ipoti ekiti history

The history of Ipoti-Ekiti is premised on the fact that the town is fundamentally made of three principal groups referred to as CLANS. These are ỌWA, IPO/Idofin (from Ile Ife – Oyo Ile –
Ajase Ipo), and ẸJIYAN.
According to the factual historical records, Owa and Ipo Hunters, in the course of their hunting exercises, met at a place called “IMUJA ODE”, where they shared pleasantry and agreed to go and invite their people from their initial settlement to come and live together in the present location
and subsequently mutually agreed to be called Ipoti-Ekiti.

The agreement to live together was as a result of the discovery
of a drinkable stream called “YAO”, which they felt would serve their thirsty need. Ipo/Idofin people firstly settled at Igbo Osun very close to Ila
Orangun in Osun State, while Owa people settled at Igbo Olua, close to the present Odo Owa-
Ekiti.

Adeyemi Adeọba was a sibling to Aremo Oduduwa, who left Ile Ife with his brother to settle at Oyo Ile. He left his brother behind at Oyo Ile to establish his own domain, not very far from Oyo Ile
as a farmer/hunter. There he got married to a lady who gave birth to three male children. Adeyemi
Adeoba later paid homage to his
father, Oduduwa with his family.

When he was leaving Ile Ife again, Oduduwa handed to him a pigeon and perforated calabash known as (Ikoko Ajere) and was
instructed that wherever the pegion gave up ghost(died),
there he should bury and cover it with the calabash and settle down to establish his kingdom.

On getting to Ajase Ipo, the pegion died and there he established his kingdom. He later married another woman at Ajase Ipo and this woman gave him male child. After his demise, there was an argument on who mount the throne of their father among
the male children. The youngest child, i.e. the child of the youngest wife was installed as
the new Oba. This drama at Ajase IPO angered the three senior brothers.
How did it happen? The tradition
is as follows:
A very beautiful but childless
woman, named Iwa consulted
Baba Agboniregun (aka Ifa
Orunmila) and wanted to know
the reason for her barrenness.
Ifa assured her that three male
issues were in Store for her if
she would make an offering to
placate the gods. She complied
and was asked to carry the
sacrifice to Esu shrine at Aramoko.
“In the process, she was
accosted and arraigned before
the Alara. The king greatly
enamoured by her beauty and
charm, took her for a wife rather
than punish her: She begat a
male child. Thereafter, she
became the target of an intrigue
in the court of the Alara and she
absconded”
She when back to the Ifa priest
and complaind. Ifa priest told her
that she would have to repeat
the offering, which on this
occasion she carried in a thick
darkness to the Esu shrine at
Ijero. She ran into trouble again
and was caught. The Ijero people
felt that she had brought some
harmful charms to the town and
was therefore taken to Ajero for
a fitting sentence. The Ajero
surprised every member of his
Iwarafa Mefa, his inner cabinet,
when he became infatuated with
the woman’s beauty, and finally
made her his Olori. IWA had
another son for Ajero. But her
misfortune, which trailed her
wherever she went, did not
leaver her alone. The other
queens hated her because she
became the most beloved Olori.

The hatred was the type that she
had to abscond from Ajero’s
palace once more. She went back
to the Ifa priest who told her that
her offering remained one. She
was to do it at Ila, and again she
ended up becoming a wife of
Orangun. Here she had her third
male child called Ogboye. The Ifa
prediction thus came to pass.
lwa eventually returned to Ife, a
happy mother of three princes.

Ogboye eventually succeeded his
father as Orangun. At this time,
the thrones of Ara and Ijero
were respectively occupied by his
two half brothers. IWA’s three
sons were now kings of their
respective kingdoms and she
was so happy. In the heart of joy,
she sent an aide, bearing
precious gifts, to congratulate
the three of them on their
accession to the thrones of their
different fathers.
“The gifts (packed in three
baskets) consisted of Segi (blue
glass beads) and Okun (red stone
beads) Over these valuables were
spread Eepa (i.e. Scorched
remnants of food scraped from
cooking pots)
The Alara opened his pack and
was galled by the sight of Eepa, a
common man’s food. He refused
to believe that his mother could
send such a mean present to
him, he declined to receive it. The
Ajero at whom the messenger
next called reacted in like
manner; turning the messenger
away. The poor messenger, now
downhearted got to Aafin
Orangun laden with three packs.
The King was in an ecstasy and
had sent him presents. He
opened the basket and unlike his
brothers, showed no qualms
about its contents. He nibbled at
the eepa to savour it. He also
caused the people around to
partake of the titbit. When the
eepa was exhausted the King
could scarcely believe his eyes at
the sight of the underlying
treasure” The Messenger seeing
how excited the king had
become related the reactions of
Alara and Ajero to him. Orangun
ordered that he be relived of the
two baskets, which he now sent
back to the two monarchs to
repair what to them would have
been a most painful loss. The
following verse in the rituals of
Ifa brings this traditions
constantly to memory.
“Ibinu gbonrangandun l’awo ile
Alara
Edo fufu l’awo oke ‘Jero
Iwa pele tu lo di’fa f’Orangun Aga
Omo a s’oro lo mi lolo su
Meaning:
Hot temper is the secret of the
house of Alara
Short temper is the secret of hill
of Ijero. Simplicity of manners
cast the oracle in favour of
Orangun Aga (son of he) who
celebrates Oro at the cropping of new yams.

Iwa at her old age decided to see her children before she died. She called on Alara and spent sometimes with him. She called on Ajero and spent sometime. She then set out for Ila Orangun. But she fell ill on the way and died in a location not far from Ijero. Her escorts communicated this sad incident to the three Obas and palaver ensued as to where IWA should be buried. Each one wanted his mother to be buried in his domain. Ifa was consulted and it directed that the spot where IWA died should also be her final resting place. Adding that the spot would attract settlers and grow to a town of note. The place eventually became known as Ogbon ilu arising from the fact that each of the three kings (her sons); sent 10 men to reside permanently in the vicinity of the hallowed tomb. The 30 settlers thus formed the core settlers of the place (Ogbon Ilu).

Very many years later, there was a succession dispute at Ajase Ipo and an unsuccessful contestant search of refuge came to Ajero and he and his people were asked to settle at Ogbon Ilu. There, he narrated his agonizing experience to a sympathetic audience. Determined to assuage his feelings, his hosts conferred on him the distinction to reign over them as king.
“They denied you the opportunity of becoming the Olupo in your native town, is that not what you say?’ they asked him
“that is what I say,” replied the leader of the refuges from Olupo.
That is not a problem. Come and be our own Olupo here’ the people told him
“Je Olupo tiwa nihin”
This statement appeared to have been corrupted over years to Olupoti, the title by which king of Ipoti is known. The settlement became known as Ipoti.
At Ipoti even till this day is a rivulet known as “Iya O” meaning “Hail Mother” so named to keep alive the memory of IWA whose body was intered in the vicinity”
The most outstanding occupation of the People of Ipoti is mat-weaving while majority are subsistence farmers. Ipoti is a big town Ipoti has always been a great town with loving and amiable people. The town had produced many eminent sons and daughters of Ijero Kingdom. The late Lt. Colonel Ayo Ariyo, one of the famous commanders under 3rd Marine Commandos of the Nigerian Army during the Nigeria Civil War was a native of Ipoti. Under his chairmanship, the Ijero Local Government built a very beautiful and befitting Local Government Secretariat at Ijero. Barrister Omotosho (late) a popular Nigerian legal luminary was also from Ipoti. So also the world-renowed historian, Professor Micheal Abiola Omolewa, the former President of UNESCO is from Ipoti.

Ijero Kingdom appeared to have reached its golden era obetween 1700 and 1800 A.D. it enjoyed a period of unprecedented growth and peace up to that date. In about 1815 came the Benin invasion. The consequences of this we shall see in other stories.
But traditions shows that not all people who left Ijero, the mother town, remained within the Kingdom. Ifaki Ekiti and Osi-Ekiti would appear to belong to this Group.

Ifaki Ekiti people according to traditions left Ifaki – ijero in Ido-Osi Local Government. Traditions also show that Osi people were among the earlier settlers that got assimilated to Ijero when Ijero Ekit came into being. They had to leave and migrate to the present Osi-ekiti because they were not given the opportunity to celebrate Atogun Festivals when they were at Ijero. Osi-Ekiti was up to the colonial time under Ado-Ekiti until Olosi was recognized by Government as one of the 22 principals Obas of Ekiti.

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