Ilorin Emirate | |
|---|---|
  Ilorin Emirate Location in Nigeria | |
| Coordinates: 8°30′N4°33′E / 8.500°N 4.550°E | |
| Country |  Nigeria |
| State | Kwara State |
| Government | |
| • Emir | Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari |
The Ilorin Emirate is a traditional state based in the city of Ilorin in Kwara State, Nigeria. It is largely populated by the Yoruba-speaking people, though the kingdom is a hybrid state due to the influence of the many other tribes that make up the city.
The first settlers in Ilorin were Barubas who lived there for many years and considered the area their own; they left with no known reason. Then came Ojo Isekuse, a Yoruba hermit, who lived by the sharpening stone where hunters gathered to sharpen their wares. Ilorin was named after the sharpening stone which still exists today. Ojo Isekuse allegedly left after committing incest with his daughter, and another family named Asaju settled near the sharpening stone. It was after the Asajus that numerous people settled in different independent hamlets around the area called Ilorin today.
At the start of the 19th century, Ilorin had substantial Fulani, Hausa and Yoruba populations. Afonja, an Oyo warlord, who fled to avoid a suicidal war commissioned by the then Alaafin of Oyo found his way to Ilorin. An Islamic scholar, Salih Janta, popularly called Shehu Alimi because of his Islamic knowledge, also found his way to Ilorin from Oyo because of persecution by the Ogboni cult. He moved to Ilorin from Oyo with some Yoruba Muslims.
In approximately 1810, Shehu Alimi and Afonja form alliance to repel the punitive forces of Oyo. Oyo intended to punish Afonja's rebellion and also get rid of the Islamic scholar who was gaining Yoruba converts. Shehu Alimi sought help from Sheik Usman Dan Fodio, who sent Jama'a force to Ilorin to aid his friend. In the initial conflict, Ilorin's forces successfully repelled the Oyo forces. However, the Alaafin decided to retaliate with a larger force aimed at suppressing Afonja's rebellion and eliminating Shehu Alimi. In a preemptive move, Ilorin's forces attacked and burned down Oyo-Ile, the capital of the old Oyo Empire. [1]
Ilorin continued to expand southward with a lot of resistance, in the 1830s Yorubas fought the emirate which was made up of the ranks of Fulanis, Yoruba Muslims, and Hausas in the Battle of Ogbomosho, which was a decisive Ilorin emirate victory. Ilorin's southward expansion was checked in the 1830s by the growing power of Ibadan, an Oyo successor state. The Ilorin cavalry were ineffective in the jungle to the south, and by the 1850s Ibadan had access to guns from European traders on the coast. [2] Ilorin, as a part of the Sokoto Caliphate, maintained ongoing interactions with other Yoruba states while being situated in the midst of northern and southern Nigeria. These interactions encompassed various aspects, including frequent conflicts as well as continuous exchanges in terms of commerce and culture.
After Shehu Alimi's demise, there was a tussle for the rulership of Ilorin, a young and burgeoning town. The alfas wanted to establish an Islamic Caliphate based on knowledge, while Afonja was planning on establishing his rule, but Abdulsalam, a son of Shehu Alimi, emerged with the help of the Jama'a, being the biggest military presence in Ilorin. Afonja was killed during the reign of Abdulsalam when a brawl broke out between the Yoruba forces and Jama'a caused by the masquerade of Afonja. Masquerades were banned in Ilorin because of that incident. Ilorin became an emirate of the Sokoto Caliphate under the authority of Gwandu. [2] [1] There were multiple unsuccessful attempts by Yoruba's, and Yoruba allies to regain, and or expel Fulani's from Ilorin, such as Battle of Pamo , [3] Battle of Ogbomosho, Battle of Ilorin , [3] Mugbamugba war. The strategic location of the emirate between the north and south bestowed upon Ilorin a unique significance, which persisted even after the Caliphate throughout the colonial and post-colonial eras. [1] Ilorin was brought under the northern Protectorate through diplomacy and applying minimal force considering the political situation of the state then.
For some time, Ilorin was a major center of the slave trade, described by Richard Henry Stone as the "largest slave market in that part of Africa". [4] Most Yorubas in Ilorin were still pagan, which lead to most being subjects to the Emir, who "had little social upheaval, who most secretly desired to free themselves, from their Fula masters". [5] In the past, slaves had mainly been sent north across the Sahara, but now they were being sent south via the Yoruba lands to the coast to supply demand from the US, the West Indies, and Brazil. Leading to the civil wars, left a lot of Yoruba subject to slavery. [6]
Rulers of the Ilorin Emirate: [7]
| Start | End | Ruler |
|---|---|---|
| 1824 | 1842 | Abdusalami dan Salih Alimi |
| 1842 | 1860 | Shita dan Salih Alimi |
| 1860 | 1868 | Zubayro dan Abdusalami |
| 1868 | 1891 | Shita Aliyu dan Shittu |
| 1891 | 1896 | Moma dan Zubayru |
| 1896 | 14 January 1914 | Sulaymanu dan Aliyu |
| 1915 | November 1919 | Shuaybu Bawa dan Zubayru |
| 17 February 1920 | June 1959 | Abdulkadir dan Shuaybu Bawa |
| 30 June 1959 | 1992 | Zulkarnayni Gambari dan Muhammadu Laofe Dan Bawa "Aiyelabowo V" |
| 1992 | August 1995 [8] | Mallam Aliyu dan Abdulkadir |
| 1995 | Till Date | Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari |
Due to Ilorin's unique history,it has a kingmaking tradition that is a blend of traditions taken from both sources. Whenever the throne of the emirate (which is vested in the Fulani descendants of Shehu Alimi) is vacant, the representative of each quarter in the Emirate namely; the Balogun Gambari (Hausa), the Balogun Ajikobi (Yoruba), the Balogun Fulani (Fulani) and the Balogun Alanamu (Yoruba) - along with the head of the Afonja chieftaincy family, the Mogaji Aare, and his sub-chief called the Baba Isale of Ilorin - come together to elect and install a new emir, subject to the approval of the governor of Kwara State. The longest reigning of the four Baloguns is then conferred with the Balogun Agba title, which makes him the second in command to the Emir of Ilorin. All of the Baloguns have districts which they administer on the emir's behalf.
There are also traditional chiefs that are each known as Daudu (or District Head). They serve as lieutenants representing the emir in towns across the Ilorin Emirate such as Afon, Bode Saadu, Ipaye and Malete, among others.
The Emirate has witnessed the conferment of honorary titles to outstanding sons of the Emirate by the current Emir. The following are titles that have been conferred; [9]
Shehu Usman ɗan Fodio was a Fulani scholar, Islamic religious teacher, revolutionary and a philosopher who founded the Sokoto Caliphate and ruled as its first caliph. After the successful revolution, the "Jama'a" gave him the title Amir al-Mu'minin. He rejected the throne and continued calling to Islam.
Ogbomosho is a city in Oyo State, south-western Nigeria. It was founded in the mid 17th century. The population was approximately 655,517 in 2024. It is the second largest city in Oyo State and also among the most populated in Nigeria. It is the 3rd most populated city in South Western Nigeria after Lagos and Ibadan. Although the principal inhabitants of the city are the Yoruba people, there are people from other parts of Nigeria and other West African countries who are residents in the city.
Ilorin is the capital city of Kwara State located in the Western region of Nigeria. As of the 2006 census, it had a population of 777,667, making it the 7th largest city by population in Nigeria. Surrounding the historic central district with its traditional single-story red-mud houses with thatched straw roofs and numerous mosques, all protected by a mud wall, the modern city is an industrial, commercial, and educational centre.
The Sokoto Caliphate, also known as the Sultanate of Sokoto, was a Sunni Muslim caliphate in West Africa. It was founded by Usman dan Fodio in 1804 during the Fulani jihads after defeating the Hausa Kingdoms in the Fulani War. The boundaries of the caliphate are part of present-day Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Nigeria. By 1837, the Sokoto state had a population of around 10-20 plus million people, becoming the most populous empire in West Africa. It was dissolved when the British, French and Germans conquered the area in 1903 and annexed it into the newly established Northern Nigeria Protectorate, Senegambia and Niger and Kamerun respectively.
Yorubaland is the homeland and cultural region of the Yoruba people in West Africa. It spans the modern-day countries of Nigeria, Togo and Benin, and covers a total land area of 142,114 km2 (54,871 sq mi). Of this land area, 106,016 km2 (74.6%) lies within Nigeria, 18.9% in Benin, and the remaining 6.5% is in Togo. Prior to European colonization, a portion of this area was known as Yoruba country. The geo-cultural space contains an estimated 55 million people, the majority of this population being ethnic Yoruba.
The Oyo Empire was a Yoruba empire in West Africa. It was located in present-day southern Benin and western Nigeria. The empire grew to become the largest Yoruba-speaking state through the organizational and administrative efforts of the Yoruba people, trade, as well as the military use of cavalry. The Oyo Empire was one of the most politically important states in Western Africa from the mid-17th to the late 18th century, and held sway not only over most of the other kingdoms in Yorubaland, but also over nearby African states, notably the Fon Kingdom of Dahomey in the modern Republic of Benin on its west.
Northern Nigeria was an autonomous division within Nigeria, distinctly different from the southern part of the country, with independent customs, foreign relations and security structures. In 1962, it acquired the territory of the British Northern Cameroons, which voted to become a province within Northern Nigeria.
Ifelodun is a local government area in Kwara State, Nigeria. Its headquarters is in the town of Share.
Kisi is a large town in Oyo State, Nigeria. It is the headquarters of the Irepo Local Government Area. Kishi, is located at the northern part of Oyo State. Kisi is very close to old Katunga which collapsed in the 18th century as a result of Jihad activity by the Hausa/Fulani of Ilorin, Kwara State. Kisi is reputed as a town whose people were never conquered or defeated in battles, hence many people from old Oyo migrated and settled in Kishi during and after the Fulani Jihadist invasion. Kisi is about 240 km from Ibadan, the capital city of Oyo state, and about 200 km and 110 km from Oyo Alaafin and Ilorin respectively.
The Lapai Emirate, today in Nigeria, is a traditional state that lies near the Gurara River, a tributary to the Niger River, formerly originally inhabited where Gbari People, and presently came under the power of Nupe people, covering roughly the same area as the modern Lapai local government area.
Nigerian traditional rulers often derive their titles from the rulers of independent states or communities that existed before the formation of modern Nigeria. Although they do not have formal political power, in many cases they continue to command respect from their people and have considerable influence in their community.
For the Arab Hutaymi tribe, see Sulluba
Afonja of Ilorin was the "Are-Ona-Kakanfo", or chief military leader, of the Oyo Empire. Laderin, the great-grandfather of Afonja, was the founder of Ilorin city. He was succeeded by his son, Pasin, a powerful warrior who became a threat and target to, Basorun Gaha, because of his rising profile. He was driven into exile and killed. Alagbin, his son was made King. After the death of Alagbin, his son, Afonja, took over. These were the only four Yoruba kings in Ilorin.
Abdul Rasheed Na'Allah is a Nigerian academic, he was vice chancellor of Kwara State University in Nigeria for 10 years, from 2009 to 2019 when he was appointed Vice chancellor of University of Abuja. He was appointed vice chancellor on 1 July 2019.
Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari ascended the throne as the 11th Emir of Ilorin and Chairman Kwara State Traditional Rulers Council since 1995 following the demise of his uncle, Mallam Aliyu AbdulKadir.He voluntarily relinquished his position as the Presiding Justice of Court of Appeal, Lagos Division without any blemish to become the Custodian of the highly revered Shehu Alimi dynasty. He is one of the 10 prominent traditional rulers in northern Nigeria.
The Yoruba Revolutionary Wars, otherwise known as the Yoruba Civil Wars, were a series of conflicts that engulfed the Yoruba-speaking areas of West Africa in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Robin Law summarizes the causes of the wars as the disintegration of the old Oyo Empire after the death of Alaafin Abiodun in 1789 and a resurgence of long-standing quarrels between the provincial chiefs over various issues. The root of the first disagreements can be traced to the feud between two noble houses; Laderin, based in Ilorin, and Yamba, based in the capital at Oyo-Ile. The conflict was also exacerbated by a Muslim slave rebellion led by a Fulani Muslim cleric, Shehu Alimi, and sponsored by the Aare Ona Kakanfo, Afonja, a descendant of Laderin, the founder of Ilorin, in 1817.
Alaafin Atiba Atobatele was a king of the Oyo Empire. He was the son of King Abiodun of Oyo, and Eni-olufan from Akeitan.
Orile Ijaye is a small town located in Akinyele local government, Oyo state, Nigeria. It is about 18 miles from Ibadan, Oyo state capital. This town was re-inhabited in 1895, thirty-two years after it was destroyed due to an intra-ethnic and supremacy war with Ibadan; another military power at that time. In 1895, they named it Orile Ijaye from the original name, Ijaye.
The Battle of Ogbomosho 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.
Alimi, the Fulani Muslim Imam who led the foreigners in Ilorin, passed away after the last war. His son Abudusalami succeeded him, becoming the first King or Emir of Ilorin. This marked the definitive rule of the Fulanis in Ilorin, providing a home for the Gambaris (Hausas) recruited from the Jamas.
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