OLUWOLE A.D 1845

1. On the death of King Adele, his son Oluwole succeeded him. Adele should have been succeeded by Kosoko the rightful heir to the throne, and the latter indeed was quite willing to become king.

2. But the Eletu-Odibo, an elderly man, whose office was to crown the kings of Lagos, was an enemy of Kosoko and therefore, did want him to be made king. However it is customary for the elders on the death of a king, and before the election of a new king, to consult the king’s royal Ifa, and on whosoever the lot falls, he is to be nominated.

The order of election of a new king

3. In this manner, all the elderly princes are tried. Now all Ifa priests and the princes having assembled together, the latter marching up and down in front of the officiating priests, one man holding Iyeye leaves (sugar plum) in his hands, takes his stand before them, and all of sudden, he gently strikes the head of the prince upon whom the lots has fallen with these leaves immediately he was seized for the elders to made king. It belongs to the to hold in his hands the lots during the function, and so it was done on his occasion. The priest having demanded from the, the lot in his right hand as it has even made known to him.

Chief Eletu contradicted by Ifa priest

4. On the contrary, at Oluwole’s turn, he was asked to present the left, he gave the right, and so it was that Oluwole was elected by the Ifa, and consequently crowned king.

5. After his accession in the month of December 1835, a civil war broke out between the king, the Eletu, and the sons of the late King Osilokun, on account of one of Osilokun’s sisters named Opo-Olu surnamed “Yeye” (mother) this woman possessed great wealth, her slaves numbering over 1,400. King Oluwole and Eletu falsely accused her of practicing witch-craft, and it was said that she was the cause of their children’s deaths.

6. The matter became so serious that they took her three different times to the fortune-tellers, for investigation, but she was proved to be innocent of the crime.

Opo-Olu was tried by the fortune-tellers

7. Not satisfied with what they had learnt they again repaired to another Fortune-teller t Esuru-Ogbo Idoluwo via Ibuse. But again, she found to be innocent. Nevertheless, she was forbidden to return to Lagos for, it was said that, it was against common principles for an enemy of the King to vanquish him in a dispute.

8. When her own brother Kosoko, and some others, heard of this wicked action, they together, with her slaves took offence and raised war against King Oluwole and Eletu. The woman spent the remainder of her life at Ibase

9. After this, in the month of June 1834, Kosoko, knowing that the eletu hated him resolved to dethrone King Oluwole, and proclaimed himself king in his place. He therefore summoned his own chiefs and w3arriors together, and ordered them to prepare for the battle, furthermore, he gave instruction to one of his war captains named Ojo Adubiaro to proceed to the king’s quarters, Iga-Idunganran, and while there to be marching up and down the street before the king’s palace in full amour so that the king, noticing him might get frightened, vacate the palace and make away for his life. Kosoko’s captain obeyed his accordingly but when Ojo Adubiaro in his armour was standing at palace, and who asked him who he was, Ojo without saying a single word threw out his sword and cut off the man’s hand. There and then the fight began and soon it became civil war, for Kosoko himself knew it, but together with his followers rose up and invades Isale-Eko. Although he denied having given orders to his people to fight with the king yet, it was his expressed with that they had done so. As the warriors were proceeding to the king’s quarters, they began to sing as follows:

B’o le d’ogun ko ogun
B’o le d’ode ko d’ode
Ojo p’wew koko
B’o le yak o ya

10. There engaged fierce battle in which the king’s army was victorious, and Kosoko was driven out of the country, and fled to Apa thence to Wyda. This two war captain named dada Antonio, and Oso Akannbi fled to Epe, and the rest of his warriors took refuge in different towns.

11. After this memorabic victory of King Oluwole over Kosoko and his men, he flattered himself in the following manner: -

• I dispersed one towards Popo land No le kun gb’onu Egba
• And another towards Epe ilo je kun gb’onu Epe
• One who overflowed the river with the slaves of his father Af’eru baba tu yagbayagba joju omi
• My meet to elephants surpassed a buffalo Kekere Ajanaku ki s’egbe Efon.
• They are all known as elephants Ogbogbo nwon ni nj’Erin
• The headless warning destroys the house of the aged Ayansi ba ‘le agba je.

12. Sometimes after this, Kosoko’s men who were at Epe heard this flattering of King Oluwole, and came from Epe to a place called Origele, near the Harbour Master’s Wharf, where king Oluwole’s store house was situated, and in which various kinds of goods bought from the Portuguese traders were kept. They took away many of this valuable articles from the store and went away. When the news reached king Oluwole, he sent one of his war-captains, named Dada Obadina to pursue the men, and get back the goods they have taken. But before the arrival of Obadina at Origele, the men had made away with the articles and he could not overtake them, Obadina gathered the remaining articles and returned with them to the king. On his return to the palace, he delivered the message to the king, and said that, these people had gone, and I could not overtake them. But here are the reminders of your goods left by them.

13. The king welcomed him, divided the goods, and gave one part to him, Obadina’s men took his portion to his house, and with these goods Obadina with his wife Tinubu began to trade with the Egba traders, who generally lodged in his house. By these means Tinubu became rich.

14. King Oluwole was a handsome man fair in complexion. He was very fond of jesting, dancing, very amusing, and merry and lover of peace and order. Happiness was enjoyed during his reign, but his followers were generally wicked, whenever he went out, these people would lay hold on foodstuffs and any things they came across on. As the king was a lover of songs and dance, his followers used to sing before him the following songs.

15. This monarch reigned for five years and died. It is regrettable remark that he met his death by an explosion of a gun powder at his palace, which was ignited by lightning.