The palace of the Alaafin of Oyo in Oyo State is mourning the death of Baba, a tortoise believed to have lived for about 420 years and become one of the palace’s most unusual historical relics.
Baba reportedly died after falling ill on Monday and was subsequently buried within the palace grounds.
The Director of Media and Publicity to the Alaafin, Bode Durojaiye, confirmed the death in a statement.
According to the palace, Baba had survived generations of Alaafins and was regarded as more than an animal because of its place in the oral history and cultural memory of the Oyo Kingdom.
A living link to Oyo’s past
The palace said oral accounts indicated that Baba had been brought from Oyo-Ile, the former capital of the old Oyo Empire, to the present-day palace in Oyo town.
The tortoise subsequently became a familiar feature of the palace and a point of interest for visitors.
According to the palace, successive officials were responsible for caring for Baba over the years, while visitors often came specifically to see the animal.
Reports said Baba was fed with items including watermelon, corn pap wrapped in leaves and grass.
The tortoise’s reported age of about 420 years has attracted considerable attention, although the figure is based on palace and oral historical accounts rather than a modern scientific age determination reported in the available coverage.
Palace loses a cultural relic
The death has generated interest because of Baba’s reported connection with successive generations of the Oyo royal institution.
The Alaafin’s palace described the tortoise as part of the heritage associated with the ancient kingdom, whose history predates the establishment of modern Nigeria.
For many visitors and residents, Baba represented a tangible connection between the contemporary palace and the long history of the Oyo Kingdom.
The animal’s death marks the loss of a distinctive cultural attraction at the palace, while the story has renewed public interest in the preservation of Oyo’s historical and traditional heritage.