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Confederacy · 1878–1893

Ekitiparapo

Ekiti Parapo and Kiriji alliance

The Ekitiparapo (“Ekiti united”) was the alliance of the Ekiti, Ijesa, Akoko, Igbomina and Yagba kingdoms, formed in 1878 to throw off Ibadan's ajele.

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At a glance

When did the Ekitiparapo exist?
From 1878 to 1893. It was at its height around 1880.
What was the ruler of the Ekitiparapo called?
A council of kings and war leaders (no single ruler).
What happened to the Ekitiparapo?
The alliance ended with British rule.
Who lives in the lands of the Ekitiparapo today?
Yoruba

Overview

The Ekitiparapo (“Ekiti united”) was the alliance of the Ekiti, Ijesa, Akoko, Igbomina and Yagba kingdoms, formed in 1878 to throw off Ibadan's ajele. Its army, armed with breech-loading rifles bought through Lagos and led by the Ijesa warrior Ogedengbe, held Ibadan to a standstill at Kiriji for eight years, until a British-brokered treaty in 1886. Where Ibadan wanted one Yoruba state, the confederacy stood for a league of free kingdoms, and it preserved them to this day.[3],[4]High confidence

Through the centuries

  1. 1878

    The alliance forms

    Insulted by an Ibadan ajele, Prince Fabunmi of Okemesi kills him and calls the east to rise. The Ekiti, Ijesa, Akoko, Igbomina and Yagba form the Ekitiparapo; with Ilorin and Ila they besiege Ikirun, but Ibadan breaks the siege at Jalumi in November 1878.[2],[1],[3]High confidence

  2. 1878–1886

    The Kiriji war

    Ogedengbe of Ilesa, twice captured by Ibadan and twice escaped, gives up a journey to Benin to command; Fabunmi stands aside for him. He had attacked Idoani in 1878. The two armies dig in facing each other at Kiriji, near Imesi-Ile, where the crack of the Ekitiparapo's breech-loaders gives the war its name.[2],[4],[3]High confidence

  3. 1886

    Peace treaty

    On 23 September 1886 the British broker peace and both camps are to break up. Ogedengbe withdraws to Imesi; when his men raid farms in 1894 Captain Bower arrests him, and the Owa of Ilesa pays £6,000 for his release. In 1898 he becomes the Obanla of Ilesa, refusing the crown itself.[2],[4]High confidence

Wars, treaties and turning points

Today

The alliance ended with British rule. Its member kingdoms continue under their own Obas, such as the Owa Obokun of Ijeshaland and the Ewi of Ado-Ekiti; the Kiriji war is still commemorated.[2]Medium confidence

Its people

Yoruba

Living in its lands today

Peoples whose homelands lie inside its lands at its height, by number of LGAs.

Yoruba

Sources

Every claim carries a confidence level: high (well attested), medium (one source or approximate) or disputed (sources disagree).

  1. Wikipedia contributors. Jalumi War
  2. Akintoye, S. A. (1971). Revolution and Power Politics in Yorubaland, 1840–1893: Ibadan Expansion and the Rise of Ekitiparapo. Longman, London (cited elsewhere, not yet checked directly)
  3. Wikipedia contributors. Kiriji War
  4. Wikipedia contributors. Ogedengbe of Ilesa