THE HISTORY OF OSOSO PEOPLE

 

Ososo is one of the 15

clans in Akoko-Edo local

government area of Edo

state. It is situated on a

plateau-one of the

highest points on the

Somorika hills. The quiet

town lies within the

mountains of Edo north but shares boundaries

with Okene to the north,

Okpella to the East,

Makeke to the west, Ojah

to the South and Ogorri

to the north-west. It is a boundary town between

Edo and Kogi States. The

town is blessed with

natural beauties and of

course, a health restoring

weather second to that of Jos. Ososo weather is so

welcoming that during

summer, you see Tourists

trooping into the town.

According to S. Omo

Jegede, the town originated from Ogbe

quarter in Benin city. It is also certain that the

ancestors left Benin city

during the reign of Oba

Ozolua. In the course of

migration, history had it

that the ancestors went through series of hardship

and suffered loses. 

They went through the then

Owan division and some

Yoruba lands including

Ikare, Oba Akoko, and Idoani in the then Owo

division.

Pa J.B. Adurojaiye

revealed that about two

decades Ososo people

settled temporarily at the place called

“Unuame”(that is

Waterside). Life there was

uncertain and unsafe at

Unuame owing to

incessant death of children, torrential rainfall

and destruction of their

farms. This brought the

need for them to leave

Unuame, then they

migrated to Idah in Igala, east of the River Niger. Here, they were almost

completely settled when

the Idah war of

1515-1516 between the

Binis and

Idah people began and Ososo people were driven

away. The search for

settlement took them

across the Niger and

settled on the forested

level ground of “Orugbe” . Before then, they had

discovered “Adikoriko”

during wanderings and

established a form of idol

where sacrifices,

consultation of Oracle and pouring libations were

carried out. They were

guided by the spirit of

expeditions to their

present settlement by a

hunter called “Oshioso” . The most senior of these

group of hunters and

peasant farmers was

called Eni who died shortly

after settlement at the

present site of Ani quarter while the hunter,

Oshioso moved to the

“Osuno” where he had

much of games and

served as a spy view on

approaching enemies. Oshioso which was the

original name of the town

was corrupted to Ososo

by the British tongues. Also Pa S.Omo Jegede’s

records has it that Ososo

was likely founded in 1681

after so many years of

migration. There seemed

to have been peace in Ososo until 1875 when the

Yoruba came, pillaged and

sacked the town. The

people fled in disarray

abandoning all they had

and their houses burnt down by the vandals. After about six months of

absence, the people

returned and rebuilt their

houses. The people were

again attacked after two

years by the Nupes. The Nupes did not used much

tactic before Ososo people

humbly surrendered to

them because they were

tired of bloodshed. With

their surrender, an accord was reached that

the Ososo people must

pay allegiance to the

Nupes by providing them

with twelve slaves yearly.

Nupes collectors came annually to take away

the slaves even though

the

number was later reduced

to six and subsequently

cash payment substitution stayed two to four years. These collectors were

called Azalomo and

Idimawo respectively. It

was Ekule who stayed for

five years. The town

supplied them with the necessities of life including

concubines. Although

young girls were never

allowed to be their

concubines except old

women. In appreciation, the Azalomo used to

present the head of the

town with horses and

cloths. This marked the

establishment of the

external relations of Ososo town with her

environs. After the exit of the

Nupes on the advent of

the British rules over the

Niger areas during the

first decade, Ososo people

sent emissary to the District officer at Ikerram

in the then Owo division,

and the two subsequently

merged with Kabba

District. Under British rule,

history revealed that until 1918 Ososo people were

regarded as subjects of

Attah of Idah and were

required to attend court

at Okene in Kogi state. It was during this period

that they were included

in the then newly formed

kukuruku division after

subsequent re-

organization and boundary re-construction. The head quarters were

first at Fugar and later

at Auchi for Etsako,

Igarra for Akoko-Edo and

Afuze for Ivhiotsakon in

1920 until the division was divided into a number of

districts under District

Heads in 1945. Today, Ososo is made of

Ani, Ikpena, Okhe, and

Egbetua quarters with

Yola and Okhesegun

which are yet to be

recognized as quarters.