HISTORY Ogbidi Okojie, Onojie (king) of Uromi (1857 – February 3, 1944), was a ruler of the Esan people in what is now part of Edo State in Nigeria, still remembered for his opposition to British rule. According to Uromi lore, Ogbidi Okojie was born in the seventh month of gestation, coming 14th in the line of succession to the Uromi throne. As an African monarch, he believed in his divine right to wield absolute power. Those beliefs motivated his opposition to British Rule, which led to his first exile to Calabar in 1900. In Nigeria, at the end of the nineteenth century, the old order was crumbling, yielding to the new British colonial system. After the Royal Niger Company transferred its territories to the British government, the latter expanded and strengthened its control, unseating the traditional rulers. In 1900, Uromi was invaded by the British troops. Unlike Chief Nana of Brohimie-Warri, who opposed a strong resistance to the British troops when his domain was invad...
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