The Ajiri/Afo Focus: Ajiri Eloyi Ethnic Tribe of Nasarawa State

an ajiri man surrounded by ajiri women

Origin Ajiri / Eloyi Ethnic Tribe

The history of the ajiri people is neither a recent creation nor a mental fallacy, but rather historical realities based upon concrete data and archeological evidences and prove.

Etymology

Ajiri or Eloyi tribe, other names include Afo or Afu commonly used by the British colonialist.

Geography

The ajiri people occupy southern part of Nasarawa state and spread between keffi and nasarawa local government area, and parts of benue state between apan lga. The western boundary is a broad belt of virgin land where even path area and which has serve to preserve the Ajiri isolation. The land is the range of steep, rocky hills where some of the land served it purpose until 1918, this land included towns like odege/udege(Mbeki and Mbeji), Akum,Udeni Magaji, Udeni gida etc. The type and density of vegetation occupied by ajiri land is closely related to the quality of the soil, some of which are rich in organic matter which is also important for agricultural purposes. This soil falls under the ferrugumhumous tropical soil under the savannah vegetation, the largest area in the north central region/middle belt and is good for both food and cash crop production.in the past the vegetation was a thick tropical rain forest, man-made activities like bush burning, charcoal business, farming and grazing has led to the area been describe as a savanna vegetation, scattered by trees with beautiful undulating trees. While palm trees were used for mat, wine, wine and palm oil amongst others.

There are three major rivers that flow through and around ajiri land Oku-oto having it source in the northern part of keffi, where it meanders down to nassarawa. Rafin gabas or river mada which has its source from the mada area and run down to the river benue where in the eastern part of ajiri land it is called “kogin rutu”. In the southern part of ajiri land is the great river benue. The ajiri land climate is predominantly rainy and dry season, with the rainy season commencing in March, and ending in November. The annual Rainfall is between 50-inches.

History/ Origin

The history of the Ajiri ethnic tribe can be traced back to the Arabian peninsula, where they lived and migrated to Yemen and finally to kanem borno empire where they lived with the kanuri for many years. While in borno they lived in Agban(Ngazargamu-Bornostate).during the reign of Mai Ali Ghaji Dunama. Some account said the ajiri people originated from aloyi who is said to be a brother of galadiaman borno.

However, they continued their migration to kwararafa kingdom where they met other ethnic tribes, like jukun,angas,goeman,alago,idoma,agatu etc. who had similar cultural traits with them.in further search for independence, the ajiri people were said to have migrated further to present day nassarawa. Historical facts have been sketchy as to the first town inhabited by the ajiri people in present day nsarawa but its undisputed that the ajiri people were the first ethnic tribe to have settle in nassarawa. here they busied themselves with farming, fishing and hunting. They were later forced to migrate further south-ward, where they established villages like Udege(Mbeki and Mbeji),Agyegu,ogapa,eyenu,agbazo,odeni,kuvo,ogenin,agamu,agbada,igwo endo.

Administration

There are different account as to the administration of the ajiri people before the coming of the emirate and British administrations.

Pre-colonial

Even though the ajiri people were a stateless society with no stratification, who considered themselves as a family Ajiri people had a well-organized and solid political system, which was a product of their culture and environment, this organization was key in their resistance against external aggression.. The people had a unique political institution and authorities which evolved with history, socially the communities are a conglomeration of villages, each divided into homestead and compound “girika” .

The members of the community were grouped by their age. The emeshi or allalumu comprised of the age bracket seven to 14,from where they are initiated in to Oyi,Eya,Ashi, Eshi, Agabo and the advanced stage of Igabo,or Kuse. while most classification was hierarchical from top down of the social pyramid, in the case of ajiri people it is horizontal (democratic),thus the distribution of cultural levels and position was more uniform, variation being linked to individual characteristics and age group, hence it can be said that there are four stages the young pass for their moral, cultural and political development. This also defined the decision making process.

Decision Making

Eya Group: usually a transition period from boyhood to adulthood., at about 7 years the young are admitted in to the “Osa-u-azonu” at this level the young is prepared but socially and economically, where he acquires the act of bravery, endurance, tolerance, diplomacy, and secrecy with important offices which included “obeze” group leader, the osu-agbah” his deputy “ogana” and “kunbe” etc. they were tasked with appeasing the gods in times of epidemic and catastrophe . Within this social group is the emeshi who constituted the tail end of the group,it is important to note that the graduation ceremony is usually festive for the leaders of the group, that is is the (obeze and osu-agba). They are expected to received their letter of credence from the masquerade ekpo at the end of which graduates are promoted to a higher social group.

Ashi Group: This form the next social group, whose members constitute the workforce of the community, and economic power house. They also form the standing army with the duty to squash external and internal aggression and maintaining peace within the community. The head of this group is the “ogbere, “Agelebe” , “Owuna”, “ Enaloko” who ensure that the decision odf the group is adhered to

Angah Group: At this level the individual advancing and assuming greater responsibility.in terms of group and decision making. They bridge the gap between the youth and the elderly between eya and ashi. The chief representative of this group is the Osu-angah who is in charge of passing information to the elders

Kuse/igabo group: constitutes the advanced group, they are tasked with executive, legislative, and judiciary power within the community. With the head of the group being the Osu (The Chief). The appointment of the Osu is purely on individual excellence and public concession. Even though some towns have a ruling family for the chief. Upon his selection he is placed on seclusion for seven days. After which he would be attended by his eyeosu. The chief would be presented with his staff of office “unwukwu|”or “Edula”

The Osu merely endorses the decision of the “igabo/kuse” which is then communicated to the person(s) or community as law through Ologbullo. The announcing person could be “agalebe” “iyo” or “adaweji”. Th osu igabo is usually the second in charge as the number two citizen to the chief.

Post-colonial ajiri chief

The Osu-ajiri is the overall head of the ajiri people worldwide with the village heads of various ajiri land serving as the electorates. Alhaji musa akaki odumu was the first Osu-ajiri 1984 in modern times

Emirate rule in Ajiri kingdom

Keffi and nasarawa were in cloise proximity to the caliphate,this two towns were inhabited by ajiri of kokona and udege-mbeki and other tribes which were administered by the usman danfodio Fulani dynasty through Abdullahi zango,the first emir of keffi..

As reported by hoghen and green umaru makama dogo, the founder and first emir of nasarawa was a slave boy who ran away from his Fulani master at rima katsina and attached humsell to Abdullahi zagno where he excelled as an excellent brave slave raider. When Abdullahi nzango died a succession feud ensued which drove him out of keffi, where he settled in ajiri land. Treacherously makama dogo attacked his host community the ajiri people and invaded the lands which lead to the retreat of ajir people further to the hills. makama also attempted to subjugate and dominate other tribes such as the igbira, bassa and gwari.

Before the establishment of the nassarawa emirate in 1835 A.D the ajiri had a system of mutual trust with the emirate of zazzau, in form of tribute sent by the agwada and onda people.ajiri towns except epowu and eloyi who were firmly fortified in their rocky hills regularly paid tribute to the zazzau emirate. When makama dogo established himself as the emir of kwatto, he began his ruthless campaign in eloyi land in the guise of religion so as to capture slaves. While he continued he was asked to stopped and he blatantly refused. The campaign continued with a focus on the ajiri living on plain land after they had overran the ajiri people on the hills. The ajiri people on the plain land were constantly captured and enslaved, after some town reached an agreement of concession, towns like agwada.though eloyu,epowu agyegu and onda did put a great resistance. Though the resistance by the ajiri on plain land continued, the British had stopped the the act of slavery, and provided some form pf assistance to the ajiri people on the warfront while the war lasted, the war continued for three years with makama dogo descending heavily on the ajiri towns of odenin,akum and akewa.at akewa makama dogo was killed by a poisonous arrow fired from a ten year old boy. Though it marked a period of relative peace the war continued until1900 when the British arrived and stopped it.

Population

The current estimate of ajiri ethnic tribe is about 1 million.

Economy

The area possesses numerous resources which were known to the local inhabitant, and which were used in the production of craft goods by its inhabitants. This includes iron ore in form laterite, iron stone, which were use as raw material for the smelting of iron (found I in udege-mbeki). Clay could be found at igwo in agwada development area of present day keffi lga. Timbers for houses were readily available in the forest surrounding the ajiri people in the past.

In the present day most ajiri people are largely farmers, especially cultivating in cash crops for commercial purposes.

Religion

Before the coming of Islam and British colonialism, the ajiri people believed and worshipped different deities which differed from one town to the other. After the shehu usman jihad and coming of the emirate, the afo people began to practice Islam abandoning their animist religions. Furthermore the coming of British colonialism brought about Christianity to ajiri people too, while there exist animist believers in present day ajiri kingdoms, the ajiri people are largely Muslims with a sizable proportion of Christians.