Baba, Oyo’s Legendary 420-Year-Old Tortoise, Dies

A tortoise popularly known as Baba, reputed to have lived for about 420 years at the palace of the Alaafin of Oyo, has died following a brief illness.

Baba died on Monday after reportedly stopping eating and was subsequently buried within the palace grounds.

Bode Durojaiye, Director of Media and Publicity to the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Akeem Owoade I, confirmed the death, explaining that the tortoise became ill shortly before it died.

According to him, Baba had been inherited by successive Alaafins and was considered an important part of the history and tradition of the palace.

Palace oral history states that the tortoise was brought from Oyo-Ile, the ancient capital of the Oyo Empire, to the present palace in Oyo town.

At the age attributed to it by the palace, Baba would have been one of Nigeria’s oldest known living animals. However, the claim that the tortoise lived for 420 years has not been independently or scientifically verified.

The present Alaafin reportedly met Baba at the palace when he ascended the throne, continuing the tradition under which successive monarchs inherited responsibility for the animal’s care.
Two palace attendants were assigned to look after Baba. Its reported diet included watermelon, grass and corn pap wrapped in leaves.

Over the years, the tortoise became an attraction for visitors to the palace because of its reputed longevity and association with generations of Alaafins.
Durojaiye described Baba as more than an ordinary palace animal, noting that the tortoise had become part of the oral history and cultural heritage of the Yoruba people.

News of Baba’s death generated reactions on social media after @NigeriaStories shared the development.
While some users questioned the plausibility of the 420-year age attributed to the tortoise, others argued that its long association with the Alaafin’s palace had established its place in Oyo’s cultural history regardless of its precise age.

The palace said Baba’s remains were buried within the palace grounds, where the tortoise had reportedly lived for generations.