EKO WAS NOT FOUNDED BY THE BINI.

LONG BEFORE THE BINI CAME IN CONTACT WITH LAGOS, THERE HAD BEEN AN ESTABLISHED SETTLEMENT ON IDDO ISLAND, OLOFIN ATEKOYE THE BRAVE MAN WHO FOUNDED IDDO ESTABLISHED HIS AUTHORITY OVER HIS TERRITORY AND EXERCISED HIS INFLUENCE TO PROTECT IT FROM ANY FORM OF EXTERNAL ATTACKS.

THE BINI MADE SEVERAL ATTEMPTS TO INVADE IDDO BUT EACH TIME THEY TRIED OLOFIN THROUGH SURPRESSES THE ATTACKS WITH HIS SPIRITUAL POWERS, HE WOULD CAPSIZE THE BOATS THAT WAS THEN USED FOR WAR OR RAIDS, AFTER SOME TIME, THEY SUCCEEDED IN GETTING TO IDDO AFTER OLOFIN’S WIFE AJAYE HAD REVEALED THE SOURCE OF HIS SPIRITUAL POWERS, OLOFIN WAS ARRESTED AND HE WAS TAKEN TO BINI.

ON GETTING TO BINI THEY TRIED TO KILL HIM ALL THEIR EFFORTS YIELDED FRUITLESSLY, WHICH MADE THEM CONSULT THE ORACLE THAT WARNED THEM THAT OLOFIN’S BLOOD MUST NOT TOUCH THEIR SOIL HENCE IT WOULD BE DISASTEROUS.

THE OBA INSTRUCTED THEM TO BUILD A HUT WITHOUT A DOOR OR WINDOW AND HE SHOULD BE KEPT IN IT TO SUFFOCATE HIM TO DEATH.

BUT TO THEIR AMAZEMENT EVERY NIGHT THEY WOULD HEAR SOUNDS OF BUYING AND SELLING OR SOUNDS OF MERRIMENT AND THEY BEGAN TO DIE MYSTERIOUSLY.

THEY THEN WENT BACK TO CONSULT THE ORACLE, WHO REVEALED TO THEM THAT OLOFIN MUST BE SET FREE AND THEY ENSURED HE MUST BE RETURNED TO IDDO HITCH FREE.

THEY QUICKLY WENT TO OPEN THE HUT AND ASK HIM TO LEAVE BUT TO THEIR SURPRISE OLOFIN HESITATED

THEY PLEADED WITH HIM SEVERALLY, BUT HE DECLINED.

THEY SENT EMMISARIES BACK TO IDDO AND THEY WERE TOLD IT WAS ONLY ONE PERSON WHO COULD PERSUADE HIM

AND THAT WAS HIS OLUWO NLA, PROBABLY HIS BROTHER, MEDICINE MAN, OR PERSONAL PHYSICIAN

THEY GOT INTOUCH WITH OLUWO NLA AFTER THEIR DELIBERATIONS OLUWO NLA AGREED TO PERSUADE OLOFIN BUT BEFORE HE EMBARKED ON THE JOURNEY HE INVITED HIS FRIEND OLUWO NLA OBANIKORO WHO WENT WITH HIM TO BINI

ON GETTING TO BINI OLUWO NLA APPROACHED OLOFIN WITH PRAISE CHANTS WHICH ONLY THE TWO OF THEM WHERE USED TO, IMMEDIATELY OLOFIN HEARD THE CHANTS HE WAS RELAXED AND ON SIGHTING HIS OLUWO NLA HE WAS PLEASED AND SAID TO HIM:

“YOUR DIVINATION CHAIN IS VIRTUOUS”

(OPELE E YI MA NI IWA O)

THAT WAS HOW THE OPELUWA FAMILY GOT THEIR FAMILY NAME BUT NOW SHORTENED TO “OPELUWA”

FAST FORWARD TO OLOFIN RETURNING TO IDDO AND CONTINUING HIS LIFE, TILL HE PASSED ON

THE BINI REVISITED LAGOS AFTER HIS DEATH AND ALL HIS CHILDREN HAD LEFT TO THEIR VARIOUS DOMAINS, WITH AROMIRE OCCUPYING THE ISLAND ACROSS THE LAGOON IN THE PRESENT DAY ISALE EKO IN LAGOS ISLAND.

ASHIPA LED THE BINI TEAM AND WAS ABLE TO TAKE OVER ISALE EKO TERRITORY BUT EXTENDED A HAND OF FRIENDSHIP TO AROMIRE AND THE REST OF OLOFIN’S KINSMEN AND THEY REACHED AN AGREEMENT AND AN INSTITUTION WAS FORMED, GIVING THE OLOFIN’S CHILDREN AUTHORITY OVER THEIR LANDS AND THE BINI ESTABLISHING THE KINGSHIP, WHILE THIS WAS ONGOING ASHIPA PASSED AWAY AND ACCORDING TO THE CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONS OF THE BINI THEIR BRAVE MEN MUST BE LAID TO REST ON THEIR HOME SOIL.

PRINCE ADO MADE THE ARRANGEMENT TO RETURN HIS FATHER’S BODY HOME AND HE WAS COMPENSATED FOR THE BRAVERY AND WAS PRESENTED WITH ALL THE PARAPHENALIA OF OFFICE THAT TILL DATE THE OBA OF LAGOS USES TO EXERCISE HIS RIGHT ON THE THRONE.

LAGOS HAD LONG BEEN FOUNDED BEFORE THE BINI CAME IN CONTACT WITH IT THEY ONLY JOINED TO ESTABLISH A MORE POWERFUL AND PROSPEROUS LAGOS.

THE MAJORITY OF THE AKARIGBERE AND ABAGBON CLASS OF LAGOS WHITE CAP CHIEFS THAT ARE OF BINI ORIGIN HAVE ONE OR TWO PLACES THEY CAN LAY CLAIMS TO AS THEIR LAND-HOLDINGS BECAUSE THEY WERE BRAVE AND POWERFUL MILITARY MEN WHO DID NOT JUST SIT IN ISALE EKO TO ENJOY THE PEACEFUL ATMOSPHERE BUT ALSO MOVED HINTERLAND TO HUNT ON THE LAND AND THE HIGH SEAS AND THOSE PLACES THEY HUNTED WHERE VIRGIN LAND THAT BECAME THEIRS BUT THEY PLACED IN TRUST AND AUTHORITY OF PEOPLE THEY ACCOMMODATED TO LIVE AND LOOK AFTER THE LANDS, SIMPLY BECAUSE ISALE EKO WAS MORE DEVELOPED, CIVILIZED AND IT WAS THE SEAT OF AUTHORITY. THIS CLEARLY STATED THE PLACE OF THE BINI IN THE FOUNDING OF EKO AND LAGOS STATE IN GENERAL.

NOTE: WITH DUE RESPECT TO THE AWORI, THE CHILDREN OF OLOFIN AND HIS RELATIVES THEY NEED TO CALL THEMSELVES TO ORDER AND STOP THE NEW TREND OF ABUSE OF POWER AND PURPORTED FORMULATION OF UNTRUE AND EXAGGERATED STORIES OF OLOFIN AND THE AWORI SETTLEMENT, HENCE THEY STAND THE CHANCE TO LOSE THEIR VALUES.

MANY THANKS ?