People · 1822–1910
Image: Ogedengbe of Ilesa.jpg — Colonial Office photographic collection, The National Archives UK (CO 1069/80), Public domain (no known restrictions) · source
Captured twice, he escaped twice. Then he led the Ekiti and Ijesha against Ibadan, and even the British had to deal with him.
Ogedengbe was born in 1822 at Atorin, near Ilesa, in the land of the Ijesha people. His full name was long, but people called him Agbogungboro, which praises a man who carries war far and wide. In his day the Yoruba towns were fighting each other constantly, and Ibadan was the strongest military power around.
In 1864 Ogedengbe was helping to defend Ilara-Mokin against Ibadan when he was captured. He escaped. In 1867, in the Igbajo war, he was captured again, and again he got away. Here is the twist: while he was a captive, he watched how the Ibadan army worked and trained. Some say an Ibadan warrior named Bada even taught him. He went home knowing his enemy's tricks.
Stories about him grew wild. One says an Ibadan soldier cut off his head in battle, and Ogedengbe picked it up and put it back on. That is legend, of course, but it shows how frightened his enemies were.
In 1878 the Ekiti and Ijesha towns joined together as the Ekitiparapo to throw off Ibadan's control. This started the long Kiriji War. They needed a commander, and they called Ogedengbe. When he arrived at the camp, the leader before him, Prince Fabunmi, stepped aside so that Ogedengbe could take charge. He became Seriki, the war commander.
The war dragged on for years, with both sides dug in on hills. In 1886 the British helped arrange a peace treaty, and Ogedengbe was one of those who swore to it.
After the war his warriors kept raiding farms. In 1894 the British Resident in Ibadan, Captain Robert Bower, arrested Ogedengbe and locked him up in Ibadan. The people of Ilesa protested at having their hero held by their old enemies, so he was moved to Iwo. In the end the Owa of Ilesa paid a fine of six thousand pounds, and Governor Carter set him free. The photo above was taken around that time; its old caption says he had recently been arrested by Captain Bower.
Ogedengbe was offered the throne of Ilesa more than once, and refused. In 1898 he was given the title Obanla, often explained as Mighty King. He died on 29 July 1910, aged about 88. His family still hold the Obanla title in Ilesa.
The photograph on this page is rare. It comes from the British Colonial Office collection, now kept at the National Archives in London. It shows Ogedengbe seated in a striped robe, with young men behind him, under a simple thatched shelter. Looking at it, you see not a monster or a magician, but a tired, serious older man who had spent his whole life at war. In Ilesa today, a school and other places carry his name. His family hold memorial events each year, keeping the story of the warrior from Atorin alive.
