THE HOLLOW TREATMENT OF ABINSI KINGDOM
March 25, 2021 at 7:43 am,
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BY
Okwoli Moses Elaigwu
The kingdom of Abinsi/Abiche/Abinche which was once an Idoma aboard have experienced many shortfall and ill-treatment over the ages.
Different account has been given for centuries. Idoma Otukpo Oral history of Legendary king Abiseku Ojagabo of Abinsi which some still in doubt as to whether a king by that name exist. Other historian believe the existence of such name while some set believe might be a different way of pronunciation. The Jukun wanu of Abinsi gave account of the Idoma settlement which makes the claim of the Idoma people not far from truth; not withstanding the existence of the name might be proofing write or wrong when one carefully studies the etymology of words of the ancient names and words of the Jukun wanu, Etulo, Idoma, and other aboriginal of the Idoma tribes.
However, our focuse here is to briefly look at some of the happening in Abinsi kingdom in the past which where consider loosed judgement and action against the kingdom which could have never happened.
The glaring examples are in the cases of Chiefs Agabyi the 11th Chief and chief Clement Abayilo the 16th Chief of Abinsi. Agabyi was deposed in 1906 by the Colonial administrator probably because of his complexity in the crisis that led the destruction of the Royal Niger Company's Store and the Hausa Quarters in Abinsi. Worthy of note is that, the said crisis was between the Tiv and the Hausa communities in his (Agabyi's) domain. He was sent to Wukari on exile under his overLord the AKU-UKA. K Dewar (1931). History told us that through out his stay in exile and up till his demise, a new substantive Chief was not selected and installed in Abinsi chiefdom. However, his successor Chief Azyidoku was selected and installed as the 12th ABISEKU after the death of Agabyi.
In the same vein, Chief Clement Abayilo the 16th ABISE-KU was deposed as a result of the Tiv/Jukun crisis of 1995 in Abinsi and was first sent on exile to Oju local government area of Benue State but thereafter to Kaduna State. He stayed till 2008 when he died. Even when he died, the Benue State Government under Governor Suswam refused that his remains must not be buried in Abinsi but somewhere else outside Benue State. Still no substantive Chief was selected and installed in compliance with the tradition of the Jukun-Wanu chieftaincy stool that the stool cannot be filled once the incumbent is still alive, deposed and sent to exile. Equally important to note is that, the tradition of the Jukun-Wanu does not permit the substitution and retirement of an incumbent Chief by whatever reason, being it extreme old age or whatever reason. For example, during the reign of Chief Ataki the 13th ABISE-KU, he was too old to carryout his daily administrative functions as the incumbent Chief, he was never removed or retired, neither did he abrogate the throne. History accounted that, he was only assisted by his son Prince Agoshi who thereafter became the 14 th ABISE-KU after the death of his father to carry out some of his public and private functions. It was only after his death that the son was installed in line with the tradition of the Jukun-Wanu people.
A part from chieftaincy by hereditary, the succession to the throne of the AKU among the Jukun-Wanu is rotational, a system which used to be followed duly without any external interference. This is judicially backed up in the case between Peter Akwuchi and 1 other versus Azetu Atuwase and three others. The presiding judge, Justice. I Hwande of the Benue State High Court Makurdi delivered judgement in favour of the plaintiff on grounds that, the selection and enthronement process of the defendant did not follow the custom and tradition of the Ankwa Clan of the Jukun-Wanu. The judgment further stated that the defendant vehemently violated the laid down tradition of rotation of the Aku-ship in Ankwa (Azyoko) Kingdom. The premise of the judgment is that there are three ruling houses in Ankwa (Azyoko). These are; Akato, Afasi and Ako ruling houses. That the last AWASE (Chief) of Ankwa was Audu Edo, and that he was from Ako ruling house. That in July, 1999 the other defendants secretly nominated and installed the 1st defendant and declared him Chief when he is from the same Ako ruling house . The judgement further stated that, it was not yet the turn of the 1st defendant to be made the Awase of the Ankwa community. That by their tradition and custom, when their chief dies, the next one comes from another ruling house and that no one ruling house rules twice in succession. The court therefore ruled that the rightful person ought to have come from another ruling house and not from where the last Chief and the 1st defendant come from and thereby nullified the selection and enthronement of Azetu Atuwase as the AWASE of Ankwa community on the grounds that the selection violates the tradition of the rotation of the throne. The judgment, though a default one but still valid since was not challenged by any of the defendants.