The recent proclamation of the Chief and Head of the Buoye Omuso Brown Chieftaincy House of Finima in Bonny Kingdom as the Amadabo of Finima has been described as an attempt to cause chaos in Bonny Local Government Area.
The Attoni Chieftaincy House of Finima in Bonny Kingdom said “the purported installation of an “Amadabo of Finima” is provocative, vexatious and misguided,” asserting that the speech made by the newly installed Chief of the Brown, Chief Dagogo Lambert Brown was “offensive and rooted in anarchy and chaos, not peace seeking but to create disunity that may affect the relative peace in Finima, Bonny Kingdom”.
In a statement he personally signed and made exclusively available to Kristina Reports, Se-Alabo Abel Attoni, who is the Chief and Head of the Attoni Chieftaincy House, said the incident of Wednesday, January 12, 2022, was reminiscent of a previous one in 1990 “when a chief of the Brown House erroneously declared himself as the “Amanyanabo of Finima” and sought to create a kingdom within a kingdom, and that was effectively challenged by the people”.
He declared that “In Bonny Kingdom no chief is installed as “Amadabo”. Finima is an integral part of Bonny Kingdom bound by Ibani custom and tradition. Thus, the purported installation of an Amadabo in Finima is strange and a further quest of the earlier events of 1990,” warning that “this recent event is a threat to peace and an affront to our age old history as a people”.
“Finima Town in Bonny Kingdom is a constituent of three chieftaincy houses namely; Attoni, Brown and Tobin. All the chieftaincy houses in Finima, Bonny Kingdom were created by the King Perekule dynasty.”
Se-Alabo Attoni disclaimed the position of Chief Brown that the Attoni and Tobin Chieftaincy House are sub houses under the Brown, maintaining that “The Attoni Chieftaincy House is not a sub chieftaincy house to the Brown House; the Attoni House is not a burusu or burusuiyo of or in the Brown House,” adding that “The Attoni House, a duly recognized chieftaincy house, created in 1800 installs its chief by itself solely in accordance with Ibani custom and tradition”.
The revered Chief and Head of the Attoni House appealed to his kinsmen to “dwell on matters of peaceful co-existence,” urging them to eschew posturings that could undermine the relative peace in Finima and by extension, Bonny LGA, positing that the Attoni House believes peaceful co-existence is paramount.
“Finally, we urge the youths not to be misguided, let us dwell on matters of peaceful co-existence and not dwell on acid bath in Finima and shirt and coat. As one of the chieftaincy houses in Finima, the Attoni House believes that peaceful co-existence is paramount. May we all meditate, reflect and ponder over these things and may peace abide.”
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BUOYE OMUSO (BROWN) MAJOR HOUSE AND THE MINOR HOUSES [OR KALAWARI] OF FINIMA
The Chief & Head of Buoye (Brown) Major House, is the Paramount Chief and Amadabo of Finima. The Buoye Omuso (Brown) Major House had 3 sub-chieftaincy Houses (Minor Houses) known as Kalawari. These are Attoni House, Tobin House and Adum House. These are all offshoots of Buoye Omuso (Brown) Major House. There are also recognized family units in Buoye Omuso (Brown) Major House known as Burusu, whose Headships constitute the Council of Wari-Alapu of Buoye Omuso (Brown) Major House.
RELATIONSHIP WITH ATTONI MINOR HOUSE
The Attoni House was founded by descendants of Amainye, one of Buo’s slave. Amainye married Buo’s adopted daughter. Because of Amainye’s entrepreneurial potential and loyalty to Buo, Buo gave him money for trade which made Amainye a very rich merchant in his life time.
Amainye begat Doghubo who founded the Attoni House. Doghubo begat Buo-Igbi, Ngeri, Biekiriye-Abobo, Amainye jnr, Oju and Taba. Doghubo had a slave or friend called Eselema who begat Ari-Igobia who begat Abel Adafe.
Eselema was diligent and dexterous so Doghubo before his death in appreciation handed over the control of the entire house including house hold properties, children, money and personal lands to Eselema to hold in trust for the Attoni House, and made him (Eselema) Head and leader of the entire Attoni House.
Eselema held unto this position until sometime in about the year 1837, when trouble broke out between him and the Doghubo’s biological children. Doghubo’s children demanded their father’s keys and properties from Eselema which the latter refused to surrender. This incident happened during the reign of Chief William Abobo Brown, and led to litigation which was adjudged in favour of Eselema against the children of Doghubo. In reaction, Doghubo’s biological children killed Eselema, thereafter their descendants continue to head the Attoni House, up until sometime in 1936 when Mark Attoni, one of their descendants became the first Chief of the Attoni minor House.
After the death of Eselema, the Attoni House suffered series of calamities, including mysterious deaths of men, women and children of the House and depletion of the wealth of the House up until sometime about 1960 – 1962, when a Seer, who was invited by the House, prophesied that, the deaths and woes of the House will only stop if the stool of the Attoni House is given back to the Eselema group to head as Chiefs of the House.
The Attoni House decided to remedy the situation it found itself, and heeded to the advice of the Seer in 1962, when Chief Abel Adafe Attoni[Eselema’s group] was given the stool as the Chief and Head of the Attoni minor House
RELATIONSHIP WITH TOBIN MINOR HOUSE
The history of Tobin house lineage started with Otunte an Andoni man who was captured to Bonny during one of the wars between Bonny and Andoni. Otunte lived and served in the household of King Opubo Pepple of Bonny with other Andoni people. They were assimilated into the Bonny community. Otunte begat Diri and Waribo. Diri begat Konibo. Diri and his son Konibo who were fishermen later moved to and settled in Finima. This was in the time of Buo, the father of Chief Omuso Brown. After Buo’s death, Konibo concubinage relationship with Buo’s lawful wife by name Gbularu and begat a son whom Konibo named Owonte, which was later corrupted to Awanta. Owonte or Awanta was given an Ibani name “Ida-Obusigha” by Buoye-Ogbulu (Buo’s first son).
According to Bonny customs and traditions all children born in concubinage relationship by a woman belong to her lawful husband. Accordingly, Owonte or Awanta belong to Buo’s household.
During the life time of one Abraham Sunday, there was a failed attempt at installing a Tobin House Chief as a sub or minor chieftaincy House under the Brown House. This was during the reign of Chief Henry Buowari Brown, OBE. This attempt failed because of an exhibition of gross insubordination to the Brown Major House.
The son of the said Abraham Sunday, Samuel Owunabo Tobin later became the first Chief of the Tobin minor House of Finima, in 1961 and the Tobin House was thus recognized as a sub or minor chieftaincy House of the Brown Major House in Bonny Kingdom.
The Attoni House decided to remedy the situation it found itself, and heeded to the advice of the Seer in 1962, when Chief Abel Adafe Attoni [Eselema’s group] was given the stool as the Chief and Head of the Attoni minor House.
PARAMOUNTCY OF BUOYE OMUSO (BROWN) MAJOR HOUSE IN FINIMA AND ITS TERRITORIAL SETTLEMENTS
Buoye Omuso (Brown) Major House of Finima does not share any of its territorial Settlements with any other House or Family.
The Territorial Settlements of Buoye Omuso (Brown) Major House of Finima, include; Agia-Okolo, Akusu, Agalanga, Owubipi, Mongolobie (Ajalamonigha-Kiri & Amariari-Kiri), Light House, Finitasingi, Dogokiri, Agaja 1, 2, 3, & 4, Workers Camp, Airport Road/New Road, Government Girls Secondary School, Finima, Mbisughu, Namata, Gum-Kiri, Bregede, Okumakiri, etc. Its territorial Settlements are bounded in the South, by the coastline, and across the Bonny River to settlements in Bregede and others, in the East, by a clear and undisputed boundary with the LongJohn House of Abalamabie, at Gum-Kiri, in the North West, by a creek known as Eresinye-Okolo, behind Bonny Government School Bonny.
As a mark of their ownership of Finima land, and in recognition of their ancestors’ ownership of same, it was the Buoye Omuso (Brown) Major House that exclusively owned the Memorial House, Brown Waterfront, Finima Town Square [aka “Buo Nungo] meaning “Buo’s Square” and Brown House War canoe dock house in the Old Finima Settlement, all of which were replaced in New Finima, when the Community was relocated in 1991. Buoye Omuso (Brown) Major House has also enjoyed and exercised exclusive and maximum acts of ownership over all lands in Finima, by building thereon, granting licenses to non-members of the House to live in their settlements, leasing and allocating parts thereof to non-members of the House as well as third parties, including corporate organizations etc.
The well known and accepted history of the founding and ownership of Finima by the Buoye Omuso (Brown) Major House is documented and also encapsulated in many published books, and journals, some of which are;
(1) “The Trading States of the Oil Rivers” by G. I. Jones, published in 1963, etc, as well as
(2) Weber’s Intelligence Report on Bonny, 1936.
(3) “A History of Grand Bonny” by Professor E. J. Alagoa, published in 1972,
There are also plethora of decided cases on the founding and ownership of Finima some of which are;
(1)Suit No. PHC/174/1972 – Chief Samuel O. Tobin & Others VS Chief Israel I. Brown &Others; this judgment on appeal was affirmed by the Court of appeal in Enugu in Suit No. FCA/E/60/1980 – Chief Samuel O. Tobin & Others VS Chief Israel I Brown & Others,
(2) Suit No: PHC/188/2010 – Chief Y. S. Tobin VS Chief Yibo Buowari Brown & Others,
(3)Suit No: PHC/745/2012 – Chief Young Sunday Tobin & Others VS(i) Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited, (ii) Julius Berger Nigeria Plc; (iii) Chief Henry Buowari Brown & (iv)Elder (Barrister) Bara Brown and many other decided cases.
The issue of Paramountcy of the Buoye Omuso (Brown) Major House, in Finima, and the founding of Finima by its ancestors, is well captured and succinctly put on page 99 of the Judgment in Suit No. PHC/174/1972 – Chief Samuel O. Tobin & Others vs. Chief Israel I. Brown & Others, where the trial Judge Hon. Justice O. Inko-Tariah rightly put it thus;
“The Brown House with its paramountcy in Finima as the founders are the owners of all property vested in the Finima village except property in private ownership of individual families”
It is therefore not surprising that, when the early European traders/missionaries arrived at Bonny Island, they found Chief Omoni Jack Brown, who was then the Head & Chief of Buoye Omuso (Brown) Major House and Paramount Chief of Finima, in a position of absolute authority in Finima and relative independence with in the Ibani clan. He was titled the “Governor of Finima”. He also provided sanctuary in Finima to King William Dappa Pepple when the latter returned from exile in 1861, and created enabling environment for the early Christian missionaries to propagate the gospel in Ibani land.