The year was 1734.The story is partially narrated in Alan Ryder’s Benin and the European page 181. Considering all the circumstances of the case Oba ERESOYEN must have recently succeeded his father AKENZUA the first on the Benin Throne. Dr Egharevba’s date for Eresoyen’s accession might therefore have to be shifted backwards by two or three years.

The Benin Chiefs to whom the Dutch Company had offered credit owed the Ughoton Station a great deal of money in unsupplied goods. Secondly the trading monopoly in ivory which Holland desired of Benin had been refused by the Oba and Benin was offering this valued commodity for sale to British and Portuguese ships which also called at Ughoton. The traders of those countries were offering better prices for the commodity. Lastly the palace had been unable to do much about the runaway slaves which the Dutch had purchased from the Oba. These slaves had subsequently escaped from captivity in Ughoton while the Station awaited the arrival of the ship which was to evacuate them to Elmina Castle on the Gold Coast. Commandant HOOG had sought the help of the palace in the re-capture and return of the fugitives. Promises were made but they were half hearted the prevailing opinion being that it was the responsibility of the Dutch to have secured their purchases after having taken delivery of them.

With all these trading tribulations weighing heavily on his mind WiIIem Hoog travelled once again from Ughoton to Benin to solicit help from the Palace to enable him create some order in his Accounts books. While in the presence of the Oba and the chiefs an argument arose. One thing led to the other and Commandant Hoog lost his temper. He pulled out his pistol and fired intending to shoot the king. But the duty OMADA shielded the monarch with his body and was killed. In the confusion the Dutchman succeeded in leaving the Palace and returned to Ughoton.

At the time of this episode the Ezomo ODIA was not in town in UZEBU. He had withdrawn to his farm in OKHOKHUGBO village some time earlier because of a misunderstanding which had arisen between him and the Oba. The misunderstanding it seems, had to do with this matter of the slaves who had escaped from the Dutch trading premises in Ughoton .It was suspected that a proportion of them had found refuse in the farming camps and villages of the Ezomo and of some of the other Chiefs.

The pressure for their retrieval being brought to bear on the palace by Willem Hoog was therefore having pretty little success.

The offence of attempted regicide had been committed by the Dutchman and had resulted.
A decisive remedial action was necessary. This remedial action was for the Ezomo to take since he was the Chief in charge of the Ughoton gateway. The problem was how to secure the cooperation of the Ezomo as sequestered as he was in his farming camp. The Oracle prescribed a visit to the chief in his forest retreat by all the princesses of the realm all the available daughters of the Oba.
At Okhokhogbo village the princesses were told that Ezomo was away to his farm. They arrived at the farm to meet Odia tending the yam crop and repositioning the stray yam tendrils on their supporting sticks. The princesses fell on their knees in between the yam heaps in greeting to the chief and then asked that he return to the City.

The Ezomo returned to town went to the palace and made his peace with his monarch. He then affected the arrest of Commandant Hoog in Ughoton and brought him in a mouth-gag and waist manacles to the palace where he was executed at the Ozolua Quadrangle. The other two Dutchmen subordinate officers manning the Ughoton Station with the Commandant were left unmolested. The senior of the two one Herr Van MARKEN assumed the headship of the trading Station and six month later on instructions from Elmina Castle visited the City and smoothened out the sour relationship between Benin and Holland. This enabled trading activities to resume between the two countries.
The Dutch West India Company wanted nearly two years before replacing the Ughoton Head of Station with another substantive officer. His name was Abram RAEMS.