Edikwu is one of the many wards that make up Apa local government area of Benue State. It is even more importantly, one of the few towns that play substantially in determining the swing of election results in that area. Reason being that, they have two wards to themselves.
Genuinely, they have been generally one happy people. That is to say there was minimum rancor among the kindred/quarters that make up Edikwu until recently when Royal tussle created clashes within this peaceful family setting.
These clashes have become a regular phenomena between Edikwu wards with grave implication for socio-economic development. Findings revealed that, so many lives and property have been lost to this communal clash with adverse effect on their socio-economic development.
Like with all sustainable judicial or administrative systems, what you had and still have in Edikwu was as simple as it was complicated. Like it is with most Idoma land it is based on OKA (symbol of authority for Kings). Perhaps, it is a pity that Idoma scholars have failed to inquire richly into what OKA stands for. Wrongly, most Idoma thinkers thought, Oka is a relic from our forefathers which is not correct. OKA is an invention of man that guarantees kingship in Idoma land.
As I write, I am in tears and broken. So what is the reason that made you turn your villages into a killing field? For how long would you continue to butcher yourselves over Royal tussle? Please, I plead that every Idoma son and daughter should take out time to read through this. This is because the matter is not peculiar to Edikwu, it is now somewhat pervasive within the Idoma nation.
For all practical purposes, Edikwu like most Idoma towns was run in a democratic order.The OCHE which is the traditional ruler appointed by his people run the affairs of his town. Wherever he answers ancestral call, the throne moves to another clan. This is because the Idomas have no room for institutionalized hereditary excellences.
The key fact, is that it has been arranged before the demise of any King in Idoma land who the next king will be. In line with the norms and convention of Idoma land, the next to the King who is called: ‘Aadu’ from a different clan takes over as king whenever the king joins his ancestors.
In fact, it was made abundantly clear that the kings were answerable to their people who paid for their upkeep. However, what appears to be a deliberate policy of cultural genocide or ethnocide, was piped into the Idoma society. Government made it a matter of compultion for all Kings in Idoma land to be paid by them.
Therefore, the Kings became free agents, pushing and pulling for power. As expected, according to the ethnocidal purposes of politicians, Idoma was culturally genocided. In other words, those who are traditional rulers in Idoma land today are paid agents for cultural genocide against their own people.
As a matter of fact, the entire Benue State was balkanised by Governor Samuel Ortom’s regime and given to top politicians as first class chiefs. In other words, what the governor purposed is a total destruction of culture from inside. It is similar to what the Spaniards did to wipeout and conquer Spanish America.
For record purposes, if Governor Samuel Ortom wanted development and modernity for Benue State, he would have acted otherwise. Development and modernity is dictated in terms of equality of citizens, not thrones. Government has placed more importance on thrones than development and that’s what is blowing Edikwu apart.
Now, a yet unseen part of this destructive bomb planted by politicians is for Edikwu people to be telling lies against themselves. For instance, I was alarmed to hear that someone from the same Edikwu is laying claim to a throne manned by someone else for over a decade now. And this has continued to set them up against each other. Imagine burning down different villages because of tussle over a throne! unknown to them, They are heading the destructive agenda.
What Edikwu failed to understand is that, children who are not recruited directly into fighting are often the victims of war and political conflict. It is estimated that half of all civilians killed in wars across the world are children. Additionally, living in communities bound by war and political conflict is an emotionally disastrous condition for children, breeding insecure attachments and leading to post-traumatic stress, and grief and loss responses.
Furthermore, political conflict often exposes children to religious and social intolerance and models the inappropriate use of violence. War is therefore a core and distinct form of abuse of children at the international level.
If care is not taken, before your eyes , sons and daughters of Edikwu, your ancestral home would be balkanised into autonomous communities, and history will not be kind to you because of that.
Alas, many of us who are from Idoma nation stayed numbed, thinking it won’t get to us. However, with the way and manner these politicians played over our intelligence over peanut, it will soon get to us, it’s just a matter of time, except we change.
Comrade Godwin Anyebe is a Journalist and a Human Rights Activist
