Chief Balogun Landuji Oshodi Tapa was an outstanding warrior and a statesman.
During the reign of King Eshilokun, he immigrated to Lagos from Bida in what is now known as the Niger State. This was after he had lost his parents in a tribal war when he was only six years old. He put himself under the protection of the King as his servant in order to prevent himself from being taken and sold into slavery. The King in turn put him under the supervision of one of his trusted men, Fagbemi.
Some years later, one of the Portuguese merchants, a friend of King Eshilokun, asked the king to let two of his children accompany him to Portugal and he promised to bring them back. The King was very wary of this offer and he thought instead of risking the lives of any of his own children, he would offer two people loyal to him. Hence he chose Oshodi and Dada Antonio to go with the Portuguese merchant.
While the King thought he was protecting the interests of his own children, he was in fact denying them an opportunity that would have benefited them more in the future.
Oshodi and Dada Antonio went with the Portuguese merchant to America and they were later returned to the King after many years.
On arrival from America, Oshodi was employed by Messrs. G. L. Gaiser as a Commission Agent and Toll Collector. With the arrival of the ships of the Portuguese merchants, business flourished, and Oshodi’s commissions from sales increased and he eventually became a rich man. Oshodi never forgot the hands that fed him, so to speak; he continued to be loyal to the King and was made a chief solely responsible for looking after the King’s wives. He was the only one who could go into the Queen’s apartment to oversee repairs, if the need arose.
After the death of King Eshinlokun, Chief Oshodi remained loyal to his children. He particularly cast his lot with Idewu Ojulari who succeeded his father. After the reign of Chief Idewu Ojulari, Kosoko, a son of Oshinlokun, was said to be the rightful heir to the throne, but he was an enemy of Chief Eletu Odibo, whose duty was to install and crown any new king. It was said at the time, that young Prince Kosoko had seduced Eletu Odibo’s would-be wife. In retaliation, Eletu Odibo used his powerful position to crown Oluwole as the next King of Lagos in 1836.
Kosoko and other descendants of King Eshilokun were not satisfied with the decision
and were ready to show their resentment. They waged a war against King Oluwole and Chief Eletu Odibo. Kosoko and his warriors invaded Isale-Eko. The battle was fierce and prolonged but ended with victory on the side of the king’s army. Kosoko fled to Whydah, realizing the consequences of his action.
When King Oluwole died, Akitoye was crowned in 1841 as the next King of Lagos.
Conscious of the right of Kosoko to the throne, Akitoye justly decided to search for Kosoko his nephew, who had taken refuge in Whydah. He believed that he must enjoy his patronage while on the throne. Akitoye organized a search party under the command of bold and gallant Chief Oshodi. The rapidity with which the party achieved its success was directly related to the military might of Chief Oshodi.
Kosoko finally returned to Lagos with Chief Oshodi in a vessel belonging to a merchant called, Domingo.
Henceforth, Chief Oshodi worked to maintain peace between Kosoko and Akintoye, and eventually brought the two together on terms. The peace effort was thwarted by Chief Eletu Odibo who had employed all the persuasive words he could, to dissuade King Akitoye from bringing Kosoko back to Lagos. He believed that Lagos would not contain the two of them. For a while, he did all he could to create conflicts between them, but later left Lagos for exile in Badagry.
When a war broke out between King Akitoye and Kosoko, Chief Oshodi loyally pitched his tent with Kosoko, the son of Eshilokun, through thick and thin. Akitoye asked Eletu Odibo to return to Lagos with his warriors to fight on his side. Akitoye’s men led by Eletu Odibo were soundly defeated. Eletu Odibo was captured in an ambush and killed.
With the death of Eletu Odibo, the elders advised Akitoye to escape to his mother’s town in Abeokuta. When Kosoko heard about the plan, he detailed his war chief, Oshodi, to lay ambush for Akitoye, kill him, and bring his head before him. Akitoye was in fact caught by Oshodi in the Agboyi waters, but instead of killing him, he paid homage to him and his Lord and prayed for his safe journey and safe return.
Chief Oshodi returned to report to Kosoko that Akitoye had escaped by the use of a powerful charm which put them all to sleep when he was passing. Historians were not able to assign any reason for the treatment which Oshodi gave Akitoye when in fact he was on orders to bring his head to Kosoko. In 1845, Kosoko defeated Akitoye and ascended the throne. In the meantime, Chief Oshodi remained Kosoko’s “Abagbon” war chief.
While in exile, Akitoye appealed to the British Government for help to restore him to his throne. A war broke out; the British started to bombard Lagos, setting the town on fire. Kosoko’s defense under the command of Chief Oshodi was effective and modern by the international standard of the time. After nine days of consecutive serious military actions, the British fleet unleashed excessive gun power which resulted in the defeat of Kosoko’s fleet. Under this unfavorable condition, Kosoko had to flee to Epe with Chief Oshodi and his warriors on the night of the13th of August 1853.
Akitoye was brought back to Lagos by the British Consul and was restored as the King of Lagos. Akitoye died on the 2nd of September 1853, about two weeks after Kosoko and his men had fled. In the afternoon of September 3rd, 1853, his son, Dosunmu was formally installed as the King of Lagos.
Although the war seemed to have ended with Kosoko in exile, there were sporadic raids on Lagos from Epe; disturbing the peace and trade of the island. The raids caused the British Consul Campbell, the Elders, and White Cap chiefs of Lagos, to initiate a move to reconcile the warring royal relatives.
On the 26th of January 1854, a peace conference, historically known as Langbasa meeting, was held at Agbekin (Palaver Island) about four months after King Dosunmu’s coronation. The British Consul’s party included the Commander of HMS Plato with other officers under his command, and Kosoko’s party which included Chief Oshodi Tapa and Chief Onisemo Adeburusi of Epe. They came without Kosoko in about sixty canoes each containing forty men. King Dosunmu was represented by several white cap chiefs and war chiefs.
At the opening of this remarkable conference, the Epe people, led by Chief Oshodi Tapa expressed their strong desire to return to Lagos a to the British Consul and be at peace with their friends and relatives. Chief Oshodi proposed that Kosoko be allowed to return to Lagos and live as a private person.
The proposal was not agreeable to the Consul on the basis that two Kings could not rein in Lagos. As an appeasement, Chief Oshodi was offered to return alone as the Consul for the people of Epe, but he declined the offer and insisted on Kosoko’s return from exile. Several years later in 1862, Kosoko was allowed back to Lagos with his war chief, after signing a peace treaty negotiated with the British Consul by Chief Oshodi.
Governor Glover was very grateful for Chief Oshodi’s contributions to peace in Lagos.
On their arrival to Lagos, Governor Glover sought permission from Aromire to give part of Epetedo to Chief Oshodi. For himself, his family, his followers, and servants who returned with him from Epe, he held the area under the native customary law of land tenure, subject to the native system of the devolution of land.
The palace of Oshodi is located in the center of the area of land in Epetedo. The area is uniquely laid out into 21 compounds. Four of these compounds; Oshodi, Akinyemi, Ewumi, and Alagbede courts belong exclusively to Chief Balogun Oshodi’s extended family.
For the most notable and extraordinary role of Chief Oshodi in the restoration of peace to Lagos and his contribution to the Government of Lagos, he was presented by Governor Glover on the Lagos Race Course grounds with a sword from Mr. Cardwell, the Secretary of State to the British Government. The sword was inscribed “presented by the Government of Queen Victoria to Chief Tapa in commemoration of the loyal services rendered by him to the Government of Lagos”
With his background of having been to America, Oshodi did not miss the opportunity to educate his children. He solicited Governor Glover to educate one of his children in England. This child later assumed the surname of Oshodi-Glover.
Chief Balogun Oshodi Tapa died on 2nd of July1868 about six years after his return from exile in Epe, leaving forty six surviving children. His body was laid to rest at the center of Oshodi Street in Epetedo, Lagos. The descendants of Chief Oshodi constructed an imposing edifice at his burial site, as a monument to the memory of the renowned warlord, peacemaker, and statesman. This monument has been classified as a historic site by the Lagos State Government.
CHILDREN OF CHIEF BALOGUN OSHODI TAPA*
Feyishitan Daudu Oshodi
Faronke Oshodi
Shado Oshodi
Ewumi Oshodi
Asunmo Oshodi
Lande Oshodi
Amore Oshodi
Ambintan Asogba Oshodi
Okilu Oshodi
Alli Igunnu Oshodi
Salu Asogba Oshodi
Lashimi Oshodi
Rabiu Eshugbayi I Oshodi
Cordelia Kobile Oshodi
Joseph II Oshodi
Lawani Eshugbayi II Oshodi
Amosu Oshodi
Oteyinka Oshodi
Momo Awosu Oshodi
Oterunmi Oshodi
Asatu Oshodi
Moshisa Oshodi
Idewu Igbo Oshodi
Fabiyi Oshodi
Idewu Olukotun Oshodi
Joseph II Oshodi
Asun Oshodi
Ambose Oshodi
Lagbayi Oshodi
Oteshimi Oshodi
Abu Oshodi
Adeogun Oshodi
Adeshi Oshodi
Dada Oshodi
Iyatomi Oshodi
Etikuron Oshodi
Henry Fatusi Glover Oshodi
Apotun Oshodi
Adebowale Oshodi
Dada Omotinuwa Oshodi
Aina Oshodi
David Oduntan Oshodi
Sakariyawo Oshodi
Faye Oshodi
Ambose Bese Oshodi
Barikisu Fabi Oshodi
* Names not in order of birth
It remains unclear how the ruling houses were determined by the Chieftaincy Committee under the Obas and Chiefs Law of the century. Nevertheless, the following are the twelve ruling houses in the Oshodi Tapa Chieftaincy according to the Registered Declaration:
Ruling Houses:
1. Feyishitan
2. Eshugbayi
3. Fatusi
4. Obadimeji
5. Jose
6. Lagbayi
7. Sakariyawo
8. Amore
9. Ewumi
10. Kobile
11. Modina
12. Alli-Igunnu
In the event of a vacancy, the order of rotation is as above, starting from Feyishitan Ruling House having taken into account those ruling houses that had produced chiefs after Chief Balogun Oshodi Tapa.
Others include
The Ara Oke people from the Nigerian hinterland, particularly Ilorin, Oyo, Ilesa and Ogbomoso. They live in areas of the island, Okepopo, Oko Awo and Oke Arin where they sell their merchandise, usually items of food, yam, plantain and vegetables from their home territories. Later, many of them switched to retail imported small building materials, which they buy from the European companies.
· The Aganyins, Ajases and Kurumos had travelled into Lagos along the great and ancient road skirting the West African coastline and migrated from Ivory Coast, Liberia, Togoland, Gold Coast and Dahomey. The Aganyins and Ajases live mainly at Araromi and Lafiaji areas with a few of them spilling across the lagoon to the adjacent fringe of Obalende. They are traders and artisans including washer men and home helps. They are easily identified with their shiny black and beautiful skin as well as the decorative hair plaiting styles of their beautiful women.
· The Koras are the Syrians and Lebanese who with some sprinkling of Indians dominate the textile trade business. They live along Ereko and Victoria Streets stretching from Tinubu Square through Ereko to Idunmota. Their shops are situated on the street level floor of their residences. Although, they live a segregated life from the Eko people, their children invariably grow up speaking the Yoruba Eko.
· There were the British colonialists who only worked in the colonial civil service with offices at Onikan, Broad Street and Race Course. Some of their kith were the managers of British shops and businesses that dotted the Marina and Broad Street. They merely worked in Lagos, but they lived at Ikoyi.
· There were some young professionals of West Indian origin, engineers, technicians and nurses who worked in the colonial service, particularly in the electricity, public works and health departments. They occupied the middle grade posts of those departments. They lived in government quarters built in the premises of the various operational units of the departments.
Although, these many peoples live in well-designated parts of the island the compactness and smallness of the geography of Lagos and the speed of local dissemination of popular information and news ensured regular social interactions. The only fully and socially segregated peoples were the British colonialists, their private sector countrymen who all lived at Ikoyi, and to a lesser extent, the Koras, Syrians, Lebanese and Indians who live at Ereko and Idunmota. Otherwise, the Lagos people enjoyed frequent opportunities and occasions to mix socially.
