IDOMA HISTORY

                  Photo credit :Alex report. Info

The origin of the name Idoma remained a mystery but some believe that there was once a man called Idu Oma who is the father of all Idoma people.The Idoma people once lived as a community in Apa, a place north east of the present Idoma land located in what is now southern Adamawa and Nothern Taraba. Evidence showed that the Idoma people have lived around the Benue valley for more than 3,000 years. Another mysterious idomoid people known as Akpoto were noticed to be the earliest inhabitants of the region occupied today by Idoma, Tiv, Igala, Ebira and Basa.
Evidence drawn from rites, songs and folklores showed that the Idoma at Apa achieved a great civilization with a centralized government and were advanced in warfare, trade, crafts and they probably traded with ancient Egypt, Nubia, Nok before the rise of the Hausa city states, Kanem-Bornu and Kwararafa of the Jukuns. The rise of these Kingdoms was detrimental to the Idoma at Apa. An intial alliance was made with the Jukuns who tried to form a tribute state. An attack on the Hausas overan Zaria and Kano and attempted to capture Ngazargamu, the capital of Kanem-Bornu empire but failed. From this moment onwards, there was constant raiding of Apa and environs by riders from Kanem-Bornu empire. Their use of chain mails and iron chariots gave the illusion of invincibility which cause war apathy in Apa. The final blow on Apa was from internal power tussle between the Idoma and the Jukuns. Kwararafa became very unsafe forcing many and later all Idoma people to emigrate southward.
This war is referred to "efu onya" in Idoma history and it's laden with legends of supernatural interventions that saved the Idoma from the "Abakpa" as they were called. At some points, a python stretched over the great river omada(Benue) for them to cross, at another point, black monkeys or Rhesus monkeys(Obagwu) cleaned their footsteps or leopards attacked and chased the Abakpa away.
The different Idoma communities today settled individually on different occasions from 1500s to 1800s. The Agatu people are believed to have left Apa earlier and settled initially at Abinsi before founding present day Makurdi which they called Ogyogo before their final settlement at their present location. The second group left to Igala land in a mass exodus on invitation to fight a war with the Benins. This is probably the war fought between Attah Aji and Oba Esigie in 16th century over the confiscation of slaves by the former. After the war, internal dispute between the Igala and Idoma group led to the retrograde migration towards ancestral Apa, but a group stopped at the present day Otukpo region while others continued and crossed the great river to the North Bank. These group are known as Idoma nokwu, today they are called Alago in Nasarawa state occupying Doma, Keana, Agwantashi and Obi.
At this period, about 500-400 years ago, many Idoma groups were scattered thinly accros the land between Jukun and Igala roughly today's southern Nasarawa state, all of Benue state and within the Igala, Jukun at Abinsi and Northern Igbo lands.
Those that later left the Igala community formed the Otukpa, Owukpa, Orokam and Ichama communites.
Those that left Abinsi later formed Otukpo, Adoka and other communities while others followed the Agatu trail moving southward. They were many in number and overwhelmed their new settlement which is today's Apa local government leading to emmigration of many of them. The largest group went eastward forming Ekle, Agila, Igumale, Ijigbam and Ulayi. They met Ufia(Utonkon) there, another Apa migrants who initially settled in Igbo lands before migrating towards other Idoma.
Another important group to leave new Apa were the Ugboju led by Edor the great, they formed the nucleus for settlement of later groups like Okpiko, Onyagede. Agadagba, Ochobo anchored around Oglewu. Those that remained in the new Apa formed Ochekwu. The Edumoga community initially settled at Abinsi before settling around modern Otukpo where they divided early with one group settling at Igede Into while others crossed the Igede land to Okpoma, they formed the Yalla community in present day cross River. Edeh the leader of the main group moved towards present day Edumoga.
Wukari continued to stretch her authority over the Apa tribes until the establishment of the Attah stool at Idah.
After the Igala-Jukun war of 1500s. The Idoma forged new alliance with the Igala at many Idoma, Igala, Ebira, Bassa and Northern Igbo chiefs went to Idah to receive their beeds.
A new Apa/ Idoma empire was evolving before a new upheaval began about 300 years ago when the Tiv people began a vigorous push into the Benue valley. This greatly reduced the Idoma lands pushing them southwestward and separating the Alago from the other Idoma body, pushing them northward while encircling the Etilo in present day Kasina Ala ad pushing others to present day Taraba state, separated from other Idoma. Ogyogo(Makurdi) was destroyed and Abinse(now a Jukun town) was encircled.
The Otukpo too were displaced initially towards Agatu land but later settled in Oglewu land before founding their present land while others like Umogidi settled in Adoka region as well as Iga-Okpaya. Many displaced Idoma people found refuge in other already established Idoma communities giving rise to communities within communities. Other Idoma people in Igala, Ebira, Jukun and Igbo lands also migrated into other Idoma territories
It's important to mention the Akpa(Akweya) people who left Apa with the other Idoma groups and also followed same tumultuous course.
Many other Idoma people left one Idoma community for another while some Ebira, Igala, Jukun, few Igbo and Abakpa found refuge in Idoma land and were eventually Idomanized, others were descent from aboriginal Akpoto.
The Fulani Jihad of 1805 reached the Idoma lands in 1820s. This second efuonya caused further dispersal of people. They Idoma fought this battle with vigour and ultimately emerged victorious.
A stronger Idoma nation was formed but no central government, each community had it's chief and they traded and exchanged ideas with neighbouring Eloyi(Afor), Tiv, Igala, Igbo, Hausa, Jukun and indirectly with Yoruba and Benin kingdoms.

At the end of the 19th century, new invaders were set to attack, this time, not horse riders from the North with chain mails but sea farers from the Atlantic with white skin. The British sent Hausa into Idoma territories to tap natural resources indiscriminately leading to their killings which triggered the Anglo-Idoma war. Odugbeho in Agatu was burnt down in 1899, then Akwu was destroyed completely and the British marched on Adoka burning down all Adoka ehaje as reprisal for the slaughter of eight abakpa before entering Ugboju where they encountered resistance from chief Amanyi who was defeated and exiled to Keffi and finally Onyagede was added to the northern division with capital at Ankpa. The southern division was formed by the Trenchard patrol who pacified modern Ado, Ogbadibo and Igede communities with capital at Okpoga..
The colonization of Idoma land was complete but the British met resistance from the people. In 1924, the northern and southern divisions were united and divided the into 22 districts with the district heads forming the Ojira k'aoche.
The greatest challenge was the Ogbuloko wars triggered by high task which was suppressed brutally.
The British effectively ended slave trade, used the indirect rule system and conscripted many Idoma youths to fight in the world wars, Burma and Congo.
The Idoma native authority was created in 1927 on pressure from Idoma Hope rising union(IHRU) with the first administrative center at Okpoga before it was moved to Otukpo for ease of administration.
This paved way for the installation of the first Ochidoma HRH Chief Ogiri Oko in 1947. It was the entire 22 district heads that unanimously surrendered their ancestral staff to from the new Idoma nation.
Chief Ogiri Oko opened Idoma nation to missionaries who brought schools and the Christian religion. He made streets and sited the Otukpo market. After his death In 1960, HRH Ajene Okpabi was given his staff of office by Queen Elizabeth herself marking the end of an era. Indeed, Nigeria has gotten her independence and the Idoma people will tangle with the new nation.
As part of northern province, many Idoma people went to Kaduna, the capital while others went to Ibadan because of the booming cocoa farm.
The Biafran war of 1967 hit Idoma hard. Agila was invaded while Otukpo was bombed. Many Idoma sons fought in the army at various capacity and conscription of Idoma youths at Otukpo by the Nigerian army was rampant. Our Iyalla brothers were suddenly on the Biafran side as well as the Igbo's we traded with in same market.
The creation of Benue Plateau in 1967 with the capital at Jos did not favour the Idoma much politically neither did the creation of Benue state in 1976 nor the ceding of the Igala to Kogi state in 1991. The Idoma people have continued to suffer political neglect both at federal and state level.
In the 1980s, the red and black of Idoma native attire was born to foster unity
Despite her tumultuous history, the Idoma have contributed greatly to Nigeria and the world and hope to take her rightful place in the community of Nations.

IDOMA HISTORY by Dr Okopi J.Oloche