The Founding of Adada in Nigeria’s Niger Delta: History, customary authority, and legal jurisprudence, by Love Obiani Arugu
Introduction
In Nigeria’s Niger Delta, questions of land, kingship, and communal authority are inseparable from history and law. Far from being informal traditions, indigenous governance systems are controlled by well defined customary rules that Nigerian courts have repeatedly recognised and enforced. The story of Adada Community of Odual District, in Abua/Odual Local Government Area of Rivers State, provides a compelling example of how history, custom, and legal jurisprudence combine to shape legitimate authority at the grassroots level.
This article offers a constructive historical background of the Adada people. It highlights the legal jurisprudence that underpins their traditional institutions, particularly the kingship system.
Historical Origins of Adada Community
Adada Community, originally known as Ema Ooda (or Emate Ooda), was founded from time immemorial by Ooda, who was the son of Edum. Under Odual customary law, as well as in Nigeria’s Niger Delta traditions, a community comes into existence when a founding ancestor is first to settle on virgin land with his immediate or nuclear family known in Odual linguistics as the Eghun-Otu (“womb of the house”). Ownership of land and political authority flow naturally from this first settlement.
Ooda and his biological family (his Eghun-Otu) were the first settlers on the land now occupied by Adada people, and its surrounding lands and creeks, collectively referred to as Esidina-Okororo Land or Esidina-Okororo Creek Land or Esidina land for short. Esidina land stretches from a point known as Uvui-agu to an ending point known as Opokuma A/K/A Akaragh along the banks of the Odual river. As founder, Ooda became the first Oola Ema (king) of the Adada. As the first settler, the community was known from time immemorial and to this day as Emma Ooda after its founder. However, during colonial administration, British officials phonetically renamed Ema Ooda as Adada, a name that has stuck with it since colonial rule to the present.
Royal Lineage and Customary Governance
Succession to the Adada throne follows a hereditary principle, based strictly on bloodline descent. Ooda who had two sons, Igoniani and Ogirigha, was succeeded by his first son, Igoniani, from whom the Otu Igoniani Royal Family derives its name. Under Odual customary law, the nucleus of the royal family consists strictly of the direct bloodline descendants of the founder. There can be other members of the royal family who are fictive kins; are not biologically related to the founder; and cannot lay claim to kingship while the founding bloodline descendants still exist.
In the case of Igoniani royal family, there are two fictive kins – (1) the Akaredeke bloodline (or Eghun Otu Akaredeke) who immigrated from Emuruto into the Igoniani family, and (2) the Odidi bloodline (or Eghun Otu Odidi) who immigrated from Emuruga via Emelego into the Igoniani family. Today, the full Igoniani family or extended family known in Odual linguistics as Oghol Otu Igoniani (or full or complete Igoniani house) is composed of the bloodline descendants of King Ooda through his first son, Igoniani (or Eghun Otu Igoniani); the bloodline descendants of Akaredeke (or Eghun Otu Akaredeke); and the bloodline descendants of Odidi (or Eghun Otu Odidi).
Customary Governance in Adada Recognises a Clear Division of Roles:
In Odual native law and custom, when a kingship stool becomes vacant, the community approaches the royal family to demand a candidate for the vacant stool. The royal family has the exclusive right to select and present a candidate for the vacant stool. The community has the responsibility to install the candidate presented by the royal family. The community cannot dictate to, or impose a candidate on, the royal family.
It is the rule that the oldest male child in the bloodline of the founder succeeds to the vacant stool. The only strict exceptions being if the oldest male child voluntarily cedes his position to his younger brother, or is unmarried, or is a drunk, or is a known criminal, or is mentally incapacitated, or is suffering from a serious physical disability that renders him unable to carry out activities of daily living on his own without needing assistance.
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These principles are neither arbitrary nor unique. They are consistent with customary practices across much of the Niger Delta and southern Nigeria.
Community Expansion and Immigration
Over time, Adada grew to include other families who migrated from neighbouring communities. Instances of such migrations relate to Okoroghu family from Kolo via Aghalagha; Inaburu family from Emode; Udum family from Emelego via Eze who was the second son of King Omini of Emelego; Emaokuny and Apusa families also from Emelego via Apusa who was the last son of King Omini of Emelego; Akalagha family (also known as Otake) from Akalagha; and Aniobu family from Oghozone. These families were peacefully settled on land allocated by the founders’ descendants and became integral members of Adada community.
Today, Adada is comprised of nine families living under a shared communal identity, namely Otu Igoniani, Otu Umany, Otu Odum, Otu Emaokuny, Otu Inaburu, Otu Okorogu, Otu Aniobu, Otu Aghalaga, and Otu Apusa who on 2nd February 1986 separated from Otu Emaokuny. However, under long established Odual custom, settlement by immigration does not confer land ownership or kingship rights. While immigrant families enjoy full participation in communal life, customary law of succession draws a distinction between settlement rights and foundational rights to the royal stool.
Interregnum and the Role of Regency
Like many traditional societies, Adada recognizes periods of interregnum following the death of a king. During such periods, a regent may be appointed to manage communal affairs temporarily. Importantly, a regent acts as a caretaker, not as a substantive king;
does not acquire succession rights by virtue of office of regent; holds authority only until a rightful king is installed from the founder’s bloodline. The regent is traditionally the oldest male in the community unless the oldest male cedes this right to a younger male. This practice reflects prudence in governance and continuity in leadership, without altering hereditary succession.
Legal Jurisprudence and Judicial Recognition
Adada’s customary institutions are not merely social arrangements. They are legally cognisable systems recognised under Nigerian law. The Nigerian legal system has long acknowledged customary law as a valid source of law, provided it is not repugnant to natural justice, equity, and good conscience, or incompatible with any written law. Within this framework, courts have consistently upheld indigenous rules governing land ownership, succession, and kingship, where such rules are proved by credible evidence and long usage.
Judicial Recognition of Otu Igoniani as Royal Family of Adada
The customary position of Otu Igoniani as the land owning and consequently royal family of Adada was confirmed by courts of law in a series of civil cases, beginning in 1945:
1. Emelego Native Court Case No. 190/45 (1945)
Eyai Obamiroh & Others v. Chief James Arugu
Adada Community claimed Adada lands as communal land. The Native Court denied this claim. The Court determined that Ooda founded Adada, and that Otu Igoniani was the head, principal and royal family of Adada, and owner of all Adada lands by first settlement.
2. District Officer’s Appeal Court Case No. 2/47 (1947)
On appeal by Adada Community, the District Officer’s Appeal Court affirmed the Native Court decision, upholding Chief James Arugu as the descendant of King Ooda through Igoniani as the rightful head and representative of the founding and royal family.
3. Resident’s Appeal Court Case No. DA/1/50 (1950)
On Adada Community’s appeal, the Resident’s Appeal Court again affirmed that land ownership and authority in Adada derived from King Ooda’s bloodline, rejecting contrary claims by other Adada families.
4. Governor’s Court of Appeal for the Eastern Province Court Case No. 23/50 (1950)
On Chief James Arugu’s appeal for failure of the Resident to award costs in his favor, the Governor determined that costs were discretionary and denied Chief James Arugu’s appeal for costs.
5. Odual (Saka) Native Court Emelego Case No. 25/52 (1952)
Chief James Arugu v. Amughutobh Eyai & Others
Chief James Arugu claimed ownership of all Adada lands as head of Igoniani royal family of Adada. The Native Court decided that Chief James Arugu, of the Igoniani bloodline, was the owner and landlord of Adada lands, reinforcing the royal and proprietary status of Otu Igoniani.
6. District Officer’s Appeal Court Degema Case No. 4/52 (1952)
On Adada Community’s appeal to the District Officer’s Appeal Court, the District Officer affirmed the 1952 decision of the Native Court, upholding Chief James Arugu as the owner and landlord of Adada lands, as the descendant of King Ooda through Igoniani as the rightful head and representative of the founding and royal family.
7. Resident’s Appeal Court Rivers Province Case No. DA/RP:4/52 (1952)
On Adada Community’s further appeal to the Resident’s Appeal Court, the Resident again affirmed that land ownership and authority in Adada derived from King Ooda’s bloodline, rejecting contrary claims by other Adada families.
8. Lieutenant Governor’s Appeal Court Eastern Region Case No. 2/53 (1953)
On Adada Community’s appeal to the Lieutenant Governor’s Appeal Court, the Lieutenant Governor upheld the earlier judgments, conclusively affirming the exclusive ownership rights of the Igoniani royal lineage ownership of all Adada lands
9. Native Court Emelego Case No. 25/58 (1958)
In a boundary dispute initiated by Chief James Arugu against his neighboring landowners, the Native Court again recognized Chief James Arugu as representing the founding royal family of Adada, confirmed his territorial ownership traced to King Ooda, and pinned pillars showing his boundaries with neighboring landowners.
Legal Effect of the Judgments
Taken together, these judgments from 1945 to 1958 establish binding judicial facts, namely that:
• King Ooda founded Adada Community;
• Igoniani was King Ooda’s first son and succeeded his father to the throne;
. Igoniani family, named after King Ooda’s first son, and is the royal family of Adada;
• Chief James Arugu, as a descendant of Igoniani, lawfully exercised rights of land ownership and authority;
• Other families in Adada are immigrants or settlers who were allocated land by the Igoniani royal family. Immigrants do not own land under Odual customary law. They do not possess founding or royal status.
By virtue of Odual customary law and the unbroken chain of court judgments dating back to 1945, the Igoniani family (Otu Igoniani) is the royal family of Adada Community. Kingship (Oola Ema Ooda) and original ownership of Adada lands are vested exclusively in the direct bloodline of King Ooda through King Igoniani, as judicially recognised and affirmed.
Judicial authorities in Nigeria have affirmed several principles directly relevant to communities like Adada:
1. Founding ancestry as the root of title and authority.
Nigerian courts recognise that the first settler on virgin land, under native law and custom, holds radical title to the land on behalf of himself and his descendants. Political authority, including kingship, is traditionally incidental to this original settlement. Where a community traces its origin to a known ancestor, courts give decisive weight to that history.
2. Hereditary kingship governed by custom.
Courts have repeatedly held that succession to a traditional stool is governed strictly by the customary law of the community concerned. Where evidence establishes that kingship is hereditary and limited to a particular ruling house or bloodline, no external body whether community factions, government officials, or interest groups may lawfully alter that custom.
In Moses Bunge & Others v Governor of Rivers State & Others (2006) NGSC 146 — the Supreme Court determined in a chieftaincy dispute that a claim to kingship must be proven according to the community’s native law and custom as specifically pleaded and backed by evidence.
3. Distinction between settlers and founders.
Nigerian jurisprudence draws a clear line between founders and settlers (or immigrants). While settlers may enjoy possessory rights, communal protection, and participation in local affairs, such status does not translate into eligibility for kingship, where custom reserves that right to the founding lineage.
4. Regency does not confer kingship
Courts have equally clarified that a regent is a temporary office holder whose authority is purely administrative. Acting as regent does not elevate the holder to the status of a king, nor does it create succession rights. Any attempt to transform a regency into substantive kingship is inconsistent with customary law and legally unsustainable.
In the Moses Bunge & Others v Governor of Rivers State & Others case cited above, the Supreme Court emphasised that succession is determined by customary law evidence and pleadings rather than mere status assertions. Also the Oke-Igbo chieftaincy disputes in the Ondo State High Court and subsequent appeals illustrate the core idea that a regent’s appointment does not confer substantive kingship rights
These judicial principles reinforce the legitimacy of Adada’s traditional governance structure as rooted in history, lineage, and established custom. They also provide legal safeguards against the distortion of tradition through political interference or opportunistic reinterpretation of custom.
Customary Authority and Modern Governance
In contemporary Nigeria, traditional institutions coexist with statutory governance at the local, state, and federal levels. While traditional rulers do not exercise constitutional executive powers, they remain custodians of culture, land, and moral authority within their communities.
For Adada, the Oola Ema (king) represents:
• The symbol of communal unity and continuity;
• The custodian of ancestral land and sacred traditions;
• The intermediary between the community, neighboring communities, and the state.
Respect for customary processes in the selection and installation of traditional rulers enhances social stability, reduces conflict, and strengthens grassroots governance. Conversely, disregard for established custom often leads to prolonged disputes, litigation, and communal tension.
Conclusion
The history of the Adada people illustrates a broader truth about Nigeria’s Niger Delta: traditional authority is neither accidental nor arbitrary. It is the product of settlement history, bloodline descent, and long-standing customary norms that have stood the test of time and judicial scrutiny.
From Ooda, the founding ancestor of Ema Ooda (Adada), to the present, kingship and land ownership have followed a clear hereditary trajectory grounded in Odual native law and custom. Immigration, interregnum, and modern administrative changes have not displaced these foundational principles.
Ultimately, the Adada experience underscores the importance of aligning contemporary governance with historical truth and legal jurisprudence. Where history, custom, and law are respected in harmony, traditional institutions remain a source of legitimacy, stability, and identity for the people they serve.
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