Part 2 — Chapter 9

Chapter IX FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF THE ANARCHY § I. Evil Days for the Capital Prince Amod6 was one of the grandchildren of Ajampati the twin brother of King Ajagbo. He came to the throne at a time when the kingdom was distracted by anarchy and confusion. The Fulanis having an eye on the capital of Yoruba-land, but not being confident enough to make an attack on the city whilst there were so many powerful chiefs in the land, who might suddenly return to their allegiance, were using prudence and astuteness to spread the disaffection. They were fanning the flames of discord by allying themselves with one or other of the chiefs known to be rebellious against their lawful sovereign. None of the provincial kings now paid tribute to Oyo or acknowledged the authority of the King. He was virtually King of the capital only. In order to have a powerful friend and ally in whom he could confide in time of emergency, King Amodo made an alliance with Lanloke the chief of Ogodo, a market town, at the confluence of the river Niger, where Yorubas and Tapas met for an exchange of merchandise. Ogodo was originally a Tapa town, but subse- quently the Yoruba population predominated, nearly all the children of influential Oyo chiefs resided there permanently for the purpose of trade. King Amod6 cemented and strengthened this aUiance by giving his daughter to Lanloke to wife, and treating him as an independent sovereign. To show how weak and contemptible the AlAfin has become, Lanloke most brutally and cowardly beat the princess his wife actually to death, and boasting over it, took to himself the nick- name, " My name is Amod6, and I put Amod6 to death. My name is Ajebaba, and I enslaved Ajebaba." Fearing the resentment and vengeance of Oyo for this act, he hastily formed an alHance with the Ilgrins, and assumed the aggressive, and so besieged Oyo. Oyo at length capitulated and the Ilorin troops entered and sacked the city. Oyo was plundered of nearly everything, but no captives were made excepting some Oyo beauties who were carried away with the spoils, Jimba, one of the head slaves of the Ilorin Emir was the chief spoiler. He took away all the Egugun dress, and forced the citizens to accept the Koran, which necessitated every one to 217 change his name for an Arabic name, the only alternative being the sword. Thus at length Oyo became tributary to Ilorin ! § 2. The Third Attempt to Expel the Fulanis The Kanla Expedition Amod6 was ill at ease under the yoke of the Fulani Emir of Ilorin, and he prevailed upon all the Yoruba chiefs throughout the country to unite and rid themselves of their common enemy.' Apparently they were united, but between the capital and the provinces, the spirit of disaffection and jealousy was strong. It was understood full well that the King's policy was to use them together to rid himself first of the common enemy, and then to subdue the rebel chiefs one after another, by force of arms. But the Ilgrins on the other hand were more diplomatic. In order to facilitate their plans, they made friendship with some of the Yoruba chiefs who were men of power, and who, if united, would be able to oppose them successfully ; such were Prince Atiba of Ago Oja, Edun chief of Gbogun, the most powerful Yoruba general of the day, and Adegun the Onikoyi the premier provincial king. Whenever there was war with the Ilorins these chiefs usually acted against their own real and national interests, either by betraying their own nation and people, or by giving their backs to the enemy without shooting an arrow, and thus allowing the Ilorin horse the advantage of out-flanking their foes. King Amod6 having prevailed upon all the chiefs to come together, declared war against the Fulanis, and Ilorin was besieged by a formidable army raised throughout the country. Adegun the Onikoyi was suffering from indisposition and was really unfit to take the field ; but Edun of Gbogun his rival, forced him to go to the war, secretly planning with the Ilgrins that he would give way in the heat of the battle, in order that Adegun might be taken alive ! This battle took place at Kanla from which the expedition was named. Edun having carried out his act of treachery, the Onikoyi was surrounded by the Ilorin horse ; but he fought, and fought bravely and fell like a hero. Thus the AlAfin's army was routed, and the people fled away in confusion. It was at the time when the rivers overflowed their banks, and a number of people were drowned at the river Ogun. The most notable chief drowned on this occasion was Oja the founder of Agd (the present Qyo). Prince Atiba, one of the rising power, rode his powerful horse into the river, and narrowly escaped being drowned. The Yoruba towns deserted at this defeat were Esiele and Pop6. § 3. The Vicissitudes of Ikoyi The fall of Adegun at the Kanla war left the kingship of Ikoyi vacant. There were two aspirants to the title, viz., Siyenbola, the son of the late Adegun, and Ojo, the son of Adegun's prede- cessor. The majority of the people was for Siyenbola, and Ojo's partisans were but few. Ojo, however, went to Oyo to have the title conferred on him by the Suzerain as of yore, and he succeeded in obtaining the Alafin's favour in his claim. King Amodo was glad for this mark of recognition and hoped for the gradual return of the provincial kings to their allegiance. He therefore made Ojo take a solemn oath that he would ever be loyal to him. His Majesty strictly charged him against making any league with Edun the rebel chief of Gbogun through whose town he must pass to reach his home at Ikoyi. This charge was occasioned by the treacherous conduct of Edun at the Kanla war by which the Alafin lost the day. "I am a King," said Amodo, " and you are now a king. Kings should form aUiance with kings and not with a commoner." The King justly anticipated what would happen, for when Ojo the new Onikoyi reached Gbogun on his way home, Edun sought his friendship and alliance, and pressed him to take an oath with him, that they would always be faithful to each other. Ojo stoutly refused to take the oath, alleging that it was unbecoming for a king to take an oath with one not of royal blood. But Edun was a man of power, and the Onikoyi was already in his clutches being in his town and he felt he could do whatever he hked with him ;; he therefore insisted that the oath should be taken before the Onikoyi could leave his town. Ojo was in a dilemma, his oath of allegiance to the Alafin forbade him to dis- obey the King's charge, and now he was at the mercy of this miscreant. He had now no option, the oath must be taken and the only way out of it the Onikoja could find was to delegate one of his attendants to perform the business for him, as the fitness of things required from the inequality of their respective ranks. The Kakanfo considered this an insult to his dignity, and he resented it by ordering Atanda one of his own attendants to take the oath with the Onikoyi's delegate. Whilst this was taking place at Gbogun, tidings reached Ikoyi that Ojo had succeeded in obtaining the title from the AlAfin, and Siyenbgla who had usurped it therefore fled from the town with all his party to Ilorin. The remnant of Ojo's party at home who did not accompany him to Ovg met him at Esiele with the news that the town had been deserted from disgust that he should reign over them. The Onikoyi was too weak to proceed to occupy Ikoyi with his small party, he therefore remained at Esiele. A week after this, the Ilorin horse came against Esiele to espouse the cause of Siyenbgla, and they had seven days of hard fighting, but finding it not such an easy business to rush the town, as they had supposed, they retreated home to make full preparation for a regular siege at the ensuing year. The siege was accordingly laid in the following year. Esi§le held out for a long time, being heroically defended by its balogun Kurumi, and another notable war-chief Dad6 (of both of whom we shall hear more afterwards). When they could hold out no longer, the war-chiefs deserted the town, leaving mostly the women and children at the mercy of the conquerors. Ojo the Onikoyi was slain, and Siyenbgla having now no rival obtained the title of Oniko5a from the Emir of Ilgiin, and returned with those of his party who went with him to Ilgrin to re-occupy the town. Thus Ikoyi was re-peopled but no longer as a vassal state of Ovg but of Ilgrin. The city was rapidly refilled by those of Ojo's party that escaped the fall of Esiele and they now acknowledged Siyenbgla as their king. Esiele also was again re-peopled, as it was not actually destroyed by war but deserted under stress. The inhabitants were per- mitted to remain as they were because the siege was laid against the town on account of the late Onikoyi—no longer alive. Shortly after this there was a serious complication between Edun of Gbogun the Kakanfo and Dada the Bale of Ade)d which broke out into a war. Edun marched his army through Esiel§ to besiege Adeyi, but Fasgla the Bale of Esiele hearing that the Kakanfo's army was to pass through his town having hardly recovered from the effects of the late war, and dreading the devastation and pillaging of farms consequent on such a march, deserted the town. So Esiele was again desolate, the people finding refuge at Ogbomgsg and Ikoyi. The expedition, however, was unsuccessful. The Kakanfo's army suffering many reverses, it had to be given up. § 4. The Gbogun War and Fall of Edun the Kakanfo Gbogun was the last of the powerful towns in the country and as the aim of the Fulanis was the subversion of the whole country, a pretext for war was soon found in order to lay siege against her. Abudusalami the Emir of Ilorin threatened the Kakanfo with war if he refused to pay allegiance to him ; Edun accepted the challenge and began at once to make a vast preparation, offensive and defensive. Ikoyi being already a vassalage of Ilorin and a neighbouring town, Edun regarded her as an enemy and insisted that it should be deserted at once or he would take her by surprise. Siyenbola the Onikoyi sent ambassadors to Gbogun to arrange terms of peace but Edun refused to hear ot any such thing and threatened to destroy the town the next day, if not deserted at once as he would not afford the Ilorins a base of operation against him at such close quarters. There being no alternative, Ikoyi was a second time deserted and Siyenbola escaped to Ilorin. Gbogun was soon besieged by the Ilorins and desperate battles were fought, the defenders fighting heroically and could not be overwhelmed until at last the city was reduced by famine and thus Gbogun fell, the last of the powerful towns of Yoruba. Edun the greatest Yoruba general of the day escaped by way of Gbodo where he was overtaken, being hotly pursued by the Ilorin horse. He had with him a handful of veterans and such was the terror his very name inspired that the pursuers did not dare to offer him battle. The men of Gbodo were torn between two opinions whether they should afford protection to their fallen general or allow him to escape in peace. But the pursuers insisted on his destruction, saying'' If you allow him to escape, your lives will go for his life as you will show yourselves thereby to be an enemy to the Emir of Ilorin." This decided the men of Gbodo; in order to save themselves they took up arms against the fallen general and overwhelmed him and his faithful few, the brave man himself falling under a shower of darts fighting gallantly at the head of his little band. His head was taken off, raised upon a pole and carried in triumph to the camp and from thence to Ilorin ; OdQewu his eldest son and some of the distinguished war-chiefs who were taken being compelled to ride behind it in order to grace the triumph of the conquerors. On the 3rd day after their arrival at Ilorin Oduewu succeeded in purchasing the head of his father and had it decently buried to save himself from disgrace. After the fall of Gbogun, Siyenbola returned the second time to Ikoyi. Fasgla the Bale of Esiele, who had escaped with his family and a few followers to Ogbomgso, also returned to his town. On his way to E§i§le, he was the guest of Siy§nbola the Onikoyi 222 THE HISTORY OF THE YORUBAS for three days. He and his sons Sinolu and Abgsede and his eldest daughter Omotajo were feasted on the flesh of an elephant just killed and brought to the Onikoyi. This was regarded as an auspicious omen. § 5. The Pole War and the Death of the Abuousalami The Fulanis having subdued all the chiefs in Yoruba proper and reduced the large towns by conquest or annexation, his ambition led Abudusalami to turn his attention to the Ijesa tribes for conquest, and hence he sent an expedition to that province. The Fulanis depended more on their cavalry than on their infantry, the latter being armed with only a sword and a club. In a country with primitive forests like those in the Ijesa province horses were of no avail, and hence the Ijesas chased the enemy in their mountain tracks and cut in pieces the greater part of their horsemen. In pursuing their foot soldiers, they cry after them " Pole, Pole," which in their dialect means Down, Down. From this circumstance this expedition was termed the Pol^ war. After the return of this expedition Abudusalami fell sick and died. He was a successful king who raised the Fulani power to that pitch of glory which Ilorin has attained. The late Abudusalami and Shitta were the children of the slave wife of Alimi and being the two eldest they naturally took the lead. On their father's death Abudusalami divided his property into four equal parts, called all his brothers to take each one his portion beginning from the youngest. His half brothers took theirs and went away, but as Shitta was about to take his Abudusalami stopped him and sent him away with a walking stick. With the slaves and riches of himself and his brother, he kept up his royal estate and had sufficient means to carry on the war and to effect the conquest of Yoruba proper and hence at his death the throne and the property devolved upon Shitta, the half brothers having no longer any claim. Abudusalami hereby secured the throne of Ilorin to his own and his brother's descendants to the total exclusion of the half brothers and the succession to this day alternates between the family of the two. The children of the lawful wives (especially those of the Fulani lady) considered the throne theirs by right, but as they could not claim anything of the royal estates they were excluded from the throne as well. Abudusalami was succeeded by his brother Shitta. Olusi the Bale of Ogbomgso also died about this time.