Following the Itsekiri king’s death in 1848, there was a nearly ninety-year period of interregnum during which the kingdom’s old governmental structure essentially vanished.
Dogho Numa (short for Omadoghobone), a well-known member of both the royal and senior commoner “Houses,” was transferred to become the Warri Kingdom’s Paramount Chief following the turmoil surrounding Nana Olomu’s defeat in 1894, a decision that the British government politically supported.
Despite being a “Political Agent,” Dogho assisted in opening up the River Niger to British trade and backed the British invasion of Benin in 1897. He served in that capacity until his death in 1932. The British recognized him as the Paramount Chief of the Warri division in southern Nigeria in 1917.
Image Info: Chief Dogho Numa wore ceremonial wear, as did his spouse. She is holding a wide-brimmed hat adorned with her husband’s name, NUMA, and is dressed in a long dress with elaborate jewelry. He bears a staff and is dressed in a long wraparound skirt and a military-style jacket adorned with medals.