The Binis are one of the ethnic groups, located in Edo South, present day Edo State, Nigeria. The word Bini stemmed from the Yoruba phrase “Ille Ibini”, meaning anger and vexation. Owing its origin to the constant disagreement between the aborigine of Igodomigodo then and a Yoruba prince, Oranmiyan who pronounced the name.
The Bini as an ethnic group is consist of two set of people. The native aborigines and the immigrants who migrated from Ille Ife,in 13th century A.D. While the native aborigine shared ancestral lineage with the Esan’s. The immigrants shared ancestral lineage with the Ife people in Osun State.
According to Patrick Darling in 1984, the natives’ aborigines in Benin came out from Esanland in 500 A.D on their migration routes from the conference area.
The current royal monarchy in Benin City, Obaship was established by a Yoruba prince, Oranmiyan and every Obas descended from him. Prince Oranmiyan is the great grandson of Oduduwa, the progenitor of the majority of Yoruba dynasties.
Oduduwa according to Yoruba scholars, migrated from the present day Kordofan in Sudan. In ancient time, the place was called lower Egypt or Nubia. There are some few kingdoms in Nigeria who also traced their origin to this place but that is not the purpose of this article.
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