The Birth of Èkìtì Parapò̩
The coming together of the people of Eastern Yorubaland, (Ekiti, Ijesha, Igbomina countries) in 1878 owed its origin to many factors.
The #photo is split into 2, Sé̩ríkí of Ìjèṣà, Ògèdèngbé is 2nd from left, others unidentified.
Undated
The coming together of the people of Eastern Yorubaland, (Ekiti, Ijesha, Igbomina countries) in 1878 owed its origin to many factors.
The #photo is split into 2, Sé̩ríkí of Ìjèṣà, Ògèdèngbé is 2nd from left, others unidentified.
Undated
Ajele’s system with its adverse consequence on the social, economic and political life of the people was unbearable. At the time, Ekiti, Ijesha & Igbomina traders were often taxed illegally & harassed (especially their women) by Ibadan’s Ajeles.
As early as 1852 returned émigrés from Sierra Leone & the Americas who were of Ekiti & Ijesa origin formed formed a union with others in the interior called the Ekiti Parapo.
This association which began as a Christian prayer group holding weekly meetings & sending goods to the interior to be sold, they were an importation cartel.
Ibadan’s illegal taxation of their business & horrible treatment of their people in the interior shifted the group’s focus to politics first & later, war.
By 1875, the leader of this association in appealed to the British in Lagos for military training & equipment for use in the event of conflict with Ibadan.
The association greatly influenced the development on affairs in Ado & Ilesha. It was not long before Ibadan discovered the intrigues of the association & started to undermine their efforts in the interior by blocking various roads leading to both cities.
However, a solution was found in the newly established Ondo road, carved by the British. The much expected revolt was to come in 1877. The immediate cause of the war will continue to generate arguments.
There are many versions. Distorted fabricated & collaborated, however there seems to be an agreement on certain aspect of the stories.
Fabunmi, an Ekiti noble & influencial merchant apparently had a wife who traded at Ikirun, where the military post overseeing the Ekiti-Akoka area was.
In 1877, she was sexually harassed by an Ibadan Ajele at Imesi-Igboodo, named Oyepetun, when she resisted, he physically assaulted her, breaking all her water pots.
Fabunmi had Oyepetun brutally murdered days later, this caused a popular revolt within Ekiti, Ibadan’s Ajeles in the region were targeted & executed by members of the Ekiti Parapo.
The Aare of Ibadan, Latoosa, underestimated the seriousness of the situation & only initially asked the ruler of Imesi to arrest & punish Fabunmi whose status as a noble made it impossible.
Latoosa was also unable to raise an army immediately due to the ongoing conflict with the Egbas & Ijebus in the South, see previous thread.
This gave Fabunmi time to raise an army stationed at Imesi Igbodo, they included Ekitis, Ijeshas & Igbominas. They were funded by the Ekiti Parapo based in Lagos.
Ogedengbe & another general, Aduloju, who was involved in the Alawun Grove encounter where Ajayi Ogboriefon was defeated, did not initially join the Ekiti Parapo.
Ogedengbe & Aduloju were initially courted by Latoosa, through bribes & an invitation (for Aduloju) to join the Ogboni. Both accepted this bribe.
When they were approached by Fabunmi for help, Aduloju hammered on the futility of the war. Ogendegbe offered him command of the allied forces, he still refused citing their oath with the Ogboni.
However, his most powerful retainer, Falowo, deserted him & helped reinforce the army at Imesi. The Kiriji campaign was funded by Ekiti Saro merchants of the Ekiti Parapo in Lagos.
Source: Ado & Ekiti Parapo Wars, written by Stephen Olayiwola Soetan, 2018.
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