High Chief Isekhurhe Suspended Indefinitely by Benin Traditional Council, Title Scraped
The Benin Traditional Council today suspended
indefinitely, Chief Nosakhare Isekhurhe, the Isekhurhe of Benin, and scraped his title.
Isekhurhe's suspension was announced by the Iyase
of Benin, Chief Sam Igbe, who said the suspension was approved by the Oba of
Benin, Oba Ewuare II.
The Iyase, while disclosing the suspension at a
media briefing held at the palace ground in Benin City, noted that Isekhurhe
was suspended because of his refusal to perform his traditional duty during
funeral rites of the passage of the former Oba.
According the statement signed by first class chief
of Benin, headed by the Iyase, "During Emwinekhua (funeral rites of
passage of the past Oba, Isekhurhe neglected and deliberately refused to
perform his traditional duties before, during and after the event, and has
since remained infinitely unrepentant."
He even said he (Iyase) sent for him to enable he discuss
with him, Chief Isekhurhe's demurred, adding that even when the Council of
Chiefs sent for him, he refused to answer it.
Against this backdrop, Igbe said the profanities
and denigrations that came from Isekhurhe and his followers during the mourning
period are better just forgotten, noting that during the said period, the
suspended chief told all those who cared to listen to him that neither the
royal funeral rites nor the consequent coronation could hold without him.
He recalled that the title of Isekhurhe of Benin is
a member of the Ihogbe Palace Society of Benin, the leader of which is the
Ihama of Benin.
Accordingly, he said the Ihama was one of the
traditional spiritual personages who travelled with Prince Oranmiyan from
Ile-Ife to Benin-city at about the middle of the 12th century.
"Isekhurhe was, as the family grew in Benin,
one of his male children. The present responsibilities of Isekhurhe were part
of the traditional duties of Ihama. When, as a result of old age, the Ihama
found it difficult to walk from his Ogbe in Ihogbe quarters to the palace to
perform some of his allocated rites, he pleaded with the reigning Oba Ewedo
then to empower one of his sons to take over the performance of the rites on his
behalf. Oba Uku Akpolokpolo approved and later, about 1280 AD, created the
title ‘Isekhurhe’, the position in which the descendants of the Isekhurhe functioned
for their father until Isekhurhe present decided, for reasons best known to
him, to desecrate," the Iyase stated.
Continuing, Igbe alleged the present Isekhurhe had
designated his house as a palace where he held court in which he sometimes
reviewed cases already dealt with in the Oba Palace where gratifications were
offered or forcibly collected.
He added, not only that, he alleged that the Isekhurhe
used his position to influence new chiefs celebrating their investiture to
perform certain rites at his residence, during which monies, kola nuts and
drinks were collected; senior chiefs were at times openly bad-mouthed and
vilified by him, and during those times, he declared that the chiefs were not
senior to him and that he would not pay respect to them again as palace
cultures demand.
"He turned himself into a be-all and end-all,
and a seeming authority in Benin culture and tradition, especially palace
procedures. He even pronounced himself the head of the royal family,” the Iyase
who was flanked other traditional chiefs stated, pointing out that "we
recommend in the circumstances therefore, that he be suspended, and with the
authority of Omo N'Oba N'Edo, Uku Akpolokpolo, Ewuare II, Oba of Benin.
“He is with effect from today, January 17, 2017,
suspended indefinitely from performing the duties of the Isekhurhe title which
he now bears. Those duties were originally performed by the Ihama of Benin.
They will now revert to the Ihama N'Ihogbe," Igbe stated.
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