Documented history of Mbaise (1899 to 1941)

Documented history of Mbaise (1899 to 1941): Cross section of the ‘Nzes’ during the 2015 ‘Oji’ Mbaise cultural festival held at Udo, Ezinihitte Mbaise Imo State on 1/1/2015. (Udo Top Gist)

Mbaise is an amalgam of indigenous, autochthonous clans, connected by intermarriage, and situated in approximate area the heartland of Igboland. It occupies an area of 404 square kilometers. The quiddity of Mbaise is that this homogenous group of more than 1000 persons per square kilometer is the most densely populated area in West Africa. The population of Mbaise as at 2006 was estimated to be 611,204 people (Agulanna, 2008).

As at 1890, there was neither a place known and called Mbaise, nor were the people who inhabited the vast areas that extended from Ekwerazu to Ahiara down to the banks of Imo River in Ezinihitte and southwards up to the Azaraegbelu valley known as Mbaise people. The term Mbaise was an artificial creation of circumstance.

The British colonial government had no control over ‘Mbaise’ people until the turn of the 20th century and their coming into contact with Mbaiseland was also circumstantial. In 1901, during the Anglo-Aro war, the British military headed by Captain Douglas needed a short cut to Ohafia hills where Ohafia Warriors encamped fighting for the Eze Aro. The natural way was for them to cut through Owerri down towards Umuahia, and in doing so, they came in contact with Mbaise people.

With this discovery, they hastened to impose their authority on Mbaise people, and that was not without minor scuffles of resistance in 1901. As the Aro War raged, they moved through Mbaise throughout that period, which gave them opportunity to know the hinterlands better in preparation for a more organized take over after the Aro Expedition.

In 1903, the British set up a court at Owerri and extended the reach and authority of that court to Mbaise. And in 1904, they formally merged the administration of Owerri, and Mbaise as one entity. However, this was to change as a result of an unfortunate incident which happened in 1905. Dr Rogers Stweart, a medical doctor in the British Office who came to help them tackle Malaria during the Aro Wars, strayed from where they camped in Eke Nguru and lost his way. He was caught at Onicha and was killed while his bicycle was hanged up to a tree.

The death of Dr. Stewart led to the Ahiara Punitive Expedition carried out by Captain Brian Douglas and Captain Harold Hastings in 1906. That was called Ogu Dangalasi by our people and it led to the massacre of hundreds of our people by the invading British forces.

To curtail a repeat of such, the British established courts at Nkwogwu and Okpala to curtail the distance between Mbaise and Owerri. And they appointed Warrant Chiefs in the two courts.

At the Nkwogwu Court, they appointed Mr. Onwuegbulem Ekechukwu of Umuanuma Nguru mainly because he was very fair in complexion, and was friendly; they see his complexion as something closer to theirs. They nicknamed him Nwaturuocha and he later changed his name from Onwuegbulem Ekechukwu to Waturuocha of Nguru. He was the first Mbaise man to have direct contact with the Whiteman.

He later introduced his cousin from Nnarambia Ahiara Mr. Onyekwere Njoku to the Colonial master and they equally made him Warrant Chief, Mr Onyekweere was easily accepted by the British because he played a very important role in helping them with logistics during the Ahiara Punitive Expedition of 1906 to avenge the death of Dr. Stewart.

For the court at Okpala, Nwigwe Akanma Nduka from Oke Uvuru, Ihekoronye Nwachukwu from Mbutu, and Nwachukwu Ogbuokiri were all made Warrant Chiefs. The native court judges were W. Waturuocha (Nguru), P. Onyekwere (Ahiara East) Anyanwu Odirichukwu (Ekwerazu-east). These men were lords unto themselves across Mbaise, and their words were laws unto the land.

The first Christian missionaries came to Mbaise in 1911 and they were from the Christian Missionary Society (CMS) mission. They camped at Ife Ezinihitte, and and Ubonukam Onicha Ezinihitte, and the schools followed suit.

In 1915, the Catholic Mission came to Nguru, through Chief Anyamele who also brought the school  (Regina Caeli) at St. Joseph Ogbor Nguru unarguably, the first Catholic school in Mbaise.

In 1916, Catholic Church arrived Ahiara through Chief Onyekwere together with the school at St. Bridges Ahiara, while St. Patrick’s Church and School Ekwerazu were established at Umuokirika in 1917.

In 1927 the first Mbaise man obtained standard six certificate. He was Chief Pius Nwoga from primary school at Egbu.

The birth of 'Mbaise'

After the Women Riots (Ogu Ndom/Nwanyi) which had Mbaise as one of the effective epicenters, the British government undertook a fundamental reform and restructuring of the native court administrative system.This was because some of the complaints that were laid as responsible for the Ogu Ndom/Nwanyi centered on the high handedness of the Warrant Chiefs, and the fact that the people in the hinterland are not getting justice because the courts are far from their villages.

Afterwards a conference was convened by the District Officer, Mr. L.E Chardwick for Mbaise leaders (the Chardwick Conference of 1941). After the conference, there was the emergence of five sectional clan/native courts established at Itu for Ezinihitte, Uzuaku-Obohia for Ekwerazu, Orie Ahiara for Ahiara, Uvuru for Oke-Uvoro and at Enyiogugu for Agbaja people. The five native court areas became clan units of native authority and served as a milestone towards carving out Mbaise from Owerri division.

Following this development, the colonial administrators and the Mbaise Paramount Chiefs who were members of the Owerri Divisional Union deliberated and considered federating the five court areas to form one political unit.Those who took part in this discussion were Dennis Nwachukwu Abii, Japhet Jamike Iwunna, Pius Ogu Nwoga, Waturuocha, among others. It was at this meeting that Japhet Jamike Iwunna suggested the name MBAISE, meaning five court areas and adopted as the political unit.

In 1941 Mr. L.E. Chardwick, the District Officer approved the name with one administrative headquarter and treasury. Enyiogugu served as the administrative headquarter and treasury between 1941 and 1948.

In 1948, the treasury was transferred to Aboh in Oboama na Umunama. This arrangement created two sets of warrant Chiefs, those accountable to the District Officer (Nwa D.O), and those accountable to the District Commissioner (“Nwa D.C”). This resulted in court sessions being held in two shifts.

. . . to be continued

-Kelechi Deca