BREAKING: Ownership Crisis Rocks Benin City As Igodomigodo Asks Oba of Benin To Return To Ile-Ife

There is a renewed crisis grooming from the state capital of Edo State, Benin City, as the acclaimed original indigenes of Benin City ask the Oba of Benin to return to Ile-Ife, his original abode or continue to pay tax to them according to a cited treaty.

According to a story being trended by some people from Igodomigodo under the leadership of Ogie Dr. Richard Arisco Ogiamien, Benin City had been led for the past centuries by Yoruba people who invaded their land Ian 1170 AD.

It was claimed that the Ogiamen family of Igodomigodo predate the war, living in the area before it was forcefully taken by the Yoruba warriors who came from Ile-Ife.

The story claimed that after several years of the war, a treaty was agreed to at Ekioppagha which mandated Benin people to pay tax to the Ogiamen Royal family. The royal family is now asking for the tax to resume from the Benin people or they should retake their familiarities to Ile-Ife and vacate the stool of the Oba of Benin.

A message from a Benin Aborigine concerning the grooming crisis read:

“In 1170 AD, a warrior prince from the Yoruba kingdom of Ile-Ife named Oranmiyan invaded our land of Igodomigodo with his warriors, horsemen, and medicine men.

“At that time, we, the Ogiamien family, were reigning as Ogiso. The war spanned many years and claimed countless lives, leading to a treaty at Ekiokpagha, where an oath was sworn.

“According to this agreement, the Yoruba Oba of Ile-Ibinu, later known as Ibini and eventually corrupted to Benin, would pay the Ogiamien Royal family annual bounty in goods and taxes. This property tax was faithfully paid to the Ogiamien.

“Now, in the 2020s, I reflect on how these same Yoruba people who once invaded our land in 1170 AD are claiming descent from our Ogiso family. The Obas of Benin are asserting connections to our Idu family and heritage while denying their Yoruba lineage.

“One may ask: are the Yoruba Benin Obas and their chiefs ashamed of their Yoruba ancestry? Oba Ewuare II, for instance, is an Ile-Ibinu Yoruba king from Ile-Ife.

“Why then do these Yoruba individuals refer to themselves as Idu people from Igodomigodo? The notion of Ekhalederan turning into Oduduwa is a fabrication concocted by the late Oba Erediauwa and has no historical basis.

“The Ekhalederan we recognize was not a missing prince but a figure who lived, died, and was buried in Ughoton. Our Ogiso Owodo was without children.

“Therefore, Oba Ewuare and all past Obas of Benin trace their lineage to a Yoruba prince of Ile-Ife.

“The Yoruba Obas of Ile-Ibinu, now referred to as Benin, are not indigenous to our Igodomigodo land. If they are unable to fulfill their property tax obligations to the Ogiamien Royal family of Igodomigodo, they should return to Ile-Ife.

“Let us stand united behind our true ancestral king of Igodomigodo, Ogie Dr. Richard Arisco Ogiamien, and work towards the greatness of Igodomigodo once again. Ogiamien gator kpere, isee!!!