Ikeja was founded by an Awori hunter named Akeja Onigorun, after whom the area is named. To this day, the majority of residents in Ikeja are Awori.
An explosion in the Lagos Army Barracks on 27 January 2002 caused fires. Many fleeing people drowned in a canal which was covered by hyacinth (common water weed). The official death toll was 600 people. Much of Ikeja was kept intact, however.
A disaster fund was created to provide for those displaced in the tragedy. The government provided food, clothing, shelter and health care. The official number of displaced people was put at 20,000.
Ikeja, like other Lagos municipalities, has suffered from neglect, a lack of planning and over-concentration of disorganized commercial activities (which include street trading)
