Ashipa

Aṣípa
1st Oba of Lagos
Reignc.1682-1716[1]
SuccessorAdo
BornAshipa (Yoruba: Aṣípa)
Isheri Olofin, Aworiland
Died1716
Lagos
Burial
Lagos
IssueAdo
HouseHouse of Olofin
ReligionIfá

Ashipa, the founder of the Lagos royal dynasty but uncrowned as Oba of Lagos,[2] whom all Obas of Lagos trace their lineage to,[3] was an Awori Chieftain from Isheri. Ashipa was rewarded with title of Oloriogun (war chief) after returning the body of one Asheru, a Benin war captain to Benin[4][5] and received the Oba of Benin's sanction to govern Lagos.[6] Some Benin accounts of history have the Ashipa as son or grandson of the Oba of Benin.[7] According to the Lagos traditional account however, Ashípa (Yoruba: Aṣípa) was a local native, an Awori Yoruba chieftain of Isheri.

Ashipa received a sword and royal drum as symbols of authority from the Oba of Benin on his mission to Lagos. Additionally, the Oba of Benin deployed a group of Benin officers charged with preserving Benin's interests in Lagos. These officers, led by Eletu Odibo, were the initial members of the Akarigbere class of Lagos White Cap Chiefs.[5]

  1. ^ Slavery and the Birth of an African City. p. 29.
  2. ^ Aimiuwu, O.E.I. Ashipa: the first Oba of Lagos. Nigeria Magazine, Issues 100-104, Government of Nigeria 1969. pp. 624–627. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
  3. ^ Mann, Kristin (2007). Slavery and the Birth of an African City: Lagos, 1760-1900. Indiana University Press, 2007. p. 45. ISBN 9780253348845.
  4. ^ Smith, Robert (20 December 2023). Kingdoms of the Yoruba. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-003-80417-8. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
  5. ^ a b Herskovits Kopytoff, Jean. A Preface to Modern Nigeria: The "Sierra Leoneans" in Yoruba, 1830 - 1890. University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 64–65.
  6. ^ Folami, Takiu (1982). A History of Lagos, Nigeria: The Shaping of an African City. Exposition Press. p. 22. ISBN 9780682497725.
  7. ^ Smith, Robert (January 1979). The Lagos Consulate, 1851-1861. University of California Press, 1979. p. 4. ISBN 9780520037465.