Jos did not favour the Idoma much
politically neither did the creation of Benue state
in 1976 nor the ceding of the Igala to Kogi state
in 1991. The Idoma people have continued to
suffer political neglect both at federal and state
level.
In the 1980s, the red and black of Idoma native
attire was born to foster unity
Despite her tumultuous history, the Idoma have
contributed greatly to Nigeria and the world a
hope to take her rightful place in the community
of Nation.
#DANIEL PLATO
I'm proud to be an idoma man.
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