Battle of Ogele

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Battle of Ogele
Part of the Yoruba Wars
Date1825
Location
Ogele
Result Decisive Fula victory
Belligerents
Ilorin Emirate, supported by the Sokoto Caliphate Oyo Empire, allied with the Nupe
Commanders and leaders
Shehu Alimi
Solagberu 		Baale Toyeje of Ogbomosho

The Battle of Ogele was a battle between the Ilorin Emirate of the Sokoto Caliphate and the Yoruba Oyo Empire in modern day Ogele. This battle was narrated and written down by the accredited Yoruba historian, Samuel Johnson in the book The History of the Yorubas. [1]

Contents

Background

Following the death of the Kakanfo Afonja, the Yorubas united to expel the Fulas from Ilorin. Afonja had been unable to control the Jamaa, and they revolted in early 1824. A massive mob besieged Afonja's compound, and although he fought valiantly, he was eventually killed by arrows and spears. Shehu Alimi then took over as head of Ilorin. [2] The Alaafin of the Oyo Empire, Majotu, made a coalition with the Nupe to expel the Muslims from Ilorin. [3]

Battle

Toyeje, the Baale of Ogbomoso, became Kankanfo and led the coalition to drive out the foreigners. [2] They encamped at a place called Ogele, where they were met by the Fula forces aided by the Yoruba Muslim chief Solagberu of Oke Suna. [4] A battle was fought in which the Fulas were victorious due to their larger cavalry force. [2] They routed Toyeje's forces and followed up their victory, sacking many towns as they pursued the survivors. [2]

Aftermath

The only important towns left in that part were Ofa, Igbomina, Ilemona, Erin and a few others. Refugees fled to walled towns, where they found temporary refuge. Many aged people who could not flee were left behind, and the distress caused by the calamity was severe. [4] Thousands of refugees were forced to move south. [5] The defeat seriously weakened Oyo's prestige, and pushed many provincial governors to start looking more to their personal interests than the interests of the empire as a whole. [3]

References

  1. ↑ Johnson, Samuel (2010). Johnson, Obadiah (ed.). The History of the Yorubas. doi:10.1017/CBO9780511702617. ISBN   978-0-511-70261-7.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Akintoye 2014, p. 289.
  3. 1 2 Ogundiran, Akinwumi (2020). The Yoruba: A New History. Indiana University Press. p. 380. ISBN   9780253051509.
  4. 1 2 Johnson, Samuel (2010). Johnson, Obadiah (ed.). The History of the Yorubas: From the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the British Protectorate. Cambridge Library Collection - African Studies. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 201. ISBN   978-1-108-02099-2.
  5. ↑ Akintoye 2014, p. 290.

Sources

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