Sungbo's Eredo

Sungbo's Eredo is a system of ditch and bank running for something over a hundred kilometres in a rough circle enclosing the territory of the old Ijebu kingdom in what is now Ogun State, with the ditch cut in places to a depth of around twenty metres and a bank thrown up on the inner side. Estimates place its construction around the tenth to twelfth centuries, which makes it one of the largest single pre-colonial earthworks in Africa by volume of material moved. Tradition attributes it to Bilikisu Sungbo, a wealthy woman sometimes identified in local accounts with the Queen of Sheba, whose grave is venerated at Oke-Eiri. Most of the earthwork is under forest and farmland and unmarked.

What you actually see

• The ditch and bank - the cut and rampart under forest cover.
• The scale of the cut - depths of up to around twenty metres in sections.
• Bilikisu Sungbo's grave - the venerated site at Oke-Eiri.
• Forest cover - the vegetation grown over most of the earthwork.

When to go

November to March in the dry season, when the undergrowth is lower and access easier. Mornings are cooler. A local guide is essential to find accessible sections.

Honest expectations

There is no signage, visitor centre or marked access; finding a good section requires a local guide. Most of the earthwork is overgrown and hard to read. Encroachment and quarrying have damaged parts. It is on Nigeria's tentative list but has no site management.

Nearby

Ijebu-Ode lies within the enclosed area; Epe is southeast.