Somorika: An Ancient Kingdom of Mystery and Hope

A traumatic journey through the jungle

The journey to Somorika began one bright morning. I had been reliably informed that the nearest place to this historical enclave that could be viewed as a ‘comfort zone’ was the quaint town of Igarra, a few kilometres away. In some cases, I had been gazed upon with a queer look by some who wondered what business I could possibly have in such a place many appear to hold in inexplicable awe. Their trepidation and bewilderment could well be understood when Somorika is reputed to be a place where mystic powers hold sway and seekers of spiritual powers could access such. At the boundary between Igarra town and Somorika, my motorcyclist tells me point blank that he could not go beyond that point. When pressed further with promises of huge financial reward, he still refused, telling me in plain terms that even if I paid him twice what I was offering, he would still not be persuaded to convey me to my destination. He adds apparently after an afterthought, “it is only Somorikan indigenes who would readily agree to take you there.”

People like me who are not indigenes prefer to take passengers only to the point that separates the two towns. I am an indigene of Igarra. I only ply my trade in the confines of Igarra. I don’t have any business there. Anything beyond that, ‘no’ is my answer.” With that, he ‘drops’ me off and jauntily kicks off his motorcycle amidst a cloud of smoke and dust. In the distance, I notice two ‘okada’ riders exchanging banters and I walk quickly over. It appears that this is my lucky day as one of them is an indigene of the Somorikaland and yes, he was preparing to go ‘home’ for the day. He readily agrees to take me to my destination after briefly appraising my city-like looks. His huge fees temporarily dissuades me but when I looked at the empty streets and the dearth of other transportation options, I quickly clamber on the lumbering bike. The motorcyclist who calls himself Tunde, ends up being my royal appointed guide for my duration in the ancient kingdom.

As we plunge into the gloomy forest veil that appears to have been seared apart by a narrow rocky pathway, I quickly understand the rationale behind the high fare. Somorika’s only link ‘road’ is in dire straits. On virtually intermittent periods, the bike and its two riders are nearly thrown over the back of the motorcycle and either by a divine sleight of hand or perhaps, the expertise of its determined rider, the cycle quickly regains its momentum and clambers relentlessly into the jungle. On both sides of the road, women of various ages, mostly the aged with gigantic loads held precariously over their heads, walk the long stretch. Men too are not left out as many with various types of farming implements slung over their massive shoulders, equally stroll along the pathway. Suddenly, the scintillating and refreshing atmosphere of being in a rural enclave suddenly overwhelms us. We are periodically greeted with resounding, ‘agbe’ which appears to be the greeting parlance of Somorikans. My guide replies heartedly. Not to be left out, I equally reply with a boisterous ‘agbe’ anytime the greeting is directed specifically to me.

The inhabitants are unusually friendly. However at specific times during our tumultuous journey, many inhabitants briefly halt on the rocky and dusty roads to look with bleary eyes at our onward journey. My guide tells me that the most prominent prayer on the lips of the average Somorikan is the construction of good roads to ply their homestead. He says that despite serial promises by the government, either at the state level or at the local government level, the dire state of the road has continued to remain so. “We are tired of the state of this road. You will also agree with me that getting here was not easy. Only few riders will agree to bring you down here, no matter how much you promise them. That is because they are always afraid of the stress of passing this road. It has a serious impact on the state of our bikes as we have to repair such bikes regularly as a result of the bumpy roads. We have cried out severally but nobody wants to come to our rescue. Many promises have been made in the past by politicians who want our support, but immediately they get what they want, they abandon us and only remember us whenever they want our votes again in another dispensation. We pray that the current governor will remember us as he has promised to do,” he laments.

Tunde says that despite the deplorable roads, cars still ply the road, adding that another link road project was being embarked upon currently but has been abandoned for some weeks now. He however fails to explain how two cars that suddenly come across each other on the tiny road would be able to navigate without necessarily colliding with each other. Suddenly, like a brilliant apparition in the midst of the desert, we suddenly come upon a magnificent architectural edifice that appears to be out of place in this rural enclave. It is the palace of the Imah IV of Somorika, HRH Oba Sule T. Idaiye. And interestingly the royal father is willing to accommodate the prying questions of an inquisitive reporter.

A royal predicament

Under his apparent royal mien, Oba Sule is a youth at heart and eagerly radiates the freshness and vibrancy of the youth at heart. He is a witty personality, with a constant twinkling sparkle threatening to burst from the corners of his probing eyes. Our brief interaction is constantly inundated with bursts of good natured laughter from the paramount ruler. He however has a deep pain in his heart which he does not waste time to pour out. He feels that despite the deep cultural and traditional links his community represents, they have not enjoyed the much propagated dividends of democracy like other areas of the state. He laments, “it is over a century ago that the British, a foremost world power, invaded our land and put an end to the glorious city state called Somorika today. Somorika represents the last most vibrant resistance to the onslaught of the rampaging colonial masters who sought to conquer the nation during the pre colonial era. Despite this significant aspect of our collective history as represented by Somorika, we have not enjoyed the dividends of democracy.”

He adds that subsequent governments in the past have never sought to harness the huge potentials that abound in such a place as Somorika. “The comrade governor, Adams Oshiomhole visited Somorika for the first time last week. He was appalled at what he saw on ground when he came. He was especially saddened at the bad state of roads. He promised to immediately find a lasting solution to it. Our women have to pass the road on a daily basis. You can imagine carrying a 20 litre keg of palm oil on a motor bike over such a long distance on the bad road on a daily basis. No one needs to tell you that it is a traumatic experience that nobody wants to pass through constantly. Many a time, the palm oil of these women has poured on the road when the bikes turn over and spills its human and material cargo. It is that bad. He equally visited our only school in Somorika and was again appalled at the dilapidated infrastructure. He expressed concern that the school which was built by communal efforts over two decades ago and handed over to the state government, has not been upgraded since. He promised to look into that also. The only thing we can say that we have enjoyed since the advent of democracy in Nigeria is the constant electricity that we have. The electrification of the community was done by Chief Lucky Igbinedion and luckily we have enjoyed power for a long time now. But apart from that we have not enjoyed any other benefit.”

He also says that the tourism potentials of the community have remained hugely untapped: ‘thank God that the governor has noticed the unblemished tourism potentials in the community. We have beautifully carved rocks that are a natural attraction and beauty anyway. These potentials need to be harnessed for the good of the community and the state in particular. He has promised to send experts to do an appraisal of the sights and sites in Somorika. We only pray that God will give him good health and understanding so that he will be able to fulfil his promises.”

He also alludes to the fact that there is relative calm in the community despite the fact that it hosts three different religions and a multiplicity of smaller denominations. “We have been able to live in peace. I am a Muslim and I go to my mosque conscientiously. But when I am invited to a program in church, I go. When the chief priest tells me that I need to make a contribution for a festival, I make it. He cannot ask me for more than a bottle of gin, kolanuts and goat. I make my contributions and even add a little more. When people ask me what religion I practice, I tell them that I am three in one. I am one but in three. When you do this and with the help of God, there is bound to be peace and tranquility…”

An encounter with Somorika’s chief priest

You could easily pass by him on the streets without noticing him. Donning a white cap and kaftan with simple leather slippers, this is the man who coordinates the mystic powers that has carved a unique niche for Somorika in world affairs. He equally commands a fluent flow of English and possesses great conversational traits that quickly endears him to one. On this particular day, due to the dismal flow of potential clients, he had not gone to the shrine and instead, is reclining in an armchair at home. He agrees to talk without much prompting. He says that Somorikans are mainly farmers and traders. ‘We trade in cocoa, palm oil and kolanuts. We have a prominent shrine here that was established in 1955 to meet the spiritual needs of its adherents and strangers. The major ideology preached at the shrine is encapsulated in the spiritual principle of “love your neighbor as yourself and do unto others as you would want others do to you.” There, you can find solutions to all life’s problems such as poverty, infertility, sicknesses and spiritual attacks. We have recorded a lot of successes. People also come from abroad to sample our miracles here. The shrine resonates around a particular juju which automatically protects any Somorikan wherever they may reside on the surface of the earth.

On the perceived powers of the average Somorikan to read minds and predict future happenings, he laughs. He says this is true but the powers are not as widespread among the indigenes as many are wont to believe. He adds that only a few possess this mystic gift as specific families where the gift resides pass it along to their children while those who desire it have to learn from the few who actually possess the gift. “If you wish evil for any Somorikan, you must be prepared to die because we all have a powerful deity guarding us from all forms of evil. Some of us are even blessed with the powers to read minds so even before you carry out your evil intention, the average Somorikan will be aware. Some even have the power to foretell what is to happen in the future. Some prominent fortune tellers in our midst have even passed down the gift to their children or younger ones. For those who are willing to learn, they can serve as apprentices under such famed persons and after a few years, they would be able to operate the gift. But it is not true that all Somorikans possess mystic gifts”

Interestingly, despite the prominence of traditional worship in Somorika, conventional religions like Christianity and Islam equally thrive in the community. There is a sense of tranquility and peace amongst the three religions, says many of the residents with the different adherents practicing their faith without infringing on the rights of others.

Alfred Ajakaiye, pastor of the Salvation Army church, Somorika, says that there has been peace in the community on the religious plane as far as he can remember. He enthuses that, “it is a peaceful town and we always harp it into our followers that they should respect the religious sensibilities of the other religious groups and this has been the trend for many years. Everyone irrespective of tribe or religious difference have maintained a level of orderliness, tolerance and peace while ensuring that they do not do anything that will cause needless conflicts on religious issues.”

His counterpart, Malam Habeeb Balogun, who head the village’s mosque, also expresses the same joy when he asserts, “we have good relationship with all the religions here. We have never recorded any major religious crisis as far as I can remember. The various religious leaders here meet regularly to fashion out ways to ensure continued religious tolerance and peace amongst its adherents. Where there is love there is bound to be peace. All these things we preach in our mosques and churches especially the oneness of God and the need to avoid conflicts that will earn them punishment here and in the hereafter. I am happy to say that followers of all the religions have been able to imbibe the spirit of oneness and brotherhood.”

Somorika checkered history

According to Tunde Ekharo, a writer and an indigene of the ancient town, “Somorikans are Benin warriors who reneged on a military assignment during the time of Oba Ewuare of Benin to found an independent kingdom for themselves. Their leader, Orudu hailed from Usilowa quarters of Benin. On arrival at the Kukuruku hills, they met four aboriginal villages of Wakpe, Usho, Wehune and Ogogorosho on the land. The Benin emigrants were peacefully received and a process of unification and integration with these tribes commenced in earnest resulting in the strong resilient nation state called Somorika today.” He adds proudly, “Somorika is very rich in culture. Cultural troupes from Somorika have represented Akoko Edo in cultural festivals at the state and national levels in the past and done the area proud. Over the years, some annual and occasional festivals have served as a tourist attraction for people to Somorika.”

He ascribes the present underdevelopment in the land to the ravages of the British Somorika wars of 1904 that deprived it of its sovereignty and destroyed its once known vibrancy. He enthuses, “the British Somorika wars of 1904 ended the glory and fame of the city state called Somorika. Worse still, it made the Somorikans to distrust the British. The Somorikans rejected the British order for them to settle in the plains. They thought it was a ploy for their annihilation. They instead, moved down to their present site. This decision to remain at the disadvantageous location is reason for Somorika’s underdevelopment till date a century after the war.’

In the 70s and 80s, the foreign shrine, Ulokuiagbe, welcomed to Somorika in 1955 brought in unprecedented economic boom by way of massive influx of people from all over Nigeria and beyond to Somorika in search of healing, power, prosperity and protection. According to Ekharo, the boom went into the heads of Somorikans and resulted in serious social dislocations. And when the boom crashed in the 90s so great was the fall that the bewildered Somorikans are yet to recover even at the turn of the century into the new millennium. Somorika again fell to its lowest ebb as it was in 1904 after the military action.

Encounter with Somorika’s oldest man

In Somorika, the oldest man is given special privileges. He is honored by every denizen and is seen as a treasury of knowledge and wisdom. Sado Alonge is Somorika’s oldest living man. Interestingly, he speaks a spattering of fluent Yoruba language and English in addition to his native tongue of Emale. This is understandable as he lived a part of his life in Ibadan, South West Nigeria. He has equally been married to a Yoruba woman for over 80 years. He says that his vision for Somorika is that by the time he leaves to meet with his ancestors, the land would have been developed to the point that it can stand at par with other civilized parts of the country. “I lived in Ibadaan for many years and I pray that my own land will in no distant future be able to boast of essential comforts of living like other towns. If we cannot enjoy it in our own time, I pray that my great-grand children will enjoy it someday.” As I depart his presence, his cheery laugh interspersed with rigorous prayers for my safe trip home, trails behind me. Outside, other prominent visitors are lining up to see Somorika’s oldest man known traditionally as Orioase.

In Somorika, according to one of Somorika’s high chiefs, Chief Ogedenbge, there are seven basic age grades: Isisiboto, Isiri, Ekuefe, Iposha, Ekualeburu, , Ekuopa, Ibiase. He adds that there are equally more advanced ones such as the Eku-elayannefe, Ihuwa ekara, Isogule and equally the revered philosopher kings age grade called Isuogulehu who wear the wing feather of a very rare bird called Okosomi fixed on a special straw hat called okara. At the next celebration of the wearer the feather faces outward and then inwards again until the owner joins his ancestors. The oldest man in Somorika however retains a unique position in the power equation of the community.

Somorika’s awe inspiring tourist spots

What perhaps never ceases to amaze visitors who throng this historical enclave is the precipitatious natural rocky ascents that go as high as 1700 feet which are interspersed at roughly unequal intervals that fill the borders of the village. These also contain artificial rocky hangers that served as formidable defenses for the Somorikans during the British assault of 1904. These formation of boulders like smooth topped rocks appear to have been concentrated at the summit of the Kukuruku hills. Somorika was reputed to have served as relaxation and vacation spots for British officers and their families during the colonial era due to its exciting landscape.

Another site worthy of beholding are some indelible marks which appear well preserved by nature. The marks are believed to have been made by shrapnels from the British rockets during the war. The region is called Ekisa rocks by the natives. There is also the Oriakpe rock. It comprises a human shaped rock carved intricately by nature on a massive boulder. It is believed to belong to a girl who was agglutinated to the rock due to her disobedience and insolence to the gods. The girl, Omologboloyin, violated an outstanding taboo during Ohome, the marriage festival of the Somorikans. She was subsequently turned into a rock by the gods. Oriakpe rock with Omogboloyin sitting appears to be the only known symbol of Somorika today.

One other prominent rock is the Odeburu rock which is seen as the highest peak of the Kukuruku hills. It is said that with the aid of binoculars, one can see the silvery edge of the River Niger from its peak. The peak can also be seen from surrounding towns and villages even as far as Auchi.

The Iresha spring which flows as deep as 50 feet, is also a unique site that visitors may want to see whenever they go to Somorika. Its water is extremely cool and forms ice at extreme temperatures. This however, pales into insignificance for tourists who prefer to visit the Okoye rock lake named after a powerful spirit ancestor of the Somorikans who is reputed to have been a master manufacturer of iron and war implements which the warriors relied on during ancient times. Somorika was perhaps, most appreciated for its healing and miracle center called Ulokuiagbe shrine which even after years of decline, continues to attract many from different parts of the country and beyond who are in search of solutions to varied life’s problems which center on the physical and the spiritual.

Restoring Somorika’s lost glory

Presently, a select group of Somorikan sons and daughters led by Tunde Ekharo, are leading a campaign for the development and growth of their homestead. They collectively believe that the routing of and looting of Somorika by the British in 1904, forms the foundational basis for all the woes and sufferings the regions is experiencing till date. They are therefore, calling for reparations from the British and more federal and state government attention.  ‘In April 2004, the Somorikan people met and took a long and deep peep into their past. They discovered that the present state of underdevelopment is traceable to the events that took place in the early hours of October 4, 1904, in Somorika by the British colonial war machine. The people believe that though the British colonial masters have left the nation’s shores politically over 44 years ago she can still be called back to make war reparations designed to restore her back to glory again…the sore point of it all is that the British supervised the looting of Somorika’s wealth including sacred and cultural artifacts by the Igarra people, perhaps as reward for their cooperation in the war effort. Britain thus killed the glorious city state called Somorika. The British enslaved the spirit of Somorika,” Ekharo laments.

He further encapsulates the yearnings of the average Somorikan: “this is the thing that Somorikan people are asking Great Britain to do for them. They believe that the world has shrunken into a global village in the 21st century. They insist that Britain remains Nigeria’s former colonial masters. The commons historical ties still remain. The people insist that Great Britain is a great country with a good sense of history and tradition. They hope that Britain will not fail to respond to the deep call of an injured heart.”