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 a victory on the side of the king’s army. Kosoko fled to Whydah, realising 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 organised 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........continue read here http://farabaleweekly.com/2016/11/26/the-history-of-oshodi-tapa-of-lagos/

interesting.....

OP,
I am interested in this story. I read the entire and many questions are raised in my mind that I would need you to give me clarity.

No doubt Oshodi was a Great warrior and earned his credits and honor. I find some of the credits worrisome and can't quite concile them with reality. The writer truly outdone himself with unecessary embellishments and is embarassing.

Here is the first one that I find disturbing.

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. 

That tribal war would have ended with many Bida captives carted away as slaves.

1 - How does a six yr old with no parent or guardian emigrate from the only place he has known all his young life and took to strange paths and forests to go into Lagos? Is he invisible to slave catchers? He professed fear of slave catchers to the King in Lagos. Who fed him on the journey? Were there no women in villages along his path that recognising the danger of a stranded 6yr old travelling alone took him in under protective custody?

Then after getting in Lagos,
2 - what place of honor or title does a six year old posess to appear in self recognition before the King of Lagos and request to be recruited for priviledged service? ...and then the request was granted right then! Did he not meet any Chief of Lagos on his way to the King's palace or did he not think them of any significant value to his cause, whatever that might have been?


Plenty don't add up in this Oshodi story. Too many gaps, and this is just in the first paragraph.