The Ekiti Parapo (Kiriji) War, a significant conflict in Yoruba history, officially began on July 30, 1877, and became the longest intra-tribal war in Yorubaland. This account draws heavily on a paper presented by Chief Ogunniyi Morakinyo Kayegbo, the Amuludun of Okemesi, at the 2006 Ekiti Parapo Festival in Okemesi Ekiti.
Prior to the 1870s, the Ekiti people, residing in the hilly region known as “Ori Okiti,” did not consider themselves a unified entity. However, the shared experience of war would forge a sense of common identity.
The catalyst for the Ekiti Parapo War was the oppressive behavior of the Ajeles (tribute collectors) of Aare Onakakanfo Obadoke Latoosa, the Baale of Ibadan, particularly in Okemesi. In 1877, the Ajeles attempted to enter the sacred Ehinle shrine, an act forbidden to outsiders. Fabunmi of Okemesi and his group, the Ipayes, challenged this transgression. In the ensuing confrontation, the leader of the Ajeles was killed, sparking the war.
Aare Latoosa demanded Fabunmi’s head and 50 men from Oba Aponlese of Okemesi, threatening to destroy the town if his demands were not met. Fabunmi defied this threat. Oba Aponlese, seeking a solution, consulted with his brother monarch, the Oore Okinbaloye of Otun-Ekiti. The Oore, a renowned warrior who had previously repelled Fulani jihadists, convened a meeting of Ekiti Pelupelu Obas (premier monarchs) to strategize against Ibadan’s growing influence.
The Ajero of Ijero, Oba Olamiloye Oyiyosoye, proposed that Fabunmi be appointed Balogun to lead the Ekiti forces. This motion was supported by the other Obas, who pledged warriors from their respective kingdoms. The Ekiti forces gathered at Ita-Ode (now Ita-Balogun) in Okemesi, which became their war camp and is now the site of the Ekiti Parapo Museum of War History. While Ado-Ekiti and Ikere-Ekiti did not officially participate in the initial meetings and war preparations, it’s believed that Aduloju of Ado-Ekiti later joined Ogedengbe Agbogungboro at the war front.
“Ekiti Parapo” signifies Ekiti Solidarity, a coalition of Ekiti kingdoms and other Yoruba groups (Ijesha, Igbomina, Akoko, etc.) united to liberate themselves from Ibadan’s dominance under Aare Latoosa. This conflict pitted the Ekiti-Ijesha alliance against Ibadan’s imperialistic ambitions. While some accounts place the war’s beginning in 1870, the major hostilities erupted in 1877 during the Ehinle festival.
Ibadan fought to establish supremacy in Yorubaland, particularly in Ekiti, while the Ekiti, under Fabunmi, fought for liberation and independence. These conflicting aims fueled the war’s intensity. The war ultimately resulted in a stalemate, with neither side achieving a clear victory. However, the Ekiti successfully secured their independence. The war also had the unintended consequence of opening Ekitiland to Western education through missionaries from Egbaland, exemplified by ex-slave Isaac Babamuboni of Iyin Ekiti.
The remote cause of the war was the decline of the Oyo Empire. The war itself unfolded in three phases: Fejeboju, Jalumi, and Kiriji.
* Fejeboju (“washing the face with blood”) was marked by intense fighting within a river.
* Jalumi (“fall into the water”) involved a disastrous ambush by Ibadan forces at a wooden bridge on the River Otin. Many Ekiti warriors drowned, but Fabunmi, a strong swimmer, survived. Following this setback, Ogedengbe was invited to join the Ekiti forces. Ogedengbe initially declined due to prior conflicts with Ibadan but was persuaded by a symbolic message (“Aroko”) from Fabunmi.
* Kiriji was the final phase. Ogedengbe joined the Ekiti forces at the battleground between Imesi-Ile and Igbajo, where he met up with the Oore of Otun, the Ajero of Ijero, and Faboro of Ido. Fabunmi ceded command to Ogedengbe. Aare Latoosa, upon learning of the growing coalition against him, personally went to the war front but died of illness at the war camp. This boosted the Ekiti morale. The Ekiti Parapo Association in Lagos raised funds to procure weapons, including cannons manufactured by Labinjo of Imesi-Ile. The sound of these cannons (“Ki-ri-ji-i”) terrified the Ibadan forces, who believed Europeans were aiding the Ekiti.
Alaafin Adeyemi I, concerned about the war’s devastating impact on Yorubaland, appealed to the British colonial government in Lagos to intervene. The Europeans brokered a peace treaty, signed in 1886 at the Kiriji battlefield between Imesi-Ile and Igbajo.
Numerous Ekiti Parapo heroes emerged, including Fabunmi, Ogedengbe, the Oore of Otun, and many others. The peace treaty involved representatives from Oyo, Ibadan, Ilesa, Otun, Ijero, Ido, Ife, Modakeke, and Ijebu. The treaty was facilitated by Alaafin Adeyemi I, Revd. Wood, Olubi, and Sir Alfred Cornelius Moloney.
After the war, Ogedengbe died in 1910 and was honored with a monument in Ilesa. Fabunmi returned to Okemesi but, due to a disagreement regarding the kingship, relocated to Mota Agoro. He later became the Oba of Imesi-Ile (1901-1902), where he married many wives from different towns seeking his protection. His descendants include two Obas of Imesi-Ile.
Itiola Ibuolasi Odeyale, from Okemesi, was Chief Kayegbo’s great-grandfather and a key supporter of Fabunmi. Notable Ibadan warriors who fought against the Ekiti Parapo forces included Balogun Ajayi Ogboriefon and Ilori.
The Ekiti Parapo War was the longest intra-tribal war in Yorubaland before the establishment of Pax Britannica, which ended internecine conflicts and fostered greater unity in the region.
