The Battle To Gain The Throne of Ilorin By The Fulani & Yoruba Tribes

 In the old Oyo Empire, the system of “Ifa” (oracle divination) played a significant role in the belief system of the Yoruba people. But what happens if the people ignore the prophecy of the Ifa in Yoruba land? The history of the Yoruba and the Fulani ethnic groups in Ilorin is an example of how two defied Ifa prophecies impacted the old Oyo empire in the 18th century. Today in Nigeria, the Yoruba and Fulani inhabitants of Ilorin, the present capital city of Kwara State, Nigeria, have for so long been competing and battling over who should produce the monarch for the town.

The Yoruba people in Ilorin claimed that the throne should always have a Yoruba king on the seat and backed this with historical references which point Yoruba ancestors as the founders of Ilorin. The Fulani section of Ilorin came up with a counterclaim that no Yoruba king has ever been enthroned from the onset, therefore the throne belongs to the Fulani ethnic group. The question is, what is the root of this confusion? Historically, Alaafin, the paramount ruler of the old oyo empire, had the authority to assign a leader to occupy any town or village under his territory. During the time of Alaafin Aole, who reigned between 1789 and 1796, he appointed Afonja, the sixth Are-Ona-Kakanfo of the Oyo army as the administrator of Ilorin. According to the Pastor Omotoni Akintoye, Ilorin was predominantly a Yoruba town which was originally used as a military camp by Alaafin of the Oyo empire in the precolonial era. Before Afonja was appointed as the administrator of Ilorin, he was assigned to carry out military functions for Alaafin Aole in the Oyo Empire. However,  before Afonja was sent to Ilorin by Alaafin, the Ifa or oracle divination told him not to send Afonja to Ilorin and that his reign at  Ilorin will be marked with tragedy and calamity in the land. But Alaafin defied the prophecy of the Ifa and sent Afonja to Ilorin because, at that point in time, Afonja was a warrior with a mystical power. Alaafin was impressed with his warrior-like characteristics and mystical power. When Afonja finally became the ruler of Ilorin, a Fulani man (warrior) from Sokoto, Ahehu Alimi was trading in the Ilorin market frequently. After a while, conflict broke out between Alaafin Aole and Are-Ona Afonja. Alaafin Aole had ordered Afonja to attack a town named Iwere-Ile which to Afonja was a suicidal mission and he adamantly refused. Iwere-Ile is the hometown of Aole’s paternal grandmother and a former Alaafin named Ajagbo had placed curses on any Kakanfo that attempted to attack Iwere-Ile. These were the reasons Afonja disobeyed Alaafin Aole’s orders. While still at disagreement, Alaafin Aole, also called Arogangan (roughly translated as the mean one), ordered Afonja to attack Apomu, a prominent town in Ile-Ife; this was in 1795. The disagreement heated up to the point that both sides resulted to trash things out with violence. During this period, Afonja and Alimi were friends, during the course of their relationship, the Ifa or oracle divination hinted Afonja to desisted from any form of  agreement with the Alimi. Saying that Alimi will eventually betray him. But Afonja’s plans, at that point in time, was to collaborate with Alimi to rebel against Alafin in order to gain freedom from his authority in the Oyo empire. Given that Ilorin was under the authority of  the Alaafin of Oyo, Afonja was looking for a way to become a paramount ruler of Ilorin, as an independent town. At this point, Afonja sought the support of  his bosom friend, Shehu Alimi,  who had both spiritual and military power. On his way from the Apomu expedition, Afonja stopped at Oyo-Ile to deal with Alaafin Aole. Afonja sent an empty calabash to Aole declaring his rejection. As a result, the Alaafin committed suicide and died. Before he took his life,  he placed a curse on the people for betraying him. After the passing of Alaafin Aole, Afonja and Alimi’s relationship became more cordial to the extent that Afonja enlisted Alimi’s men into his army. However, the Ifa prophecy must be fulfilled. Afonja did not understand that Alimi’s military group was strategizing on the conquest of Ilorin. Immediately after the death of Alimi, the son, Abdulsalam Alimi, took over the throne of Ilorin and organized a coup against Afonja. In 1824, Abdulsalam’s men shot and killed Afonja with arrows. After Afonja’s death, Abdulsalam, the son of Alimi declared himself the Emir of Ilorin and pledged allegiance to the Sokoto Caliphate. This ended the power of the Yoruba ethnic group in the throne of Ilorin. It is the reason the monarch of Ilorin  held the title of Emir till date instead of the Yorubas’ traditional system of  rulership. Afterward, the Yorubas attempted to regain control of Ilorin from the Fulanis but failed. Toyeje, the successor of Afonja, led the first and second attempts to subdue and deport the Fulani people out of Ilorin. The second attempt is known in history as the Mugbamugba war in which Yoruba people suffered untold defeat in their effort to regain the throne of Ilorin. All these happened as a result of defying the Ifa prophecies by Alaafin and Afonja  - Narrated by Pastor Omotoni Akentoye.