Attah Ameh Oboni - Nigerian Leader

Attah Ameh Oboni [Agaba Idu] was born in 1911 [died June 26, 1956] in a village near Ugwolawo. He was about three months old when his father, Attah Oboni Akwu Odiba died, and with the death of his father, he left the palace to stay with his mother’s relatives at Adumu Village in Itobe District. Oboni’s mother, Alami Inedu was a native of Itobe. She had been married to three Atas who had ruled in succession. Ameh oboni was her only child. When his elder brother, Acho was appointed district head of Ajobi, he took Prince Ameh Oboni to stay with him and treated him like his own child.

On May 1st 1945, Attah Ameh Oboni was installed as the Attah of Igala land. He came to the throne at the end of the Second World War and the resultant economic boom affected the Igala Kingdom.

He continued the work of his predecessor in mobilizing his district and village heads for road construction. Although Attah Ameh had only little formal education, he expanded the Igala Native Authority schools. He encouraged them to establish primary schools in his kingdom. He also expanded the Igala Native Authority dispensaries to all districts headquarters.

When Attah Ameh Oboni became Attah Igala, he made some pronouncements that that all came to pass. For instance, “He commanded that everyone should have money from any business he or she was doing, and that they should start to build modern houses (mud and Zink roofed) instead of the common thatched houses, and it began to happen immediately. There was a particular sickness called jigger or chigger (ikpelikpe) which eats up toes and making people unable to work and walk, he commanded that every infected person be healed and that the sickness be out of Igala land. It happened as stated.

Attah Ameh Oboni ruled for ten years and these were explosive and unforgettable years in the history of Igala Nation. Some viewed him as a supernatural human being who speak powerfully, and whatever he said would come to pass.

Attah’s stool has many dos and don’ts, and these traditions can never be comprised no matter the situation as every defaulting has its own consequence. In a particular meeting held in Kaduna which consisted of all paramount traditional rulers in Nigeria and which had the queen of England in attendance, Attah Ameh was forced to remove his cap to greet the Queen of England as others had done. It was taboo for him to remove his cap in public.

The entire hall where they were staying was occupied by a swan of bees which emanates from the cap of Attah Ameh Oboni which he removed in order to greet the Queen. The hall became empty as some were stung by the bees and the meeting ended. According to history, Attah Ameh Oboni was asked to be arrested and handcuffed by the security people, which they did, but the handcuffs fell off his hands. He was later locked up in a room on the instruction of the Northern rulers and guarded by the security personnel but only to find out later by the personnel that he had left the room.

The incident in the meeting made many traditional rulers which were mostly northerners to be angry, especially making kings run in such a manner because of bees. This became one important sin, and it was like “one sin too many”. The queen of England was also not happy and they (the Queen and northern leaders) started looking for a way to remove Attah Ameh from the throne since he was getting tougher and uncontrollable like others, as well as searching for an obedient replacement.

Igala has various cultural festivals, one of which is Ocho. Ocho is celebrated before farming starts, and it is the time that Attah Igala prays to God for sufficient rainfall, a bountiful harvest, and success in hunting. Petition was written by these two Igala people to the Queen and some other Northern leaders that Attah Ameh was sacrificing humans during the Ocho festivals. Since they were looking for any means to displace him, judgment was quickly passed that he must be dethroned, even when investigations were not yet concluded. In addition, all the Igala cultural festivals including the Ocho were immediately banned and this remained for almost 63 years until Governor Yahaya Bello unbanned them based on the appeal of the present Attah Igala.

In addition, as this information about his dethronement was given to him in a meeting from where he was supposed to go back to Idah and prepare to leave the throne, he stopped on the way to another Igala land called Dekina.

That was where he committed suicide.