Princess Inikpi

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Princess Inikpi
The statue of Princess Inikpi at Ega Market in Idah

Princess Inikpi was the virgin princess of the Igala Kingdom, buried alive to save the kingdom from the doom of the Igala-Benin war in 1515-1516 during the rein of Ata Ayegba Oma-idoko.[1] Her statue is still standing at her burial spot at Ega market close to river Niger in Idah, Kogi State Nigeria. Many Igala have named their daughters after her.[2]

Inikpi was the protagonist in the 2020 film The Legend of Inikpi, directed by Frank Rajah Arase.[3]

Histories[edit]

The Igala kingdom sovereignty, peace and existence was perpetually threatened by the then Benin kingdom.[4] To avert the impending doom of war and grant the kingdom victory, Princess inikpi the only daughter of the King became the sacrificial lamb requested by the oracle.[4][2] Princess Inikpi offers herself to be sacrificed despite resistance by the King Ayegba.[5]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Agbese, Aje-Ori (2021-02-17), "Preserving the memories of precolonial Nigeria", The Routledge Companion to Black Women’s Cultural Histories, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon; New York, NY: Routledge, 2021.: Routledge, pp. 89–99, ISBN 978-0-429-24357-8, retrieved 2022-08-29{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  2. ^ a b "Inikpi, self-sacrificing Igala Princess". The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News. 2019-07-28. Retrieved 2022-08-29.
  3. ^ "Mercy Johnson to release movie 'Legend of Inikpi' on Jan. 24". The Sun Nigeria. 2020-01-08. Retrieved 2020-05-06.
  4. ^ a b Jones, D.R. (1991-06-28), "Sacrifice and holiness", Sacrifice and Redemption, Cambridge University Press, pp. 9–21, retrieved 2022-08-29
  5. ^ Agbalajobi, Damilola Taiye (2021-09-29), "African Women in Politics: Past, Present and the Future", The Political Economy of Colonialism and Nation-Building in Nigeria, Cham: Springer International Publishing, pp. 171–188, ISBN 978-3-030-73874-7, retrieved 2022-08-29