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Oba Ozolua (1481-1504 CE)
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After the death of Oba Olua, Okpame was invited to ascend the throne and he took the title of Oba Ozolua. Two of Ozolua´s sons were kidnapped (oduomomu, meaning thieves of children) during that period of the slave trade. Oba Ozolua reintroduced the process of first son succeeding to the throne, with Dukedoms carved out for the other princes. The older of his two remaining sons, after he had lost two sons to the slave trade, was Osawe, who was named the Edaiken (Oba-in-waiting). Idubor, the junior to Osawe, was appointed the Duke of Udo, the home town of Oba Ozolua´s mother, and the second largest and most important town in the kingdom at the time. Idubor, known as Arhuanran n´Udo (the giant of Udo), was not happy about playing second fiddle to his senior brother, Prince Osawe.

Ozolua, as predicted by the king makers before he became king, was aggressive and war-like. In a feud between him and a powerful mystic called Elekighidi of Ogbelaka quarters, he enticed Elekighidi´s wife, Eyowo, to betray her husband and

then married her after his triumph over Elekighidi. Then Oba Ozolua beheaded Eyowo out of fear that she could betray him too in future. Oba Ozolua was dreaded abroad. He fought over 200 successful battles to subdue rebellions, expand the Edo Empire, to earn the appellation: Ozolua N´Tharomi. Ozolua the Conqueror. It was from his reign that Benin Obas began to add the title: Nokhua or Akpolokpolo (Emperor) to their names.

The Portuguese made strong efforts to convert Oba Ozolua to Christianity with preachments. He had no respect for White gods and deities and even for the Portuguese items of trade, which were being offered to build close links between the kingdom and Portugal. He was, however, impressed with their guns, a weapon strange to warfare in the West African region at that time. Oba Ozolua introduced bronze casting to Benin. He did it through Iguehae, a great bronze caster, whose descendants have continued the tradition through the guild of bronze casters at the present day Igun Street in Benin City.

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