Prince Umejei: Origin of the Ibusa Founder Deepens in Controversy
By Emeka Esogbue
The historians of Ibusa, a clan now located in Oshimili
North Local Government Area of Delta State have been in historical struggle to
ascertain the original homestead of Umejei, the major founder of the community.
Although the legend of the settlement clearly indicated that the progenitor of
the community is Umejei Nwa Eze Isu (Prince Umejei) who hailed from Isu of
South East Nigeria, that particular Isu in Igboland is not retained by the
legendary account. The attempt of the community’s historians to ascertain this
part of Isu has been frustrated by this oral tradition and further hampered by
lack of documented sources by early writers to unravel the historical challenge
confronting the people. the Europeans who also visited the community did not
take interest in digging into the history of the people despite the relations
shared with them.
For the reason presented above, researchers working on the
origin of the people have been seen to go back and forth in their determined
academic efforts to unravel this “historical mystery” that often elicit
questions from indigenes. The subject has also always seen different writers
taking different views on the progenitor’s homestead from whence he left to
settle on the present spot of Ibusa. The community appears to be one of the
best claimed among the Isu nations and the people appear used to it. Until
recently, the Isu Njaba in Imo State was once thought to be the original home
of the people with pride. Today, arguments on the people’s home are now limited
to Isu Aniocha in Awka North Local Government Area of Anambra State and Isu
Nnewi.
Much difficult and complex that that it appears, opinions
of principal professional writers on the history of the community have become situated
on either of these two Anambra communities. However, the more prominent and
heavier voice is Prof Michael Angulu Onwuejeogwu, a scholarly heavyweight from
Ogboli part of the community who was influential and popular with the people. Coming
from anthropological academic background, Onwuejeogwu, considered one of the
best and brightest writer of history from Anioma pitches his tent with Isu Aniocha
where he thinks the Umejei group of migrants to hail from. Although Prof Onwuejeogwu
does not hold Isu Aniocha to be the original home of the Isu people, he offered
reasons of proximity to the present Ibusa settlement. For him, the Umejei
migrants must have left their original home, settled in the Isu Aniocha before
their final settlement on the present Ibusa spot. This gives away the Ibusa
beginning as due to secondary migration.
One prominent writer on Isu, C. N. Ugochukwu from Nnewi has
maintained the historical stance that Umejei originated from Isu Nnewi (Uruagu)
also in Anambra State. The argument of Ugochukwu strongly points to the
movement of Umejei from Nnewi at the period in Isu when the Isu started to
migrate from this point to various parts of what is now Igbo speaking areas. In
effect, Ugochukwu is supportive of the long held historical argument that the
Ibusa are the first Igbo settlement founded on the West Bank of the Niger. This
was the second era of Ezeani Isu according to him. Going by this historical
standpoint, Nnewi is the original home of the Isu and it was from here that
Umejei left to settle in present Ibusa. This would then mean that the wave of
migration that led to the formation of Ibusa was a primary movement and was also
a single wave of migration.
From the accounts submitted by all writers on the migration
of Ibusa, it would be discovered that while prof Onwuejeogwu has not provided any
Umejei background or activities in Isu Aniocha, Ugochukwu, on the other hand,
went on to cite wars carried by Ibusa fighters to Nnewi and other forms of diplomacy
and relations co-shared by both settlements. The Ibusa legendary account leaves
the Umejei father as Ikenga, the Eze Isu, which matches the C. N. Ugochukwu
account, striking similarity with Ezeani Ikenga Omee Abughi Nso, a historical
figure he pointed out as the second Ezeani of Isu whom he also claims to be the
father of Prince Umejei.
As the controversy surrounding the Umejei place continued, Ugochukwu
had documented that “on Saturday, Nkwo, 23rd September 1995, during
the installation and presentation of Staff of Office to His Royal Highness, Obi
(Prof) L. C. Nwaoboshi as the Obuzor of Ibusa, the Isus at Nnewi were given
special invitation. The Obi Ezeani Isu Nnewi, Chief Ofojua Amaizu, sent him a
congratulatory and goodwill message”. The same act became repeated in emissaries
of Isu Aniocha who in March, 2021 paid the same Obuzor of Ibusa a visit to
announce the demise of their traditional ruler. The duplication of this act
would mean a duo recognition of their respective communities as the original
home of Umejei. It is at this stage, that the people of Ibusa need to start
asking some questions regarding the development with a view to determining the
Prince Umejei home.
Prince Umejei is not the only founder of Ibusa but for
historians, unraveling his hometown will amount to a historical realization of the
original home of a large section of Ibusa, nine quarters of the community, to be
exact. This will follow the light of fruitful research already made in history,
that touching on 1450AD as the date of the community’s beginning.
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