It was in the mid-1950s,The great chiefs of Northern Nigeria were summoned to Kaduna for the annual Council of Chiefs, presided over by the Sultan of Sokoto, spiritual head of the region and Chairman of the council. Among the invited monarchs was the Atta of Igala, Ameh Oboni, the revered Agaba Idu,Lion of the Niger, son of the spirits, and custodian of an ancient throne that had stood long before British flags stained African skies. Atta Ameh Oboni ruled the Igala Kingdom from 1945 to 1956. He was no ordinary king. His people believed the spirit of their ancestors walked in his shadow, that he could speak with the River Niger and command the rain. So when he rode into Kaduna for that fateful meeting, draped in flowing black robes that shimmered like storm clouds, everyone noticed. The hall was filled with northern aristocracy, Emirs from Kano, Zaria, Katsina, Bauchi, all seated in order of precedence. The Sultan of Sokoto sat high, flanked by the rising star of northern politics, Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Sardauna of Sokoto. Then came the Atta of Igala, his gaze steady, his stride slow, his spirit unyielding. When the council began, protocol demanded that each ruler bow before the Sultan as a sign of respect to the chairman. One after another, the emirs did so. But when it came to the Atta’s turn, silence filled the hall. Ameh Oboni remained still, unmoved, unbent. “Your Highness,” one official whispered nervously, “please remove your crown and bow to the Sultan.” The Atta’s eyes, deep and ancient, studied the faces around him. Then he spoke in a voice that carried the weight of rivers and ancestors: “The Atta is a god. I would never bow to any human. The Sultan is a king, I am also a king. The guidance of the River Niger bows to none.” Gasps echoed through the chamber. The Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi I, proud and powerful, took offense. He saw in the Atta’s defiance a challenge to the unity and authority of the Northern Caliphate. Whispers spread that Sanusi and other northern elites plotted to have the Atta dethroned for “disrespect” and “rebellion.” The colonial officials, uneasy with the tension, offered the Atta a humiliating compromise, remove his crown, bow once, and keep his throne. Ameh Oboni knew what that meant. Among the Igala, a dethroned Atta’s lineage would be forever barred from wearing the crown again. It was not just about pride; it was about the eternal honor of his people. Yet he accepted,not in submission, but in divine protest. Slowly, he lifted his crown from his head. But before it could touch the ground, the hall erupted, a sudden swarm of bees burst forth from where the crown had rested, filling the air, chasing nobles and emirs out of the chamber in panic. The meeting dissolved in chaos. The Atta stood alone, untouched, his calm unbroken. When order returned, Ameh Oboni walked to Emir Sanusi and, in a voice that carried prophecy, declared: “You sought to remove me from my throne. You shall lose yours” It was a curse uttered by a king who spoke for the spirits, and it would not take long to find its mark. In April 1963, less than a decade later, Emir Muhammadu Sanusi I was returning from a council meeting when his driver tuned to the radio, and there, in the voice of an announcer, he heard the words that sealed his fate: he had been dethroned by the government of Northern Nigeria under Ahmadu Bello.. As for Atta Ameh Oboni, the gods he embodied would not let him see humiliation. When colonial forces came for him, he took his own life within the sacred palace of Idah in 1956 , rather than be paraded in chains. 📕 Our stories as Africans must be told. 📚 Untold Chronicles — Volume One is now out in hardcopy. A powerful collection of Africa and Nigeria’s lost, buried, and untold stories, now bound in print for history lovers, truth seekers, and future generations. 📕 Send us a message to order.Next day delivery 📦 What’s app 09010030287 #Historylovers#UntoldChronicles - @historylovers_001