Ogugu is a community of Igala-speaking people in the Olamaboro Local Government Area of the

Kogi State Kogi State is a state in the North Central region of Nigeria, bordered to the west by the states of Ekiti and Kwara, to the north by the Federal Capital Territory, to the northeast by Nasarawa State, to the northwest by Niger State, to the s ...

in north central

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

. Ogugu people have a culture that has been misunderstood by other Igalas. It is called Ibegwu, literally meaning ancestors. It is believed that ancestors watch over their progeny to stop them from doing mischief. For instance, an Ogugu man can not be a party to premeditated murder. He would be 'arrested' by Ibegwu. He would be struck by some mysterious ailment, the cure to which is a public confession and performance of the necessary rituals for cleansing. According to the ancestral rules, a married woman cannot have an affair with any other man. The same punishment cited above applies. Some have argued that if a man has the liberty to flirt, a woman should also have the same right. They are predominantly

subsistence farmers Subsistence agriculture occurs when farmers grow food crops to meet the needs of themselves and their families on smallholdings. Subsistence agriculturalists target farm output for survival and for mostly local requirements, with little or no su ...

. Ibegwu culture is all encompassing to a woman. She is expected to be submissive to her husband in all aspect and everything she does must be with his consent. Onoja Oboni's personality and heritage has been shrouded in mythical imagery over time. Ranging from being the Son of Eri, the grandson of Aganapoje to being a descendant of one of the Idah royal families; the priestly sub-clan of Obajeadaka in Okete-ochai-attah. The key areas of consensus are; he was a master strategist, slave raider and trader, conqueror, coloniser and imperialist. Added to these were his diplomacy, expansionist traits and the acculturation of conquered territories.

References

Alex Ojonimi Agbobaba (Adapted from Ogugu Folklores and Oral Traditions) Ethnic groups in Nigeria {{Nigeria-ethno-group-stub