Opin War: How Ilorin subjugated the Ekitis



The Opin war brought a vast stretch of Ekitiland up to Ikole under Ilorin`s rule. This war began as a simple search for a runaway slave called Esu, who escaped from Ilorin to Ekitiland, where he became a marauder against Ilorin traders passing through that territory. The episode began when Esu:

“left Ilorin and settled first at Egbe then at Itagi and finally at Isan, leading a predatory life in those regions, kidnapping peaceful traders, sparing none, and was particularly hard on the Ilorin traders. In that way, he became a person of some importance in those parts; hence the Ilorins were now resolved upon capturing him alive.”

The pursuit of Esu by Ilorin`s troops involved the ransacking of villages after villages in Ekitiland to fish him out. The search sometimes degenerated to outright plundering. As the troops trailed him from one town to another, plundering worsened. Plundering spread wider and wider caused unbearable hardship everywhere. The intensity and the extent of the plundering forced the victims to put up some resistance which initially resulted in skirmishes. Later it escalated to a full-scale war between Ilorin and the Ekitis. As the war progressed, Ekiti towns fell in rapid succession to the ever-conquering Ilorin cavalry and from that time, became part of the expanding Ilorin Emirate.

At one stage, Esu was trailed to Opin and a siege was mounted against the town by the Ilorin army. Unable to contain the siege or break it, Opin appealed to Ibadan for help and this was given. With this help, Opin held its ground gallantly against the Ilorin cavalry for three years before its defences crumbled and the town was taken by Ilorin. Esu, however, escaped and was pursued to Isan but as the town fell he escaped again to Ikole causing Ikole, too, to be besieged and taken by the Ilorin army.

After the capture of Ikole, the Ibadan contingent, which was assisting the Ekiti withdrew and returned to Ibadan. The Ilorin cavalry, too, could not advance further because of the tropical vegetation of Ekitiland. The capture of Ikole extended the suzerainty of Ilorin from the city wall in Ilorin through the whole of Igbominaland to Eruku on the verge of Yagba territory and from there through the whole Ekitiland now within Kwara state, across the border to Ikole, which is now in Ekiti state. This vast territory became a colony of Ilorin. It remained so from about 1860 till 1896 when the British colonial administration in Lagos intruded and drove Ilorin`s resident administrator, Ajeles, away from Ishan, Ikole and Aiyede.

leke12:
Opin War: How Ilorin subjugated the Ekitis



The Opin war brought a vast stretch of Ekitiland up to Ikole under Ilorin`s rule. This war began as a simple search for a runaway slave called Esu, who escaped from Ilorin to Ekitiland, where he became a marauder against Ilorin traders passing through that territory. The episode began when Esu:

“left Ilorin and settled first at Egbe then at Itagi and finally at Isan, leading a predatory life in those regions, kidnapping peaceful traders, sparing none, and was particularly hard on the Ilorin traders. In that way, he became a person of some importance in those parts; hence the Ilorins were now resolved upon capturing him alive.”

The pursuit of Esu by Ilorin`s troops involved the ransacking of villages after villages in Ekitiland to fish him out. The search sometimes degenerated to outright plundering. As the troops trailed him from one town to another, plundering worsened. Plundering spread wider and wider caused unbearable hardship everywhere. The intensity and the extent of the plundering forced the victims to put up some resistance which initially resulted in skirmishes. Later it escalated to a full-scale war between Ilorin and the Ekitis. As the war progressed, Ekiti towns fell in rapid succession to the ever-conquering Ilorin cavalry and from that time, became part of the expanding Ilorin Emirate.

At one stage, Esu was trailed to Opin and a siege was mounted against the town by the Ilorin army. Unable to contain the siege or break it, Opin appealed to Ibadan for help and this was given. With this help, Opin held its ground gallantly against the Ilorin cavalry for three years before its defences crumbled and the town was taken by Ilorin. Esu, however, escaped and was pursued to Isan but as the town fell he escaped again to Ikole causing Ikole, too, to be besieged and taken by the Ilorin army.

After the capture of Ikole, the Ibadan contingent, which was assisting the Ekiti withdrew and returned to Ibadan. The Ilorin cavalry, too, could not advance further because of the tropical vegetation of Ekitiland. The capture of Ikole extended the suzerainty of Ilorin from the city wall in Ilorin through the whole of Igbominaland to Eruku on the verge of Yagba territory and from there through the whole Ekitiland now within Kwara state, across the border to Ikole, which is now in Ekiti state. This vast territory became a colony of Ilorin. It remained so from about 1860 till 1896 when the British colonial administration in Lagos intruded and drove Ilorin`s resident administrator, Ajeles, away from Ishan, Ikole and Aiyede.

Ibadan successfully took all of Ekiti off Ilorin. It was the excesses of the Ibadan Ajeles resident in the Ekiti towns that led to the Ekiti Parapo war of independence in which General Ogedengbe led the Ekiti and Ijesha forces fighting for independence from Ibadan which the British finally settled in 1886 at Kiriji. The man you mentioned was an Ilorin ex Slave who fought against Ilorin as one of Basorun Oluyole of Ibadans Warlords. In 1896 the Yoruba Chiefs at Ilorin successfully had the Emir Momoh of Ilorin defeated and killed but the British reimposed another Emir in his place. In the 1930s again the Ilorin Yoruba successfully drove the Emir Abdulkadir from Ilorin and banished him from the town ,.He escaped to Kaduna and remained there until British intervention reinstated him again.

OP, hope you're not misleading the War name?

I've not heard of Opin war b4

Ok, am coming

Afonja/Yoruba muslim vs Yoruba Christians....


Bye

These are the ones I've heard and known

The Owu and Ife War: 1821-1828

The British-Ijebu war of 1892 (The battle of Imagbon)

The Egba- Dahomey War (1851-1864)

Ara Suicide – How The People Of Ara In Ekiti Committed Mass Suicide To Avoid Enslavement

Jalumi War of 1878 (Battle of Ikirun)

The Osogbo War of 1840

The Mugbamugba War – Second Attempt by Yorubas to Regain Control of Ilorin

The Ibadan-Ijaye War (1861-1862)

Sammy07:
OP, hope you're not misleading the War name?

I've not heard of Opin war b4

Do your research, Yoruba fought so many wars

Sammy07:
These are the ones I've heard and known

The Owu and Ife War: 1821-1828

The British-Ijebu war of 1892 (The battle of Imagbon)

The Egba- Dahomey War (1851-1864)

Ara Suicide – How The People Of Ara In Ekiti Committed Mass Suicide To Avoid Enslavement

Jalumi War of 1878 (Battle of Ikirun)

The Osogbo War of 1840

The Mugbamugba War – Second Attempt by Yorubas to Regain Control of Ilorin

The Ibadan-Ijaye War (1861-1862)

It's after the defeat of ilorins by Ibadan warriors at Oshogbo. It's part of the chain of occurrences that lead to the subjugation of ijeshas and Ekiti, before kiriji war

darfay:
Afonja/Yoruba muslim vs Yoruba Christians....


Bye

there is nothing like that, Yoruba is Yoruba.

Christistruth00:


Ibadan successfully took all of Ekiti off Ilorin. It was the excesses of the Ibadan Ajeles resident in the Ekiti towns that led to the Ekiti Parapo war of independence in which General Ogedengbe led the Ekiti and Ijesha forces fighting for independence from Ibadan which the British finally settled in 1886 at Kiriji. The man you mentioned was an Ilorin ex Slave who fought against Ilorin as one of Basorun Oluyole of Ibadans Warlords. In 1896 the Yoruba Chiefs at Ilorin successfully had the Emir Momoh of Ilorin defeated and killed but the British reimposed another Emir in his place. In the 1930s again the Ilorin Yoruba successfully drove the Emir Abdulkadir from Ilorin and banished him from the town ,.He escaped to Kaduna and remained there until British intervention reinstated him again.

During the time of Ali, the balogun of Ilorin, however the help of some Ibadan chiefs was sought after before the expedition against Esu in order to avoid another full scale war between ibadan

leke12:
there is nothing like that, Yoruba is Yoruba.

Ok

Yoruba Muslim vs Yoruba Christians

leke12:
During the time of Ali, the balogun of Ilorin, however the help of some Ibadan chiefs was sought after before the expedition against Esu in order to avoid another full scale war between ibadan

Balogen Ali lost his his life during the expedition . After defeat at Osogbo and the Jalumi War , Ibadan was too Powerful for Ilorin to confront, If not for disunity at that time among Yoruba they could have retaken Ilorin easily instead of marching on Ilorin, Ibadan was fighting the Ijebu, Ekiti, Ijesha, Egba, Ijaye with loads of Political intrigues among the Ibadan Chiefs themselves. Ilorin just used to ally itself with one Ibadan opponent or another hoping to weaken Ibadan but they got almost nothing out of it in the end. Basorun Ogunmola of Ibadan was fighting five Wars at the same time in which all Yorubaland was involved before the British settled everything at Kiriji in 1886.
I believe God allowed things to happen that way in order to keep following generations Yoruba humble when they remember that it was Pride and disunity that prevented their Fathers from retaking Ilorin. Mind you the Ilorin territory was originally taken from the Nupe by the Oyo during the War in which the then Alaafin retook Oyo from the Nupe around the 15th Century.

Christistruth00:

Balogen Ali lost his his life during the expedition . After defeat at Osogbo and the Jalumi War , Ibadan was too Powerful for Ilorin to confront, If not for disunity at that time among Yoruba they could have retaken Ilorin easily instead of marching on Ilorin, Ibadan was fighting the Ijebu, Ekiti, Ijesha, Egba, Ijaye with loads of Political intrigues among the Ibadan Chiefs themselves. Ilorin just used to ally itself with one Ibadan opponent or another hoping to weaken Ibadan but they got almost nothing out of it in the end. Basorun Ogunmola of Ibadan was fighting five Wars at the same time in which all Yorubaland was involved before the British settled everything at Kiriji in 1886.
I believe God allowed things to happen that way in order to keep following generations Yoruba humble when they remember that it was Pride and disunity that prevented their Fathers from retaking Ilorin. Mind you the Ilorin territory was originally taken from the Nupe by the Oyo around the 15th Century.

Esu was loyal to oluyole the Ibadan basorun, giving him spoils from his assaults on Ilorin traders, after the death of oluyole, Ilorin decided is time to nab Esu. Headed by Alimi, so they went to meet some Ibadan chiefs for a kind of permission to nab Esu in Ekiti territory. Ibadan chiefs even offered koloko a junior war chief to represent Ibadan

leke12:
Esu was loyal to oluyole the Ibadan basorun, giving him spoils from his assaults on Ilorin traders, after the death of oluyole, Ilorin decided is time to nab Esu. Headed by Alimi, so they went to meet some Ibadan chiefs for a kind of permission to nab Esu in Ekiti territory. Ibadan chiefs even offered koloko a junior war chief to represent Ibadan

Alimi and Balogun Ali were different people Alimi was Afonja's Fulani ally against Alaafin about forty year's earlier Balogun Ali was Ilorins fulani War General . The Ibadan chiefs were playing political power games among themselves which were not always in Ibadans interest.

Christistruth00:


Alimi and Balogun Ali were different people Alimi was Afonja's Fulani ally against Alaafin about forty year's earlier Balogun Ali was Ilorins fulani War General . The Ibadan chiefs were playing political power games among themselves which were not always in Ibadans interest.

thanks, was a mistake it's Ali