[1] Alagoa was born on 14 April 1933, in Nembe, Bayelsa State, Nigeria to Joseph Ayibatonye and Jane Furombogha.
[1] Alagoa worked at the National Archives of Nigeria, Ibadan from 1959 to 1962 rising to the rank of a senior archivist.
[1][2] He was a senior research fellow at the Institute of African Studies at the University of Ibadan from 1967 to 1972.
[2] Alagoa worked at the University of Port Harcourt, as the dean of School of Humanities from 1977 to 1980 and the deputy vice chancellor from 1980 to 1981.
[1] Alagoa married Mercy Gboribusuote Nyananyo on 26 September 1961 and have a child, David Ayibatonye.