{"id":5821,"date":"2026-04-11T18:42:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-11T18:42:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/opojidlight.arktechnion.com\/demo\/?page_id=5821"},"modified":"2026-07-26T16:04:42","modified_gmt":"2026-07-26T16:04:42","slug":"our-history","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/opojidlight.arktechnion.com\/demo\/our-history\/","title":{"rendered":"Our History"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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AOPOJI KINGDOM <\/div>
Esan Central Local Government Area\nEdo State, Nigeria<\/div>
AOPOJI KINGDOM<\/div>

The town of Opoji, located in Esan Central LGA, is one of the 35 kingdoms in Esan Land. It is well known that humans, likely associated with the NOK people from the Savannahs in the northern Nigeria, have resided in Esanland for at least 3000 years. Although the biggest influence on Esanland, and hence the Opoji People came from Edo (founders of Benin Empire). These \u201cproto-Edoid\u201d peoples lived in our land from about 500 AD to 750 AD before the arrival of the \u201cEdos.\u201d<\/p> <\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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They grew yam, oil palm and vegetables, but also hunted and gathered. Esan kingdoms were ultimately controlled by the Benin Empire. The Oba approved the Enijie of Esanland, and Esan kingdoms paid tribute to Benin.<\/p><\/div><\/div>

After the battle of vengeance fought by Ozolua in 1480, the throne of Ekpoma was vacant until the triumphant return of Uda five years later.\u00a0 Uda had three sons. The first was the quiet and diminutive Ojieikhere<\/em>. The second was Alala<\/em> and the third was power-drunk Ojienondiaesan<\/em>.\u00a0 The second and third had become so wealthy and influential that they wanted territories of their own. Alala was made the Duke of Owele\u2019s settlement.\u00a0 When Ojienondiaesan demanded a world where he could be master of all, Uda said, \u201cWe de bhe onon ukpole nin\u201d<\/em><\/strong> (meaning; You stay at that end) hence the name given to his settlement, Ukpozi<\/em>.\u00a0 This happened at about 1505.<\/p><\/div><\/div> <\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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seven Villages in Opoji <\/div>
There are seven Villages in Opoji:<\/div>
seven Villages in Opoji<\/div> <\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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  1. EGUARE<\/strong> Founded by Ojienondiaesan in 1505.<\/li>
  2. OGHAGBO<\/strong>. Founder came from Ehanlen in Ekpoma<\/li>
  3. IKI<\/strong>. This was founded by immigrants from Iruekpen under the leadership of Ikinago is an ago<\/em> (a satellite settlement) that belongs to Iki, though it is far removed by location.<\/li>
  4. UJOSANLEN<\/strong>. This village was founded by a Benin warrior called Uzagbomi<\/em>. He is to this day worshipped at the village\u2019s yearly feast known by this name.<\/li>
  5. OKHORE<\/strong>. To prevent undue jealousy and friction between brothers, the princes were sent away from Eguare on the death of their father; the place they lived was Idumohen<\/em>. This quarter gradually enlarged to form the village of Okhore<\/em>.<\/li>
  6. EKHU<\/strong>. Founded by Ilolo<\/em>, said to be the son of the then ruling Oba of Benin. He was banished by his father for his cantankerous nature.<\/li>
  7. IKI-EWANLEN. <\/strong>This village was founded by Ewanlen<\/em>, the younger brother of Iki who advised Opoji warriors.<\/li><\/ol> <\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    There were series of inter-clannish clashes with the Edo immigrant that arrived at Irrua as far back as 1463, culminating in a protracted war. These immigrants were not satisfied with dominating the humble folks they met and treated like slaves or bush men, but were out to eliminate them. For years, the aborigines bore the crushing treatment the immigrants meted out to them, but they finally had to quit. They left their land and homes and escaped with what they could take with them into the jungle and settled in the present day Opoji.<\/p><\/div><\/div>

    The greedy strangers still sought the fugitives out and continued to harass them from Irrua, for years, until they decided to fight back. They put together a splendid body of warriors under indomitable leaders like Akpokhio, Onugbenugbe <\/em>and Ohiabhidale<\/em>.\u00a0 Under their leadership, the erstwhile fugitives began to lead retaliatory sorties to Irrua, and this very much angered Ogbeide\u00a0 the Terrible, who had just come to the throne of Irrua. Ogbeide wanted their heads. He used one of their friends in Irrua to trick them into one house where they were trapped and rounded up, tried and be-headed.<\/p><\/div><\/div> <\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    When the news of the betrayal of Ukpozi\u2019s honoured warriors got to their people, for the next five days, right from the time they learnt of Ogbeide\u2019s atrocities, heads fell indiscriminately on both sides especially at Iki, except that of Ogbeide. That was how blood flowed between Ukpozi and Irrua until about 1850 when a man advised the people of Iki on how to exterminate the rather hungry people of Irrua. A bunch of fully ripe and succulent palm nuts was the bait. As Irrua people came to pick the irresistible fruits, they were dropped one by one with a head chopper. This was enough to end almost 400 years of bloodshed. The strategist of that last encounter that made Irrua learn to live in peace with her neighbour was the founder of Ikiewanlen<\/em><\/p> <\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    The Immediate past Onojie was His Royal Highness, Okosun II, who was Pius Usianene as a Prince. He was born on the 22nd of December 1912. He had his education at the Government Schools, Irrua, Opoji, Uromi, Sabongida Ora, and Ekpoma, finishing at the R.C.M. School, Warri. The young prince entered the world to seek a living. Always proud of making a living from honest labour, no job was menial to him. From the lowest labourer, he worked his way up to Storekeeper at John Holts, Katerege in the then Northern Provinces. In 1949, he resigned and came home to explore business in rubber and timber. On his father\u2019s death on October 21, 1952, he was installed Onojie in November of the same year. Under Okosun II, community development projects (some started during his father\u2019s lifetime), had progressed rapidly. He became President of Grade B Customary Court, Ishan West, till it was abolished. He joined his ancestors at 6 a.m., on Sunday, August 10, 1986.<\/p> <\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    The present Onojie is His Royal Highness Ehidiamen I. He attended St. Malachy\u2019s College, Sapele, completing his secondary education at Edo Boys High School, Benin City. He left the country in search of the Golden Fleece, obtaining a diploma in Business Administration at the Centre for Economy and Political Studies in London. He also majored in marketing at the United States International University, Bushey Wartford, England in 1981. On his return home, he joined the Nigerian Observer as a Linotype Operator in training but left on incorporating Okosun Farms Limited operating in Benin and Opoji. Though his father died in 1986, his coronation took place on April 18, 1992, and was attended by numerous dignitaries, including Mrs. Rebecca Aikhomu, wife of the then military Vice President of Nigeria, Admiral Augustus Aikhomu<\/p><\/div><\/div>

    The elders of two quarters in Eguare, Uwelenuda and Ididigba, form the Kingmakers of Opoji. While Uwenlen-Uda consists of the descendants of Ojienodiaesan, Ididigba was founded by the second son of Onojie Idigba, the second Onojie of Opoji.<\/p><\/div><\/div> <\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    Each of the seven clans in Opoji is organized as follows<\/strong>:<\/p>

    1. \u00a0Odionwele (the oldest man in the clan) and three Edions<\/li>
    2. Igene- The nest oldest Group<\/li>
    3. Egbonughele- The Youth.<\/li><\/ol> <\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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      Opoji Genealogical Tree <\/div>
      Opoji Genealogical Tree<\/div> <\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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      AOPOJI KINGDOM Esan Central Local Government Area Edo State, Nigeria AOPOJI KINGDOM The town of Opoji, located in Esan Central LGA, is one of the 35 kingdoms in Esan Land. It is well known that humans, likely associated with the NOK people from the Savannahs in the northern Nigeria, have resided in Esanland for at […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"template-fullwidth.php","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-5821","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/opojidlight.arktechnion.com\/demo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5821","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/opojidlight.arktechnion.com\/demo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/opojidlight.arktechnion.com\/demo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/opojidlight.arktechnion.com\/demo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/opojidlight.arktechnion.com\/demo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5821"}],"version-history":[{"count":87,"href":"https:\/\/opojidlight.arktechnion.com\/demo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5821\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6305,"href":"https:\/\/opojidlight.arktechnion.com\/demo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5821\/revisions\/6305"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/opojidlight.arktechnion.com\/demo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5821"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}