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Pull a story from Nigeria

True histories, old legends, folktales and the reasons places got their names. Every story shows its sources, and tells you what is fact and what is legend.

53stories now
14states so far
188sources cited
Trending
  1. The man who would not bow →
  2. The women who sat on the empire →
  3. The house that lied about its age →
  4. The great ditch of a childless queen →
  5. The house in Barbados named after a Nigerian town →
  6. The town where twins are everywhere →
  7. The queen who let herself be captured →
  8. Amina, who built walls →
  9. The Sultan's gift to a Lagos mosque →
  10. The captive who came back as a slave dealer →
  11. The richest woman in Ibadan →
  12. The Austrian woman who saved a sacred forest →

The deck

All 53 →
01 Lost history · Lagos

The man who would not bow

Bode Thomas & the Alaafin →
02 Lost history · Abia

The women who sat on the empire

Aba Women's War, 1929 →
03 People · Kaduna

Amina, who built walls

Queen Amina of Zazzau →
04 People · Cross River

The woman who stood for twins

Mary Slessor in Calabar →
05 Lost history · Kogi

The Steel Dream That Kept Nigeria Waiting

Ajaokuta Steel, Kogi →
06 Lost history · Niger

The Town Beneath Kainji Lake

Old Bussa →
07 Lost history · Lagos

The house that lied about its age

Ilojo Bar, Lagos Island →
08 Folktale · Anambra

Why the tortoise's shell is cracked

Tortoise and the feast in the sky →
09 Place name · Niger

The Town That Gave Abuja Its Name

Old Abuja, Suleja →
10 People · Kogi

The King Behind the Stories of Magic

Attah Ameh Oboni →
11 Custom · Kogi

The Iron That Promised Freedom

Lokoja's Iron of Liberty →
12 Legend · Ogun

The great ditch of a childless queen

Sungbo's Eredo →
13 People · Niger

The Emir Britain Removed and Brought Back

Ibrahim of Kontagora →
14 Custom · Kogi

The Night Ebira Ancestors Come Home

Ekuechi in Okene →
15 Lost history · Niger

The River That Kept Mungo Park

Mungo Park at Bussa →

By type

Folktales1 →Legends10 →Lost histories13 →People12 →Place names9 →Customs & sacred sites8 →By state14 →By people10 →
Start with a placeLagos
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