Obosi is best known as the custodian of Idemili Being as Idemili is best associated with Obosi.
Idemili Obosi is a landmark, and is popularly acknowledged despite the fact that other towns are associated with Idemili deity.
When the hostilities started in July 1967, Gen Gowon promised a swift action to overran Biafra just as the Arabs thought when they sought to defeat Israel in 1967 and also as Russia thought she will defeat Ukraine. In all these occasions, the outcome did not meet with the expectations.
The military Armada Gowon assembled and the name given to the expedition was Operation Python Dance.
Idemili Obosi has a totem animal which is the python and python does not dance. Therefore, to name the military operation as python dance was to mock Obosi people and also to show how devastating the operation was meant to be.
The metaphor portended something ominous and was meant to instil fear and quick surrender by Biafrans.
And so, the dance began in July 1967 and in quick successions, towns and villages capitulated over the onslaught of the Federal troops as they destroyed everything on their way.
The music was a destructive form of Kokoma dance and the music director was Col Muritala Mohammed and the Choreographer was Colonel Mohammed Shuwa and the Refrain of the music was “Nsukka Soseyi, Onitsha Gabadaya”.
They started from Nsukka and hoped that within days, Onitsha wil be the endpoint hence gabadaya!
The troops danced and were happy as the might of Biafra was no match to them
When the news got to Obosi people about the song these Federal troops were singing, it became obvious to them that if nothing was done, the troops on getting to Nkpor Junction, would make a detour and head to Nnewi as they were determined to bring the dance to encore on the grave of Sir Louis Ojukwu, the father of General Odumegwu Ojukwu, the leader of Biafra at Nnewi.
No sooner had the Federal troops gotten to Awka than the fear became obvious that Obosi will suffer the greatest humiliation since Eke Idemili Obosi was the python that must be forced to dance metaphorically speaking.
It was on realisation of this obvious outcome that the Elders of Obosi, the wise ones, those often ridiculed as Ndi Ogo Mmuo or Ndi Heathen went into conclave. These were those often labelled as Ndi Oji Okpolo. They were anonymous and only met at night and carried walking stick hence the term Oji Okpolo.
At the conclave, a decision was taken that Obosi must not be humiliated and Idemili Obosi must fight her battle and not Ndi Obosi fighting to defend her.
Idemili Obosi herself was worried because as Animistic being, she was only concerned with serving nature and doing the work of Almighty God and not in bringing about any destruction to the enemy. Such tasks have another deity that does that. To that deity, she referred them to
The Elders immediately understood what to do. The counterpart to Idemili was Arobunagu. To this they turned to since Okwu Agadi Nwanyi had her role which was to prevent enemies from entering Obosi.
The Arsenal the Federal troops came with was akin to Spanish Armada when the Spaniards invaded England and that of the ancient Hannibal the Great when he set forth to overun Rome. It was an armament never seen before in the annals of war in Africa and it was meant to achieve a decisive victory such that the Igbo man will remain a slave for life as only the young ones were meant to be spared. The Asaba massacre was to be a child’s play compared with what they intended to do.
As soon as the Federal troops got to the boundary between Idemili Division and Njikoka, Arobunagu stirred because a Python does not dance.
The outcome?
A conflagration from nowhere engulfed the entire Arsenal of the Federal troops destroying everything along the long column, the ordinances, the armoured cars, the ammunitions, bombs, rifles and all manner of military equipments were destroyed and rendering impotent the Federal might as a result of which they did not make any detour through Obosi.
When they eventually got to Onitsha in October 1967, they got marooned at Awada Obosi since that was from where the jurisdiction of Okwu Agadi Nwanyi became effective.
From October 1967 till the war ended in January 1970, the Federal troops could not advance any further because of Obosi town and the effectiveness of Okwu Agadi Nwanyi.
Obosi did not fall Obosi town suffered no destruction.
Obosi was the wedge that prevented the Federal troops from quickly over running Biafra.
Obosi was the only town that withstood the might of the Federal troops and did not capitulate.
Obosi was the town that made Nnewi not to experience the devastation of the war.
Obosi town is a great town!!!
Trust her and her people, you will have a bulwark against any enemy as the history of Nigeria Biafra war has shown.
Godson Onochie Amechi
Dibia Obataobie Oshaa n’Obosi
