By Musa Tanimu Nasidi
The announcement of the coronation of an Ohinoyi of Egbura in Lokoja has understandably generated interest among members of the Egbura (Ebira Koto) community and the wider public. Traditional institutions remain vital custodians of culture and identity. However, whenever a royal stool is presented as a historical institution, it becomes necessary to examine its origins against the evidence available in history.
This is not a question of opposition to any individual or community. Rather, it is a legitimate inquiry into historical authenticity.
The Egbura (Ebira Koto) people are undoubtedly among the indigenous communities of the Niger-Benue Confluence region. Their presence in Lokoja, Koton Karfe, Toto, Abaji and other settlements predates British colonial administration. Historical and ethnographic studies have documented the role of Ebira Koto communities in trade, fishing, river transportation and agriculture along the River Niger.
Yet, while the existence of the Egbura people in Lokoja is not in dispute, the historical existence of an ancient stool known as the “Ohinoyi of Egbura Lokoja” remains insufficiently established in publicly accessible historical records.
A review of available literature, including colonial intelligence reports, historical accounts of Lokoja, studies on Ebira political organisation and records relating to traditional institutions in the Confluence area, does not readily reveal a documented succession line of Ohinoyis of Egbura in Lokoja dating back to the pre-colonial or early colonial era.
This raises important questions.
Who was the first Ohinoyi of Egbura in Lokoja?
When was the stool established?
Which ruling houses historically produced its occupants?
Where are the records of previous title holders?
What oral traditions specifically support the existence of the institution over successive generations?
These are not hostile questions. They are the same questions historians ask when studying the origin and legitimacy of any traditional institution.
The burden of proof is particularly important because Lokoja possesses a long-established traditional structure under the Maigari of Lokoja. Throughout the colonial period, administrative records generally recognized Lokoja as a multi-ethnic settlement under established traditional authorities. Any claim that a separate paramount Egbura stool existed historically within the same framework requires clear supporting evidence.
It is also necessary to distinguish between historical institutions and modern creations. Across Nigeria, many traditional titles and stools have emerged in response to contemporary realities, population growth and the need for community representation. There is nothing inherently wrong with such developments. What becomes problematic is when recent institutions are presented as ancient without documentary or oral evidence to support such claims.
The history of the Ebira people themselves offers a useful lesson. Scholars have noted that many Ebira communities historically operated through clan and lineage-based systems before the emergence of centralized traditional institutions under changing political circumstances. Therefore, any attempt to project present structures into the distant past must be supported by verifiable evidence rather than assumptions.
This discussion should not be interpreted as a challenge to the cultural aspirations of the Egbura people. On the contrary, it is a call for historical clarity. If records exist in palace archives, Native Authority files, colonial reports or oral traditions preserved by respected elders, they should be documented and made available to researchers and the public.
Indeed, the proposed coronation presents an opportunity for a comprehensive historical study of Egbura leadership in Lokoja. Such a study should draw from the National Archives in Kaduna, Kabba Province Intelligence Reports, Lokoja Native Authority records, the archives of the Maigari of Lokoja, and oral testimonies from Egbura elders and ruling families.
Until such evidence is presented, the historical antiquity of the Ohinoyi stool in Lokoja remains a matter of inquiry rather than established fact.
History is not sustained by popular opinion or contemporary enthusiasm. It is sustained by evidence, continuity and collective memory. The legitimacy of any traditional institution is strengthened—not weakened—when its foundations are clearly documented and subjected to historical scrutiny.
As custodians of our heritage, we owe future generations the responsibility of preserving facts rather than assumptions. In matters of history, evidence must always come before coronation.
References
- A. F. C. Ryder, Nigeria and the Niger-Benue Confluence: Historical Studies.
- C. K. Meek, The Northern Tribes of Nigeria.
- Michael Mason, Foundations of the Bida Kingdom.
- National Archives Kaduna, Kabba Province and Lokoja Native Authority Records.
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Ebira People”.
- Historical studies on Ebira socio-political organisation and migration traditions.
- Oral traditions of Egbura (Ebira Koto) communities in Lokoja, Koton Karfe, Toto and Abaji.
– Musa Tanimu Nasidi is a historian and researcher based in Lokoja, Kogi State.
