On January 3, 2024, Oluomo Kolapo Alimi, the Honorable Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, gave a Press Release announcing the decisions of the Executive Governor of Osun State, his Excellency, Senator Ademola Nurudeen Jackson Adeleke, and members of his cabinet at an executive council meeting which was reportedly held on January 2nd, 2024.
In that Press Release, among other resolutions, Hon. Alimi announced that an Inquiry was ordered into the kingship of Koka community. In the Press Release, Hon. Alimi reported that “The Council however stepped down consideration of the Koka kingship stool, directing investigation and correction of the alleged abnormality and irregularity in the selection process.”
Our investigation revealed that the Alase of Ilase and Senator
Fadahunsi had been allegedly attempting to install an Ilase man as the next Onikoka of Koka, a community that belongs to the ancient city of Osogbo. It was further revealed that a candidate from Ilase was reportedly presented for the government’s assent at the January 2nd, 2024 executive council meeting but the Executive Governor of Osun, Senator Adeleke graciously declined this overture of the Ilase people plausibly because of the preceding efforts people of Osogbo under the able leadership of HRM Oba Jimoh Oyetunji Olanipekun Larooye II, the Ataoja of Osogbo who is the rightful Prescribed Authority over the Chieftaincy Titles of this community that lies within the ancient territories of Osogboland.
The community that is now referred to as Koka used to be called Ogbonse during the time of Ataoja Fabode and his predecessors having derived the name, Ogbonse, from a stream that runs through the land before it joins Osun River. The landmarks span from Omu Stream or River very close to the fence of the Osun State University campus on the western part and Oyile River draining into Osun River on the Eastern part. In The History of Yorubas written by Samuel Johnson and published in 1921, Yowa Stream was documented as the boundary between Osogbo and Ilase as reported by warriors who waged war in that area around 1845. This Yawo Stream is just about a stone’s throw from the current center of Ilase settlement or town.
It was noted that historically, the people of Ilase, except for descendants of Ajayi, a son of Sakarisa, the first Loja of Ilase who also happened to be a great-grandson of Ataoja Fabode, were not supposed to cross the Oyile River or go from Ilase beyond what was popularly referred to as “Oke Oyile” according to a 1936 court judgment documents made available to our team.
Based on the information in the aforementioned 1936 court documents, copies of which are in our possession, Loja Sakarisa became the first Loja of Ilase around 1890s. This was over 200 years after Ataoja Larooye I became the first Ataoja of Osogbo in 1670 after serving for years as the Owa of Ipole Omu. Please note that Sakarisa was just a Baale (Loja) as recent as 1890s while Ataoja Larooye was a beaded crown king as way back as 1670.
According to the aforementioned 1921 book by Samuel Johnson titled The History of Yorubas, the “Yoruba Country” or Kingdom comprised the Egbados (Otta, Lagos, Ketu, etc); the Ijebus; the Egbas; the Ife; Ijesha; Ijamo; Efon; Ondo; Idoko; Igbomina and Ado (near the bank of Nigeria) with the headquarters in Oyo.
Historical facts have established that the original Ijesha people were the founders of Ibokun, Osogbo and Ilesha who were family members. As noted above, the first king of Osogbo was the Owaroki of Ipole Omu before he became the first Ataoja of Osogbo. His ancestors were Owas for many decades. It is only the Ijesha people that traditionally call their kings Owas. Owa Larooye, who later became Ataoja Larooye, enjoyed cordial relationships with his brethren who were the kings of Ibokun and Ilesha, the other flagbearers of Ijesha kingdom. History had it that Ilase was a settlement that was carved out of Ibokunland to accommodate victims of intertribal wars that ravaged the Yoruba country or kingdom between 17th to 19th centuries.
Osogbo played critical roles in the 1840s’ liberation of Yoruba Kingdom from the incursions of the Fulanis or “Ilorins” as well known by history scholars and as also documented in the first paragraph of page 308 of the book of Samuel Johnson – the History of Yorubas published 1921.
Ataoja Lahanmi (reigning between 1815 to 1840) was the one in power during the failed incursion of Fulanis into Osogbo and it was through his collaboration with the warriors from Oyo and Ibadan that the Fulani’s warriors were defeated and stopped from advancing further into Yoruba kingdom. After the demise of Ataoja Lahanmi, Ataoja Ojo Adio Okege (1840 to 1854) took over the reign of leadership. It was during his time that Ilase people attempted to trespass on the farmlands of Osogbo around Ogbonse area, including the present days Koka. Prince Ogunnaike Durosimi Fabode was among the owners of these farmlands of Osogbo.
In the 1921 book of Samuel Johnson, page 310, Dr. Johnson wrote that Ilase people reinforced and perpetrated incursions into Osogbo farmlands. Because Osogbo was under the protection of Ibadan at this time which was around 1845, the Baale of Ibadan sent his Balogun (the leading war general) and his team on an expedition to purge the invading Ilase people from the land of Osogbo. Page 310 of The History of Yorubas by Samuel Johnson – published 1921.
In the aforementioned book, Dr. Johnson wrote “On reaching Osogbo, the Ibadan army marched direct to the Ilase farms, clearing the bush, making paths and encamped by the Yawo stream.” Page 310 of The History of Yorubas by Samuel Johnson – published 1921.
Please note that the Yawo stream in that book that was published in 1921 has been identified to be close to the center of the present-day Ilase. That stream formed the boundary between Osogbo and Ilase settlement in those days and the present days.
Dr. Samuel Johnson further wrote in that book that the warriors from Osogbo took over Ilase after forcing Ilase people out of the Osogbo land with Yawo stream serving as the boundary between the land of Osogbo and the land of Ilase as documented on page 310 of that book which stated that “Ogunmola who was distinguished for his tact and diplomacy therefore sent to the Balogun that he should give orders for battle as if the Ijesas (Ilase people) were coming upon them. This was done. They marched out in order of battle, crossed Yawo stream and opened fire upon an imaginary foe.” The emphasis here is on the act of crossing Yawo stream before meeting or attacking the Ilase army – imaginary or real. This suggests that the boundary between Osogbo and Ilase as identified then was this Yawo stream, which had to be crossed before reaching the Ilase army.
On page 311 of the book, Samuel Johnson wrote “For a whole year Ilase withstood the attacks of the Ibadans. ……. The Ibadans were now able to concentrate all their forces on Ilase. When Ilase could no longer hold out, their Ilesa auxiliaries withdrew and the town was taken. The Ibadans now left the camp at Yawo and pitched in a plain having the ruins of Ilase ….. on one side, and on the other Esa Egure and Esa Olusopo…” Page 311 of The History of Yorubas by Samuel Johnson – published 1921.
This documentation from over 100 years ago confirmed that the Ilase people’s incursions on the farms of Osogbo beyond their boundary, which was Yawo stream, were successfully repelled by Osogbo warriors from Ibadan and that Ilase settlement was subsequently abandoned by the fleeing Ilase people and was taken over by these warriors. Prince Ogunnaike Durosimi Fabode was among the brave warriors who defeated the Ilase invaders in those days.
After the successful expedition of these warriors who defended Osogbo’s land, the good people of Osogbo returned to their farms boundaried from Ilase by Yawo stream. Prince Ogunnaike Durosimi Fabode was among the indigenes of Osogbo who continued farming on this land of Osogbo after the Ilase people had been successfully repelled from these farms.
Prince Ogunnaike Durosimi Fabode was later crowned as the next Ataoja of Osogbo in 1864 after the death of his predecessor, Ataoja Oladejobi Oladele Mantanmi I who died in 1864.
Ataoja Ogunnaike Durosimi Fabode reigned from 1864 to 1891, the era that witnessed the transition from wars to peace across Nigeria with the intervention of the British which resulted in a peace accord around 1893. During his era, Ataoja Fabode and other citizens of Osogbo continued maintaining possession of this land of Osogbo extending to Yawo stream.
Following the repulsion of the Fulanis from Yoruba kingdom in Osogbo, Osogbo became the center of activities and was pivotal to political and administrative matters in Yoruba land.
Ilase people were reportedly victims of the intertribal wars that ravaged Nigeria in the 19th century. It was reported that these victims of war, who were spared from being killed, were later settled by the true Ijesha people at the present-day location of Ilase.
At the time the warriors from Osogbo repelled the incursions from Ilase people, that settlement was still under the control of Ibokun and did not have its own traditional ruler. Meanwhile, Osogbo had been having crowned kings as its Ataojas since 1670 when Owa Larooye, the then Owaroki of Ipole Omu, became the first Ataoja of Osogbo.
As aforementioned, the Ilase people deserted Ilase and ran away after being bombarded by the warriors who defended Osogbo farms against their incursions. These warriors later relocated their base from the occupied Ilase to Ijebu Ere (the present day Ere, Osun State) – Page 311 of The History of Yorubas by Samuel Johnson – published 1921. With this development, the fleeing people of Ilase started returning to their settlement, the present-day Ilase, but never attempted to trespass onto the land of Osogbo again until recent developments spanning to the prevailing challenges.
It is unbelievable that war settlers could be claiming ownership of land from their benefactors, the original good people of Ijesha including the peace-loving people of Osogbo. It was Owa Obokun who appointed Sakarisa to be the first Loja (Baale) of Ilase around the time the British brokered peace among the warring communities across Nigeria. This period was when Ataoja Fabode reigned as the Ataoja of Osogbo and one of his granddaughters named Humani married Sakarisa who later had Ajayi for Sakarisa as a son.
According to the pieces of evidence and testimonies in the court documents of 1936 made available to the GraftWatch, the then leaders of Ilase including the then Loja and chiefs of Ilase, testified under oaths that it was only Ajayi and his descendants that had any ownership rights over the land across Oyile River from Ilase. This lawsuit was between Agbaje and Ajayi’s son (the first Coker or Koka) – both were descendants of Sakarisa but were of different maternal roots. It is concerning now that about 90 years later, the descendants of these leaders of Ilase are now laying fallacious claims to the land that their parents and grandparents testified under oaths that the land did not belong to anyone in Ilase other than descendants of Ajayi. When they were asked how Ajayi secured ownership rights to this land across Oyile River, none of these leaders of Ilase could answer that question in 1936. It was obvious that they knew that Ajayi did not wage any war to win this land nor did he purchase the land. Some of them must have known that Ajayi inherited part of this land from his mother, a granddaughter of an Ataoja of Osogbo but none of them was courageous enough to disclose this historical fact.
In those 1936 court documents, the leaders of Ilase testified that after the war, the people of Ilase were asked to return to their farmlands but only Ajayi returned to farmlands across Oyile. This testimony of the leaders of Ilase in 1036 corroborated the evidence in the book of Samuel Johnson that the people of Ilase fled Ilase as documented in that book that was published 1921. Osogbo people never fled their land. Our ancestors defended their land.
The first Onikoka, Oba Aderemi Ademola Fadare Koaka, a grandson of Ajayi, was installed as Baale of this community by the immediate past Ataoja of Osogbo, HRM Oba Iyiola Oyewale Matannmi III, the then Ataoja of Osogbo with Loja Ezekiel A. F. Anibijuwon, the then Loja of Ilase, vehemently opposing this decision. It was gathered that the then Prince Ademola Fadare contested for the post of Loja against Anibijuwon, the immediate predecessor of this current Alase of Ilase but lost this contest. After being defeated, Prince Fadare’s life was reportedly threatened and he sought refuge in the palace of the then Ataoja of Osogbo, HRM Oba Oyewale. Years later, as a descendant of an Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Oyewale subsequently installed Prince Ademola Fadare as the Baale of that community despite opposition from Loja Anibijuwon.
Between 2011 and 2014, Prince Ademola Fadare processed the elevation of his Chieftaincy from Baale to a part II king under the Chieftaincy laws of Osun State under the administration of former Governor Aregbesola. Oba Ademola Fadare died in 2016 as a beaded crown part II king while Loja Anibijuwon was still a non-beaded crown traditional chief at the time of his death in 2013. Oba Isiaka Adeshina Ajarabiolu II succeeded Loja Anibijuwon in 2015 as a non-beaded crown part II Oba. A document made available to GraftWatch confirmed that the current Alase of Ilase, Oba Isiaka Ajarabiolu II, vehemently opposed having a king installed in that community in 2016 but his efforts were to no avail.
In 2016 and 2017, the same Alase of Ilase fallaciously claimed that he was the Prescribed Authority over the throne of Onikoka of Koka.
In Yoruba chieftaincy tradition, Loja is an Ijesha title which is equivalent to the Baale title in Oyo kingdom. Both titles are given to Princes, warriors, or distinguished people appointed by beaded crown kings to serve as their representatives in conquered communities or over conquered people or war settlements. On the contrary, kings in Yoruba land bear the title of Oba as in Oyo kingdom, or Owa as in Ijesha kingdom. While Osogbo’s first king, the then Owa of Ipole Omu who later became the first Ataoja of Osogbo started wearing a beaded crown before 1607, the traditional leader of Ilase remained a Loja, an equivalent of Baale until 2015 and was still a non-beaded-crown-traditional leader as recent as 2017 when Mr. ‘Bisi Adegoke, the then Council Manager of Obokun Local Government described the Alase of Ilase as a non-beaded crown Oba in paragraph xiii of his letter reference number OBLG.C/1241/75 dated June 7, 2016 and addressed to the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy matters. In that paragraph, Mr. Adegoke described it as an absurdity that Alase, a non-beaded-crown part II Oba, could be laying claim of authority over Onikoka stool, a beaded-crown part II kingship.
In conclusion, the public needs to be educated about the history of Ogbonse and Koka community and how this community has always been part of the ancestral land of Osogbo, one of the original Ijesha people. The Ilase people are settlers who are making efforts to claim what does not belong to them. The administration of Governor Ademola Adeleke is appreciated for allowing justice to prevail.
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