Category: History – Civilization
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Isarun village in Ifedore Local Government Area of Ondo State, located along Ilesa-Akure Road having Igbara Oke as its neighbour when heading towards Akure. There are many signposts and billboards erected at the junction to show the existence of a town that is a few metres off the main road. However, Isarun is sleepy, cool…
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Nri; town, 20 miles south-east of Onitsha and three miles south-west of Awka, Anambral State, once a citadel of Igbo civilisation. Until 1911 when the British colonial administrators forced an Nri king to abrogate all codes of abomination nso ani binding the Igbo villages in Nri hegemony, Nri had the political and spiritual ascendancy in…
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Osemwende; Oba of Benin kingdom in present day Nigeria, originally known as Erediauwa, he was crowned with the title Oba Osemwende after the defeat of Oba Ogbebo. Osemwende ordered the Akure punitive expedition of 1818 to avenge the murder of Osague, the Benin empire goodwill ambassador to Akure, who was murdered on the order of…
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Equiano Olaudah, abolitionist, born 1745, was the Ibo, Nigerian-born author of an autobiography, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or; Sustarus Vassa, The African, which was purposed after showing the “enormous cruelties practiced on his fabled brethren, and to strengthen the prevailing sentiment against the trafficking of humans.” Equiano was captured with…
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Anthonio De Mingo also known by native name Oyenakpara, or nickname Benighere, was the eighth Olu of Itsekiri, inquirer of science, who was described by English adventurers to the Benin River areas in 1644 as the “king of Warri, mulatto, or half black.” Anthonio’s Portuguese mother, Magheghoeye, whose Itsekiri name was Oyeomasan, was a daughter…
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Ovonramwen was the oba of Benin between 1889 and 1897 whose reign was brought to an end by a British Expedition. Two years after the sack of his kingdom, Ovonramwen came out of hiding to demonstrate his submission to the new foreign power. After an attempt of the conquered king to escape the surveillance of…
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Benin Empire is the kingdom of the Edo people in the Guinea Coast, near the mouth of the Niger. Portuguese travelers described its capital as a big city, surrounded by high wall, and having a broad street through the center. To be sure, the kingdom is, using R.E. Bradbury’s definition, the area within which the…
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Ologbosere was the Benin chief who was convicted in the murder of Acting Consul J.R Phillips and other colonial officials at Ugbine on 4 January 1897. He was the second-in-command to Ezomo, who was the Commander-In-Chief of the Benin army during the reign of Ovonramwen whose policies and kingdom’s bad publicity led to tension which…