Kiriji war

The Kiriji War, an epic battle fought by the
Yoruba for 16 years, is believed to be the world’s
longest civil war by any ethnic group. Siroyero
newsroom,who visited the war sites in Igbajo and
Imesi in Osun State, writes that the relics of the
war, which ought to be tourists’ sites, are not
getting the deserved attention Imesi Ile is an
ancient town in Obokun Local Government Area of
Osun State of Nigeria which is set on the plateau.
The town, which shares boundary with Oke Imesi in
Ekiti State, is famous for the bloodiest inter-
tribal wars fought by the Yoruba. The war which
lasted 16 years is known as Kiriji War. The word
Kiriji was derived from the vibratory sound of
the cannons deployed by the Ekiti Parapo
Confederate Army to prosecute the war against
Ibadan warriors which started in 1870. The armies
from the two sides displayed sophisticated
military hardware which led to large casualties
from both sides. The war, according to some
historians, was the fiercest tribal war among the
Yoruba ethnic group of South-West Nigeria and
the Kiriji War which ended almost 127 years ago
led to the signing of a peace treaty on September
23, 1886. The Aare Latosa, commander of the Ibadan
Army and Ajayi Ogboriefon, the dreadedOsi Aare
of Ibadanas well asLabinjo of Imesi Ileand Prince
Adeyela of Ila were killed at the Kiriji
battlefield in Imesi Ile. The Secretary-General of
Kiriji Cultural Foundation, Mr. Kehinde Kolawole,
told our correspondent that the cause of the war
was the determination of the Ekiti and Ijesha
people to free themselves from the oppressive
rule of Ibadan warlord- Aare Latoosa who sent his
agents to collect royalties. He said one of the
agents from Ibadan known as Ajele one day
sexually molested the wife of Prince Fabunmi of
Imesi. The prince became furious and beheaded
theAjele. That decapitation, triggered the war
which led to an unprecedented bloodletting in the
history of the Yoruba people who were brothers.
The adage that where two elephants fight the
grass suffers is apt to describe the Kiriji War
site in Imesi Ile. The site is littered with stone-
anvils which blacksmiths used to manufacture
bullets, gun powder and other weapons. The carved
stone on which Ogedengbe, the Commander of the
Ekiti Parapo, sat to command the war is still in
Imesi-Ile where the war was fought. Apart from
the sophisticated weapons used, charms and other
unconventional methods including masquerades
were freely used to prosecute the war. Our
correspondent who visited the sites observed that
the sites were not given the kind of attention
which should be accorded such historical places.
The relics of the war and the cenotaph erected
for the signing of the peace treaty on September
23, 1886 are all tucked inside the bush with just
weather-beaten sign posts almost the size of a
palm, signalling the presence of such important
monuments. Veering off the main road which leads
to Igbajo, which also has some of the objects of
the war, the road leading to the Kiriji Peace
Treaty site and the one leading to the battlefield
can be best described as non-existent. The gullies
on the narrow bush path leading to the sites make
it difficult to access the place. The war relics
have been covered by the bush and a local
resident who took our correspondent to place said
one could have a better view of the site in the dry
season. One of the fascinating relics on the war
site is the huge stone in form of a chair upon
which Ogedengbe, the commander of Ekiti Parapo
Army, sat and commanded his soldiers. A cenotaph
was erected at the peace treaty site to
commemorate the landmark event. The cenotaph-one
of the few efforts to remind people of the
historical site is painted in white.
TwoPereguntrees were said to have been planted
during the signing of the treaty; the trees are at
the site as a remembrance of the peace accord. The
Yoruba Peace Treaty which ended the 16-year war
was signed by 24 Obas and chiefs on September 23,
1886 in Imesi Ile and the treaty has 12 articles.
The proclamation of peace inscribed on one side of
the cenotaph was countersigned by Henry Higgins
and Oliver Smith who were special commissioners.
It reads in part, “ Now, therefore, we, special
commissioners appointed by His Excellency, the
Governor of Lagos for the purpose of executing
the said treaty in accordance with the provisions
thereof, do hereby proclaim, in the name of the
signatories of the said treaty, that peace has
this day been established and shall henceforth
continue forever between the signatories of the
said treaty and between their respective peoples.”
The Owa Oye of Imesi Ile, Oba Enoch Ademola
Akinyemi, who is the paramount ruler in the town,
told our correspondent that the Osun State
Government had taken over the management of the
sites. He explained that the sites were managed by
the National Commission for Museums and
Monuments until the state government took over.