Auchi, now known as Auchi Sacred Kingdom (ASK) geolocated on latitude  7° 04′ 3.22″ N and longtitude 6° 15′ 48.96″ E, is located in north-eastern present-day Edo State of Nigeria. About 126 km from Benin City, it is the second most populous and cosmopolitan city in Edo State and has maintained this status for more than 100 years. This summary examines the origin of Auchi and the prominent role played by Momoh the First and his descendants towards her development.

Geographically, Auchi is landscaped by hills with valleys and some flat plains. It is bordered by villages and towns: on the east by South Ibie, on the north by Iyuku, Iyamho, Ayua and Imeke; on the north east by Jattu-Uzairue, on the northwest by Ikpeshi and Ihievbe, Warrake and Ivbiaro to the Southwest and Aviele to the Southeast. Although there are 20 rivers and rivulets, the  main rivers include Orle, Eda Nokhua, Omemhi and Orfotsele.

Auchi was founded in the 14th century by a man called Uchi who left a place called Udo some 30 kilometers northwest of Benin City.

He left with his family due to civil unrest, ethnic strife, intimidation, brutalization and dehumanization. His preference for Auchi was partly attributed to access to water, fertile land and lush greenery which sprew around Auchi till date. Auchi people of old were farmers, hunters, blacksmiths and traditional worshippers. They worshipped the River Orle, Uchi (the founder of Auchi) and other deities who they believed had sacred powers.

Uchi migrated from Benin with five of his sons named Ogun, Ekpe, Ortse, Igbei and Ekhei. These sons were to form the five heritage zones that composed Auchi. The children settled at the foot of a hill, currently where the Uchi market is located.

Consequently, Auchi was intially composed of five villages. These five villages include Utsogun (the head of Ogun) Afekpe or Akpekpe (the house of Ekpe), Aibotse, Igbei, Iyekhei (children of Ekhei). The mode of leadership and administration in these villages was on the basis of the eldest person in the village. The eldest man called the “Odion” (Onodio) was the Chairman of the Council of Elders “Edion” (Enedio). The Council of Elders (Enedio) was composed originally from the oldest persons in different family units, followed by the extended family units that make up each village. The decisions taken by the Council of Elders were executed by young men who had gone through the age-group initiation to manhood (irua).

As with many communities in Nigeria at that time, Auchi had its share of tribal invasions, and the Nupe invasion will later redefine and have profound impact on the socio-political, cultural and religious history of the Kingdom. The Nupe and Fulanis made sporadic inroads into Auchi and environs where they engaged in procurement of slaves for their slave trades. Auchi became a center for the collection of slaves.

Two contrasting historical records indicated that in one of such raids, the mother of the oldest man in Auchi, Ikelebe Osimhe, who was known by the name Aneke was murdered by the Nupe/Fulani slave raiders. The implications were dire and inevitable outbreak of reprisal attacks. Unexpectedly, Ikelebe Osimhe was said to have sued for peace. One record shows that the slave raiders were confused and recognized Ikelebe Osimhe as a worthy leader who had to be installed as such over Auchi. They therefore installed him as the first leader of Auchi in a quasi-emirate system. Therefore Ikelebe Osimhe was the first ruler of Auchi installed in 1819. A second account reported that the Council of Elders sent a message to the traditional and political head of the Nupes, the Etsu Nupe in Bida to pay comensurate compensation to Ikelebe Osimhe for the murder of his mother by the marauding slave raiders; else the Nupes would not have it easy within the Auchi community. The compensation was said to have been paid. The title of Otaru was however not used to identify Ikelebe Osimhe then, even though he was chosen to lead Auchi at that time.

Ikelebe Osimhe had several children, including Idaevho Ikelebe. Idaevho Ikelebe was the 3rd Otaru of Auchi after Ikelebe Osimhe, and was the father of HRH Oshiogbele Momoh Idaevho, the architect of modern Auchi. Among the siblings of HRH Oshiogbele Momoh Idaevho were Kadiri, Abudah, Yaya Adama (Momoh’s eldest sister), Oseni, Aliu, Inonoh and Animetu, who along with Momoh’s mother (Iyami) played significant roles that shaped Momoh’s life and his legacies.

The history of Auchi is divided into the era before Momoh the First, during his era and after his era in 1944. Momoh the First, before his ascension to the throne, influenced the building of first mosque in Auchi and implemented the onslaught against idol worshipping. Momoh also influenced the location of John Holt to Auchi where they had warehouses and employed many Auchi indgenes during his reign. It was also during his reign that the first school was built in Auchi in 1922. Due to the central location of Auchi and Momoh’s influence, the district headquarters of Kukuruku Division (comprising six local government areas today) was relocated to Auchi District one year into his reign as King. This allowed more link roads to be built from Auchi to neighbouring communities. Momoh the First was also known to have invited persons he knew could contribute to Auchi’s development and granted them indigeneship. Many of them stayed and married within the community and contributed immensely to the development of the Kingdom.

As a significance of Momoh’s liberal disposition was the friendship he cultivated with the British colonial officers, one of whom promised him to promote something significant for the Auchi people. Some seventeen years after the passing of Momoh, the British colonial master became a member of the House of Lords and influenced the location of Midwest Technical College in Auchi in 1963 as a technical aid from the British Government. This college metamorphosed into what is today Auchi Polytechnic and has trained generation of students who have gone on to contribute their quota to national development.

References

Haruna, H.B. (2004), The effects of the Nupe invasion of 1860 on Auchi indigenous names and modes of clothing. Lagos Notes and Records 10 (1), 22 – 50.

Momoh, T. (1995), Each man, his time (the biography of an era). Efua Media Associates

Osahon N., The correct history of Edo, in The Secrets of the Ages. Heritage Books, Lagos, Nigeria. https://www.edo-nation.net/naiwu1.htm

Oseni, Z.I., The Islamization of Auchi Kingdom in South-Central Nigeria.