The Igala people are a very colourful tribe and are the largest ethnic tribe in Kogi State
They can also be found in parts of Delta, Enugu, Edo and Anambra state
Their ancestral home is Idah, where their king, the Attah of Igala, reigns
They are a very shy people; hence the little knowledge of them by the rest of Nigeria
The present Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Shuaibu , is an Igala man
Princess Inikpi is their heroine and, by extension, a heroine to all Nigerian females
She was the one who offered herself to be buried alive by the banks of the River Niger to save her people from the marauding Bini Army
War had apparently broken out between the Igala and Benin people, and the Attah rushed to the oracle to make enquiries
The Oracle told him that he had to bury his favourite daughter to escape the impending doom
The king, being very reluctant, didn’t tell Inikpi his favourite daughter, but when she found out, she offered herself, and she was buried with a retinue of Virgin slaves
The story goes that when the Bini army came, they saw balls of flame, like the town was being burnt
It is believed that Inikpi’s sacrifice caused an optical illusion which made the Bini army turn back
The average Igala person is very proud of his heritage, and indeed this story
I met a young banker at Zenith Bank in Abuja and showed her the poster, and she went immediately into a frenzy, retelling me the story
Same with international banker – Isa Omagu and his cousin, Friday Sule, who both stopped me at the VIP lounge of the Abuja airport to tell me the story again, with tears in their eyes
I hear a lot of Igala families name their daughters Inikpi in deference to this great lady
For me, this is an opportunity to reintroduce the Nation to the Igala culture and its very beautiful people, and also to highlight the huge sacrifice that this lady made for her people so that they can be free
Today, Inikpi’s sacrifice can be termed as selflessness, passion, love for the people and self-sacrifice values that are very scarce today
Please send this to any Igala person you know, and indeed to all Nigerians, to come out and see this wonderful play
Princess Inikpi is written and directed by super-talented Dr Adenuga and will be showing at the iconic Agip Recital Hall of the Muson Centre and is supported by LEBARA
Get your tickets at ariiyatickets. Com
Thanks
Duke of Shomolu
Last modified: November 1, 2026
