THE ARRIVAL OF PRINCE GINUWA (THE FIRST OLU OF WARRI) TO THE PRESENT DAY DELTA REGION: The Chief Priest (Ogiefa) ordered a ship or ark of Iroko wood to be hastily constructed, big enough to convey the Prince and the eldest sons of the seventy chiefs of Benin kingdom to a distant land where they might settle. The King (Oba Olua of Benin) then summoned a meeting of the central council at which he informed the chiefs that it was his intention to send his son (GINUWA) and the eldest son of each of them to the shrine of Olokun (the god of the sea) for the annual sacrifices. On the appointed day the ark was carried by slaves through the dense forest of trees towering to a height of 200 feet along the present day route to Sapele. The paths along which they passed were hostile and unfamiliar; between them and safety lay the Ologbo community in Edo state. They crossed this river, now spanned by a beautiful bridge and, after three (3) days of struggling through swamp and marsh, the party arrived at Ugharegin. Arriving at the low banks of the Ethiope River the carriers lowered the Iroko ark or ship into the sparkling water of the river. Behind them was the thick forest; before them now lay the serene stream of a broader river than any that they had so far seen. And here Ginuwa came out, dressed himself like a King and asserted his position accordingly. If however he thought that he had safely eluded those who had conspired against him in Benin, he was mistaken. The Chiefs, finding after some time that their sons did not return, realized that the whole scheme was a ruse and at once sent a force to bring the fugitive prince back with their sons. When this news came to Ginuwa he instructed his men to board the ark which carried them on the tide to the small settlement of Efurokpe on the Jamieson River. Not satisfied that this was safe, he launched the ark again, making for the mouth of the Forcados River. And this was a long, tedious and difficult voyage.
Posted on: Sat, 08 Mar 2014 08:34:04 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015