AJIMELE VILLAGE: NEW LIGHT
Ajimele village was founded sometime in the nineteenth
century. Imele’s father was Mishope, a son of Teye. Like Edo of Obaghoro,
Mishope also used Okoludo- house boat – in his business venture. Mishope came
to Sapele area to trade. In those days what is now called Mechanic Village was
Okulumele. Some people loyal to Ogiegba and therefore loyal to Sagay and Olomu inhabited
the land. Olomu had defeated Ogiegba(part Okpe, part Isekiri – the strongest
Urhobo ever to exist) and Ogiegba(Ikime 1969;Sagay undated) had rescued himself
with Amukpe land. What is now Sapele , is occupied by people Olomu, through
Sagay, forced Ogiegba to bring from different places – Esan, Ora, Ijebu,
Badagri etc – to work for Olomu( Sagay undated, Ikime 1969, Honsbira and St.Ifa
2011;2013). That is to say Sapele was Olomu’s slave camp , and Amukpe , where
he allowed Ogiegba to stay after being captured at Arhagba(Asagba)(Asagba 2005
online).
The
people inhabiting Okulumele are pure Okpe natives, only subject to Olomu; it
was only the Sapele people who are of unknown identity (WACA1943). Sapele is a
small piece of land – from Market Road, down Hausa Road, ending at the terminus
of Abrahall (now adulterated to Oghene Road) , down to the Water Front.
Ajogodo(Ogodo Village and Imele Villages, including Ugbeyiyi – where Efejuku
had stronghold are not part of Sapele). Sapele Town, not the fiction the so
called Sapele-Okpe –Community people are claiming is only 510 acres of land.
Ogun-Aja(Ikomi Town) is out of it; Ugbekoko and Aja-Ojigwo(in the reserves) are
another ball game entirely. Arun-Owun is out and so is Ogorode Village. Imele’s
grandmother was from this village – Okulumele. Remember, Olomu had captured the
place before the Imele era. The headman
from Orovie in Abraka married this woman from Okolumele. This woman gave birth
to Imele’s mother – Metsaghan and one Edebi. Metsaghan (who later got married
to Mishope) gave birth to Imele. Edebi
gave birth to Ofuyatan, through another Isekiri man – Edo (at that time living
on Olomu’s protection, escaping from Ijaw menace). Metsaghan gave birth to
Imele. It was the same Metsaghan and Mishope who first settled in Metsaghan (now
corrupted to Mosogar).
Imele
was born at Ode-Isekiri the most important city in the Western Niger Delta from
1480-1900(Alagoa 1989; Kenny 2003; Ikime 1969). She was very beautiful, being a
princess from the most renowned kingdom in the Niger Delta (Talbot 1927,
Fage1969; Egharevba1948; Roth 1903; Kingsley Mary 1898). During the period of
Nana and Dore she came to Warri Township. Imele grew up as a very pretty lady,
both Dore and Nana wooed her, and she declined them both. She later left Warri
to Sapele area. She vowed that nobody
will see her nakedness, except a white man. At Sapele she met one George
Brownridge who came on the platform of UAC. The headquarters of the UAC was at
Trafalgar Square, London. At what is now MacIver she met George Brownridge, the
Manager of Miller Brothers. Maciver is the present ATP area of Sapele. Imele
gave birth to a child known as George Brownride Jnr. Imele was living with
Brownridge at MacIver.
When it
was time for Brownridge to leave Imele begged to be given custody of the child.
Brownridge had many slaves which Imele brought to him from the Sapele stock (both male and female)
working for him. Brownridge told her to look for a better place to stay. Imele
decided to stay in a land she had put some slaves to be working for her
previously.
Imele
collected some Brownridge’s slaves together with her own. She went with the
slaves to a place she has been using for farming and fishing. This place she
named Ajimele. One recalcitrant Imele’s slave Okokuyor was seen fishing for
himself without Imele’s permission. When the slave saw them, he tried to run,
because he knew what fate would befall him. Imele commanded her slaves and they
caught him. The man pleaded that he should not be killed. He said Imele should
have settled with other Isekiri people – Amatorisero, Ojigwo, Megbaino etc – in
the other section of the town. Imele told him “I want where I will live freely
with my children”. Imele released him and he was freed from death and from
slavery. The slaves came the next day and they continued brushing the place. It
was after this she told Brownridge that she had got a place. Brownridge came
the following day. He was surprised to see that Imele chose the bush she was
fishing in. But Imele told him that she wanted a place that would be free for
her and her children. She brushed up to present St.Itas and Malachy. She
planted rubber trees and palm wine trees. Brownridge came to stay with her for
some time before he went to England. After Brownridge left, she married Clarke,
another white man brought to UAC, and gave birth to a child, of which Reuben
Clark is a grandson to.
RELATIONSHIP WITH OGODO
The man Ogodo was a son of the man Okubor. Okubor was among
the slaves who led a revolt in Ode-Isekiri in 1852. Other notable slaves
(Oloroguns or Olorukos) in the 1852 escapade was Ugbodudun(who later settled in
Aja-Ugbodudun(midway between Oghara and Koko, under Teye’s leadership),
Okorodosu, Ebrimoni, Amakatse etc.(Moore 1936, Sagay undated, Honsbira and
St.Ifa2011;2013 According to the field work done with some members of Ajimele,
the man was not originally Ogodo. He was called James. A wolf carried him away
as a baby, they chased the wolf, and the baby now fell into the gutter. Gutter
is called Ogodo – hence the name. Okubor was buried by the waterside in
Ekuobodo.(WACA1943).
As time
went on, Imele went to Ekuobodo to bring Ogodo. When he brought Ogodo, he
handed him over to Okokoyor, who was her freed slave. Imele was made a tax collector.she rejected it
and gave the position to her brother Natiku. She commanded Okokuyor to ensure
Ogodo learns how to read. When Imele collected the taxes, she passed them on to
Ogodo, who gave the moneys to Paramount Chief Dore Numa. Ogodo seem not to have
been an honest tax collector. He made some enormous money and became rich. He
was not as rich as Imele; but rich according to Okpe standard that were
described as unsophisticated (WACA1943). Imele was also made a warrant chief,
but she handed it to her brother called Natiku, because women were not chiefs
at that time.
OGODO’S MARRIAGE
Marriage time! No Isekiri woman agreed to marry the son of a
native doctor, himself a native doctor. Imele made negotiations and he married
a daughter of Ebbah, who was related to Ogiegba, in the protection of Olomu.
This Ogiegba’s relative gave birth to Itotoh. Ebbah’s daughter’s elder brother
came to live with them. He was said to be a boma boy. They drove him away, he
then ran to Asabodi (now Malachy Junction) to stay. He was still making trouble
there and was driven. He came to Igbokan (FGS). Imele said she doesn’t want him
there. Thence she went to Ugbeyiyi. At Ugbeyiyi, she met Efejuku(Megbaino).
Ebbah was allowed to stay on the land with them.
Most of
Efejuku’s children ran out of Ugbeyiyi after a fight with one another that injured
one of the Efejuku’s legs. Only one of
the offspring of Efejuku(a reprobate – for being a native doctor was left
behind). When this child died, the Ebbah family rose up. Ebbah could not have
founded a town called Ugbo-Eyiyi (Ugbeyiyi or cam wood town). As this article
hits the net, the name will soon be changed to a funny sounding Okpe name trust
“Sapele Okpe Community”.
In
those days, when Ogodo people die, Imele people will represent their family at
Ekuobodo and Efurokpe. Pa Wonder Ogodo(the last born of Ogodo, who died in
2012) was very visible in such outings. This practice was stopped some 20 years ago before 2015. Ozalla people
normally came as the father’s side. When Ogodo had money, he became an
associate of one Esiso from Effurun with one eye, he was shady character, his eye was blinded due to
stealing. Charles from Amukpe was also their associate, he had one leg, he also
faced his predicament by being a thief. He was popularly called AliBaba and the
40 thieves. These were the notorious people who told Ogodo to be cutting the
tax of Imele, that Imele ordered Ogodo to be giving to Dore Numa – sad story!
During the tax riot of 1927, Ogodo with his senior son, Itotoh(one moved by
palanquin) ran to Imele to stay. This was how Ajogodo was finally founded. It was
founded as an escape route shelter from tax collectors, due to Imele’s generosity.
