At the end of the 19th century, the Kingdom of Benin had managed to retain its independence and the Ọba exercised a monopoly over trade which the British found irksome.
The provision does not include the following: drivers, porters, cleaners, security guards, messengers, typists, craftsmen, mechanics, clerical officers, gardeners, stewards, or cooks."
Why should the Abrahamic religions not feel the same way about the deities who are regarded as Olodumare's messengers if traditionalists do not find it repulsive when Christians and Muslims revere Jesus and Muhammad?
In Exodus, one of the last plagues was the Angel of Death. He passed over the houses whose doors were covered with the blood of the Lamb, (a definite foreshadowing of Jesus). Angels are messengers, judges, and guides.
Members of the Ekpo or Obon society, who serve as the spirits' messengers, as well as the local military and police, enforced the decisions of the Obong Ikpaisong.