By Godfrey Okpugie-Okunbor
All roads lead to Benin City, the Edo State capital, Benin Kingdom, where programmes have been attanged by Prince Curtis Ogbebor, the head of UKGB Ẹdo state chapter, under the leadership of Prince Evangelist Jessy Ọsemwegiẹ Isibọr, the leader and the Coordinator General of Indigenous People of United kingdom of Great Benin Empire, to commemorate the 1897 invasion of the ancient Kingdom by the British Government that led to the death of so many indigenous people of United Kingdom of Great Benin Empire, ransacking of the Oba’s Palace, and large-scale looting of valuables artefacts.
With the theme: ‘1897 Invasion, The Year We Will Never Forget,’ the programme of events are as follow:
Day 1: Thursday, February 9, 2023, by 8:00a.m., all citizens of United Kingdom of Great Benin (UKGB) are to assemble at Benin Museum, Ring Road, Benin City, from where, in a procession, we move to Oba Palace, specifically to Asoro N’ Iyokuo, Eboikhimwin, Ologbosere and Obasogie memorial sites (statues) at Oba Ovonramwęn Square, for remembrance and to listen to a lecture on Unification and Restoration of Benin Kingdom.
Day 2: Friday, February 10, 2023, by 10:00a.m., there will be a symposium on the 1897 invasion, featuring the history of Benin Kingdom, at the National Youth Council hall, plot 120, Akpakpava Road, Benin City, Edo State, Benin Kingdom .
Day 3: Saturday, February 11, 2023, by 8:00a.m. is Olori Iden’s remembrance day. All UKGB citizens are to assemble at the museum in remembrance of Olori Iden, where lectures on her sacrifice for the unification and restoration of Benin Kingdom shall be presented.
Day 4: Sunday, February 19, 2023, by 10:00a.m., a Thanksgiving Service at Holy Aruosa Cathedral, will be held to express thanks to Almighty God and the ancestors for being with UKGB in its quest for the unification and restoration of Benin Kingdom.
It is important at this juncture to dwell briefly on the unjustified invasion of Great Benin Kingdom, a peaceful and serene sovereign kingdom that stretched through the length and breadth of what is today called Southern Nigeria, even up to Ghana. The British, by their sophisticated arsenals, overcame the brave warriors of Benin, destroyed the ancient city and made away with every precious object of great worth in sight.
They (British) did not stop there; they also forcefully dethroned the innocent Oba (King) Ovoranmwęn and banished him to Calabar, where he, after 17 years in exile, joined his ascestors in 1914.
Describing what happened in Benin on that day, 126 years ago, an eyewitness account at the Kangaroo trial set up even by the invaders themselves, had this to say: (Please note that this was unjust judgment by the British to suit their selfish interests).
According to the account taken from A Short History of Benin by Jacob Egharevba, herewith abridged for this report,
“The trial for the massacre of the white men began in the Consular Court House, Benin City, on Wednesday, September 1, 1897, at 4p.m. Present were: Sir R. D. R. Moor, K.C.M.G., Commissioner and Consul-General; Captain E. P. S. Roupell, Acting Political Resident; Captain C. H. P. Carter, Officer Commanding Troops, Benin City; King Overami (Ovaranmwęn), nine members of the newly established Native Council, and some 60 chiefs of Benin City.
“There were no advocates on either side, and every witness was cautioned to speak the truth. The Consul-General opened the proceedings by stating that the matter was not about the late fighting, because it was quite right that the natives should fight for their country, but it was about the massacre of the unarmed white men of Phillips’ peaceful expedition. The matter would be managed in a native fashion, that is, according to native custom and law, and not according to the white man’s law. The first thing to settle was to find out who instigated the massacre, whether it was the King or the chiefs? The three witnesses on behalf of the British were Igbedio (Igbedion) a boy, (i.e. dependant) of Chief Obahawaie (Obakhavbaye), Agamoye (Agamwoyi) a boy of the Chief Obassieki (Obaseki), and Wobari, another boy of Obahawaie.
They all acknowledged that they knew beforehand that all the white men were unarmed, and that they with many others were sent by the chiefs to kill the white men, Jekries(Itsekiri) and Kru boys; which they did and cut off the white men’s heads and sent them to Egoru. They averred that the chiefs present at the massacre, viz. Ölogbosheri, Obahawaie (Obakhavbaye), Obaiuwana (Obayuwana), which are in fact separate titles, Obayuwana and Obanyagbon, Usu (Uso), Ugiagbe and Obadesagbo (Obaradesagbon) were those by whose instruction the white men were killed.
On the strength of this evidence, the four chiefs: Obahawaie (Obakhavbaye), Obaiuwana (Obayuwana), Ugiagbe and Usu (Uso) were taken prisoners. But Obaiuwana committed suicide with a knife he had concealed in his loin cloth, while he was kept in the guard room.
When the Court reassembled, the four prisoners gave their
evidence. Obahawaie told the court that for the last six years, since Nana’s town was taken(in a war by the British), the King of Benin expected white men would be coming to Benin City. For this reason, a few of the fighting men were kept on the Gwatto road as a guard to prevent the town from a surprise attack.
The king, Overami, did not know anything about the massacre in question, because he did not come out of his house, and even if he wanted to go anywhere, he merely would only go near his fence and turn back (because it was during the period of Iguę festival, when the Oba does not receive vistors).
Whenever anything happened, the king would call the chiefs and tell them, and they did what they thought fit. They were in the town about five days having a big play, when they heard that white men were coming with war. The king then called the people and told them the ‘white man is bringing war, now if you go you must not fight with him let them come, and if they like they can come and see me and say anything they have to say. Perhaps they are coming to play (to pay a friendly visit), you do not know; you must allow them to come and if it is war, we will find out’.
But the big chiefs, amongst whom Ologbosheri and Iyasheri (Iyase) were specially mentioned, overruled the King’s orders and in spite of his (Obahawaie’s) protests, ordered him (Obakhavhaye) to massacre, saying other men would be sent to kill him if he did not destroy the white men. He went so far as to say that the king had even offered kolanuts to Iyasheri, begging him not to fight the white men. He acknowledged the white men were quite unarmed.
The chiefs who were present at the massacre were Arabato (Orobato), Osague, Usu (Uso), Obamoye (Obamwoyi) and Obajuhomua (Obazuhumwa), while the following chiefs sent boys: Iyaja (Ihaza), Aiyeboha (Ayobahan), Osagwe (Osague), Obaseki, Ine, Ihanre (Ehanire), Obajuaie (Obazuaye) and Ahando (Ehondo). He said while he was talking to Isayeri’s (Iyase’s) messengers he heard firing.
Usu likewise defended the king saying: “The king called me and sent me to tell the people not to kill the white men. If they brought war to catch the king, or they come to play with him, the people must allow them to come. The king said since he was born he had not seen any white men killed in Benin City, so no white man must be killed.
He said that Ologbosheri had countermanded the king’s orders, saying Iyasheri had threatened to kill him if the white men were not killed. He complained of one of his boys attacking the Expedition team and so getting him into trouble, as he did not get to the scene till the massacre.
Ugiagbe told the court he was stationed at Egbini (Ugbine), so that when a white man came from the Jekries (Itsekiri) he could take him to the king and bring him back. He said he had protested against the war, but being a small boy, he was told to shut his mouth, and overruled by Ologbosheri and Obadesagbo and that, Ojuma (Ezomo) had also been sent to fight.
Omaregboma who was stationed at Gwatto to take white men to the king said: “Ohebo came and met me at Gwatto, and told me that the chiefs sent him to say that they had heard that plenty of white men were coming, and must send him to tell the king what they brought. Ohebo had not come from Benin City yet when the white men came and I allowed them a room where they put all their things, so I asked Ohebo to look at the things that the white men brought. They had neither guns nor swords. They came only with cutlasses which the carriers had tied up.
“It was evening, so the white men slept at Gwatto and in the morning they started for Benin City. I undertook to lead them, so I went in front of them. The white men slept at Egbini (Ugbine), Herbert Clarke having requested them to go ahead to make preparations for them. He said he found the boys on the road waiting to fight the white men and on seeing this went in search of Ologbosheri, to whom he went on his knees, imploring him not to kill the white men, but while he was doing this, the massacre took place.
He mentioned the anger and fear of the king when told of the massacre and accused the following chiefs of implication in it: Usu, Obahawaie, Obaiuwana, Obadesagbo.
Idiaie’s (Idiaghe’s) evidence was to the effect that he was sent by the white man, who gave him a message with a stick to hand to the king. On meeting the chiefs Ologbosheri, Obadesagbo, Osage, Obahawaie and Obaiuwana on the road, he told them that the white men were coming but unarmed. Usu whom he also met, told him he had a message from the king to the people not to kill the white men. ‘So the king sent me back to tell the people not to kill the white men. When I reached Ojumo’s (Ezomo’s) place, I met some Kru-boys and heard that the white men had been killed.
The great chief Aro told the court that the Jekries (Itsekiri) sent word to Benin that the white men were coming with war at which news the king was much concerned, as since the time of his grandfather, no white man had made war against Benin, and neither the king nor Ojumo wished to fight. There was some doubt as to the white men having sent someone beforehand to announce they were coming. He was of the opinion the people did the massacre to bring trouble on the king.
King Overami’s statement was largely to insist that he had
always been a friend to the white man, exchanging presents with him, allowing him to visit Benin and that his orders were that the white men were not to be killed.
The court adjourned until September 3rd, 1897 when the Consul-General, having asked the chiefs what was the law in case of killing was told by chief Alea (Oliha) that the native law is that if a chief kills a chief, the chief must be killed, summed up by saying that seven white chiefs having been killed, seven native chiefs must be killed; but as the king and others had for some years been under the impression that the white man was coming with war, there was natural doubt in their minds when Phillips’ party came, as to whether it was war. So, defending their country was the proper thing to do, therefore, he (Consul-General) would give the king and chiefs the benefit of the doubt; but as regards the chiefs who were present at the massacre, after learning that the white man was not bringing war, there could be no doubt in their case and the court found that Obaiuwana, Ologbosheri, Obadesagbo, Usu, Obahawaie and Ugiagbe were all guilty of the murder of Phillips’ party on the Gwatto road on the 4th January 1897.
Of these, Obaiuwana had already committed suicide, Oba-desagbo had died of fear of punishment, and Ugiagbe, being a boy, was passed over. There remained then Ologbosheri, still at large, who in his absence was condemned to be shot; and Usu and Obahawaie who were condemned to be shot the next morning. Two chiefs being about to pay the penalty of their crimes, there remained five more to forfeit their lives to make the seven native chiefs to be killed for the seven white chiefs killed, but the natives, including the king, would be forgiven if they produced Ologbosheri to be executed for the part he had taken in the massacre.
The Consul-General then waited to see whether there was any chance of capturing the real instigator of the Phillips’ massacre, Ologbosheri.
The king and chiefs were to go home and discuss these matters and especially what they proposed to do to catch Ologbosheri, and then come to the palaver house on the 9th of September and reply to the proposals of the Consul-General. They were specially warned not to leave the City, However, when the 9th came, as the king refused to appear, the Consul General sent Capt. Carter and Lieut. Gabbet with 50 men to take the king prisoner, and bring him down.
The king hearing this fled. And when the detachment got to his house, no one was there. The Consul-General summoned the chiefs and said that if they did not find the king by 4p.m. he would burn all the houses and shoot every chief; this threat had the desired effect and Ojumo fearfully disclosed that the king was in hiding at his compound about three quarters of a mile away. Captain Roupell and a few men of the force later found the king practically alone. The king was marched back to the palaver house, where the Consul-General sentenced him to be banished from his country for life.
The removal of the king was done to show the people the uselessness of their resistance to the white men’s power.
It was a bitterly unhappy day in Benin City on the day that the king was helplessly taken away, which can never be forgotten. The people were frantic and grief-stricken.
According to oral sources, even, that day was solemnly cloudy without rain or sun, and the birds in the sky, leaves on the trees, even including the air in the atmosphere, all stood still and unusually quiet, as if contributing their own sadness the great misfortune that the British mortally inflicted on an innocent great monarch and his obedient loyal subjects.