Okoro Idozuka
Encyclopedia
Okoro Idozuka, born Mazi Okoli Idozuka, was a 19th century leader and warrior in the Arondizuogu
area of what is now Nigeria
. He was a senior advisor to the founder of Ndiakunwanta Uno Arondizuogu village and also a leader in his own right, expanding Arondizuogu's boundaries. He was a wealthy slave trader like Izuogu Mgbokpo
.
area, but moved to Arondizuogu
in the early 19th century. He later changed his birthname, Mazi Okoli, to its Aro equivalent.
He is the father of Nwankwo Okoro.
Arondizuogu
Arondizuogu is a town inhabited by the Igbo subgroup, the Aro people in the Imo State of Nigeria.- Geographical Location :Arondizuogu is a group of sprawling communities with the largest area located in the land obtained from Umualaoma town . Some believe that this land was obtained by begging,...
area of what is now Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
. He was a senior advisor to the founder of Ndiakunwanta Uno Arondizuogu village and also a leader in his own right, expanding Arondizuogu's boundaries. He was a wealthy slave trader like Izuogu Mgbokpo
Izuogu Mgbokpo
Chief Izuogu Mgbokpo of Amankwu, Arochukwu was an 18th century warrior in the Aro Confederacy. He was a slave trader and commander who fought his most famous battle on Ikpa Ora. Chief Izuogu and his ally, Chief Iheme, were the founders of the kingdom of Arondizuogu, of which Chief Izuogu is...
.
Life
Idozuka was born in the AwkaAwka
Awka is the capital of Anambra State, Nigeria with an estimated population of 301,657 Nigerian census. The city is located about 600 miles east of Lagos in the centre of the densely-populated Igbo heartland in southeastern Nigeria...
area, but moved to Arondizuogu
Arondizuogu
Arondizuogu is a town inhabited by the Igbo subgroup, the Aro people in the Imo State of Nigeria.- Geographical Location :Arondizuogu is a group of sprawling communities with the largest area located in the land obtained from Umualaoma town . Some believe that this land was obtained by begging,...
in the early 19th century. He later changed his birthname, Mazi Okoli, to its Aro equivalent.
Hardships
About the year 1819, in order to discredit Okoro Idozuka, some people accused him of abduction of some human beings. To salvage his honour, he consented to take the highest oath obtainable in the land in those days. This was the so called seven big oaths. Here a person was required to swear to the gods on his own head but he had also to join the fate of six other people closest to him to underline his innocence. Should the accused be guilty, the gods would not kill only him but also all those joined in the oath. Mazi Okoli Idozuka’s relatives were defined to include those from his immediate household and all male children born in Akunwanta soil. When Mazi Okoro Idozuka was ready to take this big oath, he looked for six more males to join him to make up the required number seven. Unfortunately, he could not find the sixth male person from among members of his immediate household. By this time, Mmelonye, had married Mmaku, a girl from Neni. He rescued Okoro Idozuka from this difficulty by offering that his son, Agosi, just born in his land of immigration be among those to take the oath. Agosi thus became the sixth person to be added for the big oath. Since his accusers were not able to substantiate their allegations, the charges against Okoro Idozuka were dropped.He is the father of Nwankwo Okoro.