Full list of Dagbon kings from Yaa Naa Nyagse to Ya-Na Abukari II

Dorcas Agambila 11:13 - 13 July 2026

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His Royal Majesty Yaa Naa Mahama Abukari II, the Overlord of Dagbon

The passing of Ya-Na Abukari II has renewed public interest in the rich history of the Dagbon Kingdom, one of Ghana's oldest and most influential traditional states. Founded in the 15th century, Dagbon has been ruled by a long line of monarchs known as the Yaa Naa, whose leadership has shaped the political, cultural and social development of northern Ghana for centuries.

The Dagbon Kingdom has been ruled by a long line of Yaa Naas for more than 600 years, beginning with Yaa Naa Nyagse, who is recognised as the kingdom's first ruler.
Several monarchs played pivotal roles in shaping Dagbon's history, including Yaa Naa Zangina, who strengthened the kingdom and promoted Islam, and Yaa Naa Yakubu Andani II, whose death in 2002 deepened the Dagbon chieftaincy conflict.
The late Ya-Na Abukari II, who ruled from 2019 to 2026, is remembered for restoring peace, promoting unity and overseeing key development projects, while his eldest son now serves as Regent pending the selection of a new Yaa Naa.

For over five centuries, the Dagbon kingdom in northern Ghana has been ruled by a succession of powerful overlords known as Ya-Nas — a Dagbani title meaning "king of strength" or "king of power." Headquartered in Yendi, the kingdom is one of West Africa's most enduring traditional states, founded in the 15th century and governed through a rotational succession system between two royal gates. Here is the complete chronological list of every known king of Dagbon.

Below is a chronological look at the kings of Dagbon.

1. Naa Nyagsi (c. 1500)

Widely recognised as the first Ya-Na, Naa Nyagsi was the son of Sitobu and grandson of the legendary Naa Gbewaa — the founding ancestor of the Dagbon dynasty. He established the kingdom's capital at Yendi Dabari and expanded Dagbon's territory eastward through conquest, formally laying the foundations of the kingdom's political and military structure.

2. Zulande (c. 1530)

Son of Naa Nyagsi, Zulande continued his father's work of consolidating the fledgling Dagbon state. His reign saw the continuation of territorial expansion across the savanna lands of what is now northern Ghana.

3. Nagalogu (c. 1560)

3. Nagalogu (c. 1560) Son of Zulande, Nagalogu reigned during a period of internal consolidation as the kingdom worked to hold together the various chieftaincies brought under its authority during the founding generations

4. Datorli (c. 1590)

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Also a son of Zulande and a grandson of the founder Naa Nyagsi, Datorli oversaw further military expansion, including pushes eastward toward Konkomba territories, establishing outposts at Nakpali and Zabzugu.

5. Buruguyomda (c. 1620)

Another son of Zulande, Buruguyomda's reign represented the continued dominance of the founding lineage as Dagbon grew into a structured kingdom spanning approximately 20,000 square kilometres.

6. Zoligu (c. 1650)

Son of Datorli, Zoligu's reign marked a significant turning point in Dagbon's governance. He formalised elder chiefdoms and initiated what became known as the long Zoligu dynasty line, a defining era in the kingdom's political history.

7. Zonman (c. 1660)

Son of Zoligu, Zonman reigned during a period of relative internal order as the kingdom managed its divisional chieftaincy structure across a vast territory.

8. Ninmitoni (c. 1670)

Also a son of Zoligu, Ninmitoni's brief reign continued the pattern of familial succession that characterised the early Dagbon state

9. Dimani (c. 1680)

Son of Zoligu, Dimani reigned as Dagbon maintained its grip over the northern savanna region through a combination of military authority and traditional governance structures.

10. Yanzo (c. 1690) Another son of Zoligu, Yanzo's reign closed out the 17th century as Dagbon navigated the external threats beginning to emerge from neighbouring powers such as Gonja.

11. Dariziegu (c. 1700)

Son of Zonman, Dariziegu's reign ended dramatically — he was killed in battle by Gonja forces under Sumaila Jakpa, marking one of Dagbon's most painful early military defeats and prompting a major strategic rethink about the kingdom's defences.

12. Luro (c. 1710)

Son of Zoligu, Luro responded to Dagbon's vulnerability by relocating the capital to what is now modern Yendi, a more defensible position, to counter ongoing Gonja incursions. His reign also saw early ties to Muslim influencers like Yidan Kambara, signalling the beginning of Islamic influence in the kingdom.

13. Tutugri (c. 1720) Son of Luro, Tutugri's reign continued the period of consolidation in the newly positioned capital, as Dagbon worked to rebuild and reorganise after the losses inflicted by Gonja forces.

14. Zagale (c. 1730)

Also a son of Luro, Zagale reigned during a period when the kingdom's court at Yendi was gradually becoming more established as the political and cultural centre of Dagbon.

15. Zokuli (c. 1740)

Son of Luro, Zokuli's reign coincided with a broader era of West African state competition, as neighbouring kingdoms like the Mossi states and Gonja continued to exert pressure on Dagbon's borders.

16. Gungobili (c. 1750)

Son of Tutugri, Gungobili reigned during the mid-18th century as Dagbon's political structures continued to mature under the custodianship of court historians known as the Lunsi, who preserved the kingdom's oral histories through drum music.

17. Zangina (c. 1760)

Son of Tutugri and listed as the 16th Ya-Na in some genealogies, Zangina's reign was one of the most historically significant of the early period. He expelled Gonja invaders and, through arbitration facilitated by the Nayiri of Mamprugu, presided over the formal introduction of Islam into Dagbon — a pivotal cultural and religious turning point for the kingdom.

18. Andani Sigili (c. 1780)

Son of Zagale, Andani Sigili defeated the Gonja leader Kumpati with the help of the Yo-Na and stabilised the court at Yendi. His reign closed out the 18th century with Dagbon on firmer military and political footing than it had been for decades.

THE 19TH CENTURY (1797 – 1899)

19. Andani Jɛŋgbarga (1797–1802)

The first ruler of the 19th century, Andani Jɛŋgbarga reigned at a time of growing external pressure from regional trade dynamics and the early movements of European powers on the African continent.

20. Mahami (1802–1820)

Mahami's relatively long reign of nearly two decades came during a period of early 19th-century shifts in northern Ghana's political landscape, as Sahelian trade networks continued to shape Dagbon's economic relationships.

21. Ziblim Kulunku (1820–1827)

A brief but recorded reign, Ziblim Kulunku governed during a period of mounting internal pressures as the royal lineages that would later define the Abudu and Andani gates began to grow and diverge.

22. Simaani Zoli (1827–1832)

Simaani Zoli's short tenure placed him in the middle of a century that would be defined by increasingly frequent succession challenges and growing competition among the expanding pool of royal princes descended from Naa Gbewaa.

23. Yakubu I (1832–1864)

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The longest-reigning Ya-Na of the 19th century, Yakubu I governed for over three decades and is historically significant as the father of the two princes — Abudulai and Andani — whose descendants would form the two gates that still define Dagbon's succession system today. His reign was one of relative stability in a century marked by turbulence.

24. Abilaai Naɣbiɛɣu (1864–1876)

An Abudu gate ruler, Abilaai Naɣbiɣu reigned during the period when the rivalry between the two royal gates was crystallising into a formal — if contested — rotational system. His reign also coincided with Dagbon employing Zabarima raiders for slave expeditions, which further strained internal cohesion.

25. Andani Naanigoo (1876–1899)

An Andani gate ruler, Andani Naanigoo presided over Dagbon's final years before European colonial partition. His extended reign of over two decades saw the kingdom navigate early contacts with European powers, until the British and German partition of Dagbon's territory in 1899 fundamentally changed the kingdom's political reality.

THE COLONIAL AND POST-COLONIAL ERA (1900 – 2025)

26. Alhassan (1900–1917)

After German colonial authorities deposed the Andani-aligned Yo-Na Darimani — who had initially been enskinned following Andani Naanigoo's death — they installed Alhassan of the Abudu gate, who ruled through the First World War era. His rule under German and later British oversight demonstrated how colonial powers directly shaped the dynamics of Dagbon succession.

27. Abudulai II (1920–1938)

Enskinned following the 1919 reunification of the German-partitioned Dagbon territories under British mandate, Abudulai II was a pivotal ruler who consolidated authority over a kingdom that had been divided between two European powers for nearly two decades. His reign saw the formalisation of the Dagomba Native Authority under British indirect rule.

28. Mahama II (1938–1948)

Mahama II succeeded during a period of accelerating colonial reform, including early shifts toward formalised kingmaker selection committees. His reign coincided with the 1948 Dagomba Traditional Council resolution that expanded the electoral college to an 11-member body.

29. Alhassan (1948–1953)

A brief reign during a critical transitional period, as Ghana moved rapidly toward independence and colonial local government reforms began reducing the administrative powers of traditional chiefs across the country.

30. Abudulai III (1953–1967)

Abudulai III oversaw Dagbon during the final years of British colonial rule and Ghana's independence in 1957. His death in 1967 sparked a major succession dispute over the proper rites and protocols to follow, deepening the fault lines between the Abudu and Andani gates.

31. Mahamadu Abudulai IV (1969–1974, disputed)

Enskinned on September 12, 1969, by the National Liberation Council amid gate rivalry, Mahamadu Abudulai IV's claim to the throne was invalidated by a 1974 government white paper on the grounds that prior funeral rites had not been properly conducted. The ensuing violence claimed 23 lives. He died in 1986, but his funeral was deliberately delayed until December 2018 as part of the negotiated resolution of the Dagbon chieftaincy crisis.

32. Yakubu Andani II (May 31, 1974 – March 25, 2002)

Enskinned following the 1974 government white paper that affirmed his legitimacy, Ya-Na Yakubu Andani II was the longest-serving modern Ya-Na. His reign of nearly 28 years ended in tragedy when he was assassinated on March 27, 2002, during clashes between Abudu and Andani factions at the Gbewaa Palace in Yendi. Approximately 30 people were killed in the violence. His murder left the Dagbon throne vacant for over 16 years — the longest interregnum in the kingdom's modern history.

33. Abukari Mahama II (January 27, 2019 – present)

Following the completion of funeral rites for both Mahamadu Abudulai IV and Ya-Na Yakubu Andani II in 2018 — a process mediated by a Committee of Eminent Chiefs chaired by Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II and supported by President Nana Akufo-Addo — kingmakers selected Abukari Mahama II of the Abudu gate on January 18, 2019. He was publicly outdoored as Ya-Na on January 25, 2019, at Jubilee Park in Yendi, restoring the throne after 17 years of vacancy. In June 2025, he paid a courtesy call on President John Dramani Mahama at Jubilee House, where he was commended for his role in sustaining peace in Dagbon.

From the warrior kingdom founded by Naa Gbewaa's descendants to the peace-oriented reign of the current Ya-Na, Dagbon's royal lineage is one of the most unbroken and richly documented in West Africa. Each king has left a mark on a kingdom that has survived conquest, colonialism, civil strife, and political interference — and continues to stand.