Republic of Dahomey Republic of Dahomey The Republic of Dahomey ( ) was established on December 11, 1958, as a self-governing colony within the French Community. Prior to attaining autonomy it had been French Dahomey, part of the French Union. On August 1, 1960, it attained full independence from France. In 1975, the country was renamed Benin after the Bight of Benin (which was in turn named after the Benin Empire which had its seat of power in Benin City, modern-day Nigeria), since "Benin" was deemed politically neutral for all ethnic groups in the state, whereas "Dahomey" recalled the Fon-dominated Kingdom of Dahomey.
Opanda Kingdom years later Ohimi's brother Owutu founded the present-day Kotonkarfe (Igu). A third group, led by Ohimenegedu, the grandson of Ohemi, moved east in 1750 and reoccupied the city of Opanda in the present-day Nasarawa state. The sister kingdoms of Opanda and Kotonkarfe flourished side by side for some time until they were attacked by the Nupe/Nulani from the west and the Fulani from the north. Opanda Kingdom Opanda Kingdom was an ancient African kingdom located in what is now Nigeria. The ancient Opanda Kingdom was founded by the Egbiras ethnic group. Its growth culminated in the Umaisha (Yimaha), which is