Akaba was an early
King of the
Kingdom of Dahomey, in present-day
Benin, from 1685 until
c.1716. King
Houegbadja had created the basic structure of the kingdom on the Abomey plateau. His first children were the twins of Akaba and
Hangbe and they were followed by another son of Houegbadja who would become King Agaja. As the oldest son, Akaba became the king upon Houegbadja's death and ruled until 1716 when he died during battle in the
Ouémé River Valley, either of
small pox or in battle. When he died his sister, Hangbe, became the ruler and began preparing Akaba's oldest son, Agbo Sassa, for the throne. In 1718, Agaja, the next oldest son after Akaba from
Houegbadja, fought with Agbo Sassa and Hangbe and became the next King of Dahomey.