A BRIEF HISTORY OF ATAOJA OF OSOGBO

The history of Osogbo dated back to the 1670s. To start from a reasonable point,

one must start the history of this noble land with where and generation of people that take

it to where it’s today.

Owa Laage was the 6th Owaroki of Ipole Omu. He gave birth to three children

who were Lajomo (the eldest), Larooye and Sogbodede (the youngest). Lajomo

succeeded his father as the 7th Owaroki of Ipole Omu. When he died, Larooye, his

younger brother succeeded him as the 8th Owaroki of Ipole Omu.

During the reign of Larooye, the town experienced drought which lasted for a

long period. A hunter from Oyo (Olutimehin) who was an acquaintance of Larooye on

one of his hunting expeditions on instruction of his friend, discovered a stream and

immediately rushed down to Ipole Omu to inform Larooye of his discovery. When he

was told, Larooye immediately proceeded to the stream with him which is now popularly

called Osun River in the present day Osogbo and confirmed Olutimehin’s discovery.

Larooye made series of consultations and divinitions and when the

results/revelations favoured the migration of his kingdom to the newly discovered

settlement, he decided to move his territory. He moved to Osogbo with his younger

brother Sogbodede while the descendant of Lajomo refused to move with Larooye to

Osogbo. This is why none of the descendant of Lajomo has ever become Ataoja of

Osogbo because their father never ruled in Osogbo.

Hence, Larooye became the first traditional ruler (1st Ataoja of Osogbo) in 1670

and ruled for a period of 90 years until his death in 1760. He had no son but only begot a

daughter called Abogbe who married an Offa man called Oyejin Lokuso and they gave

birth to Matanmi.

On the demise of Larooye, his younger brother Sogbodede became the 2nd Ataoja

of Osogbo and ruled for 20years between 1760 and 1780. Sogbodede begot Aina Serebu

and Oyelekan. Aina Serebu succeeded his father as the 3rd Ataoja of Osogbo and ruled

between 1780 and 1810 spanning a period of 30years.

Aina Serebu begot two children namely Obodebewa and Gbeemu. After the

demise of Aina Serebu, Oyelekan’s child called Adeyinka had some confrontations with

Gbeemu over succession rights to the Ataoja stool and this snowballed into a royal crisis.

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In the bid to douse the crisis, Abogbe (the only child of Larooye) who was a female, was

chosen (since Laro has no son) and was appoint the first regent of Osogbo. She spent

2years between 1810 and 1812. When Abogbe passed on, the crisis was still on and

Obodebewa (daughter of Aina Serebu) was appointed again as a regent in 1812. She was

there as regent until her death in 1815.

Ojolalele (Obodebewa’s husband) was a hunter and farmer. He designated his

brother, Lahanmi (Progenitor of Oyipi royal family) to look after his wife the regent

(Obodebewa) at the palace while he was away on his farming and hunting expeditions.

Lahanmi, a craftsman, treacherously approached the then Alaafin of Oyo and told him

that he had discovered a scheme by which Ijesa properties would be appropriated by Oyo.

He requested to be crowned as the substantive Oba of Osogbo. His head was shaved as a

mark of installation as a king and was escorted by army of Oyo to Osogbo where he

enthroned himself as the new Ataoja and drove Obodebewa into exile.

In protest against this ascension to the throne by Lahanmi, the princes of Osogbo

confiscated the royal crowns and other paraphernalia of office such that four

successors/children of Lahanmi who successively reigned as Ataoja of Osogbo never

wore crowns. During the reign of oyipi, some of the Matanmi family were given chance

to be the Ataoja of Osogbo. Oladejobi Oladele Matanmi I ruled in 1854 – 1864 while the

time of Atanda Olukaye Olugbeja Matanmi II was in 1903 – 1917.

Then in 1920, the entire people of Osogbo rose against the Lahanmi (also known

as Oyipi) forceful successors to the throne of Ataoja of Osogbo and insisted that a person

from the royal lineage and rightful heirs to the stool be installed as the Ataoja of Osogbo.

Consequent to the above, the descendant of both Larooye and Sogbodede held a

meeting for the purposes of resolving the crisis. It was then resolved among the

contending families (Lahanmi, Matanmi and Sogbodede) that ascension to the throne will

be rotated between two groups: the first group being Lahanmi/Matanmi representing the

female section (since both are from Abogbe and Obodebewa) while the second group

was the Sogbodede (Sogbo) group representing the male section. It was then resolved

that Sogbo ruling house being the only male section/descendant should produce the next

Ataoja.

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The only royal families categorized under Sogbo ruling house are Oluawo-Oba

and Gbeemu. Lahanmi/Matanmi represented the female section on the basis that Matanmi

ascended the throne through Abogbe (the only daughter of Larooye) and that Lahanmi

ascended the throne through Obodebewa (another female from Sogbodede)

As a result of the resolution, Kolawole Alabi (a great grant child of Sogbodede)

was subsequently installed from the male section in 1920. He passed away in 1933. Then

Samuel Oyedokun (from Lahanmi/Matanmi, female section) ascended the throne of

Ataoja. After Oyedokun, another descendant of Sogbodede in person of Samuel Adeleye

Adenle ascended the throne in 1944 from male section. When Adenle passed on in 1975,

Iyiola Oyewale Matanmi III ascended the throne in 1976 on platform of

Lahanmi/Matanmi (female section). He reigned until 2010 when Allah took his soul.

In or about 1957, the custom and tradition regulating the selection and installation

of Ataoja was codified into chieftaincy declaration and the Chieftaincy Declaration of

1957 was made which created two ruling houses in accordance with the existing custom.

These were Lahanmi/Matanmi Ruling House and Sogbodede Ruling House, wrongly

described as Laro ruling house representing the male descendant.

During the reign of Oba Oyewale Matanmi, the Amended Chieftaincy Declaration

of 2005 was made which created five houses namely: Matanmi, Laro, Oyipi, Lajomo and

Sogbo. This particular declaration of 2005 does not reflect the true custom and tradition

regarding the selection to the throne of Ataoja.

If the current declaration is compared with the previous one of 1957, there is a

wide disparity. Lajomo has never being a ruling house under the custom and tradition

regarding the selection to the throne of Ataoja of Osogbo. Matanmi and Oyipi hail from

the female ruling house (Lahanmi/matanmi). Laro is already a wrongly used name for the

male ruling house (Sogbo).

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A CHART SHOWING THE PAST ATAOJA OF OSOGBO

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JIMOH OLANIPEKUN LAROOYE II(2010)

Owa Laage (6th Owaroki of Ipole Omu)

Lajomo (7th Owaroki of Ipole Omu)

Larooye (8th Owaroki of Ipole Omu and the 1st Ataoja of Osogbo) (1670 – 1760)

Sogbodede (2nd Ataoja of Osogbo) (1760 – 1780)

Abogbe (female married to Lokuso – Offa man) (1810 – 1812)

Oladejobi Oladele Matanmi:son of Abogbe (1854 – 1864)Aina Serebu

(1780 – 1810)Oyelekan

Adeyinka

Obodebewa (female married to Ojolalele) (1812 – 1815) Gbeemu

Lahanmi Oyibi (brother to Ojolalele) (1815 – 1840)Lahanmi/Matanmi

(Female Ruling House)Sogbo

(Male Ruling House)

Samuel Oyedokun (1933 – 1944)

Olatidoye Iyiola Oyewale Matanmi III (1976 – 2010)

Kolawole Alabi(1920 – 1933)

Samuel Adeleye Adenle(1944 – 1975)

Atanda Olukaye Olugbeja Matanmi II (1903 – 1917)

Ojo Adio Okege (1840 – 1854)

Ogunnaike Durosimi Fabode (1864 – 1891)

Bamgbola Alao (1891 – 1893)

Ajadi Olosunde Oyetona (1893 – 1903)

Kofoworola Ajadi Latona (1918 – 1920)

TABLE SHOWING THE PAST ATAOJA OF OSOGBOS/N DATE NAMES RULING HOUSE1 1670 - 1760 LAROOYE LARO

2 1760 – 1780 SOGBODEDE SOGBO3 1780 – 1810 AINA SEREBU SOGBO4 1810 – 1812 ABOGBE LARO MATANMI5 1812 – 1815 OBODEBEWA SOGBO OYIPI6 1815 – 1840 LAHANMI OYIPI OYIPI/LAHANMI7 1840 – 1854 OJO ADIO OKEGE OYIPI/LAHANMI8 1854 – 1864 OLADEJOBI OLADELE MATANMI I MATANMI9 1864 – 1891 OGUNNAIKE DUROSIMI FABODE OYIPI/LAHANMI10 1891 – 1893 BAMGBOLA ALAO OYIPI/LAHANMI11 1893 – 1903 AJAYI OLOSUNDE OYETONA OYIPI/LAHANMI12 1903 – 1917 ATANDA OLUKAYE OLUGBEJA MATANMI II MATANMI13 1918 – 1920 KOFOWOROLA AJADI LATONA I OYIPI/LAHANMI14 1920 – 1933 KOLAWOLE ALABI SOGBO15 1933 – 1944 SAMUEL OYEDOKUN AKANO LATONA II LAHANMI/MATANMI16 1944 – 1975 SAMUEL ADELEYE ADENLE SOGBO17 1976 – 2010 IYIOLA OYEWALE LAHANMI/MATANMI18 2010 – JIMOH OLANIPEKUN LAROOYE II LARO

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