Eze Chima: Tracing the Benin Prince Who Founded Onitsha

This post examines primary sources from 1506 to 1823 to explore the story of Eze Chima, a prince of the Benin Kingdom around 1550 AD. It outlines how Chima lost the Benin throne and crossed the Niger to found Onitsha. Early European accounts and local oral traditions consistently describe him as of Benin origin. The discussion addresses common questions about Igbo claims to Benin ancestry and reviews archaeological and linguistic evidence to show why Onitsha’s royal lineage links to Edo (Benin) rather than to Nri (Igbo).

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