On September 23, 1886, the Kiriji War, also known as the Ekiti-Parapo War, formally ended with the signing of a historic peace treaty at Imesi-ile.
WITHIN NIGERIA learned that the treaty brought to an end what remains the longest intra-Yoruba civil war in history, which is a devastating 16-year conflict that pitted the Ekiti-Parapo Confederation against the Ibadan Army.
The war began on July 30, 1877, with the Okemesi Revolt led by Prince Fabunmi Isola Oraralada against Ibadan hegemony. It quickly grew into a confederation of Ekiti, Ijesa, Igbomina and other eastern Yoruba towns fighting for independence from Ibadan after the fall of the Old Oyo Empire.
The conflict was unique in Yoruba history. It was the first to witness modern warfare – the use of trenches, military platoons, an organized spy network with headquarters in Ilara-Mokin, and modern breech-loading firearms including Snider rifles, Martini-Henry rifles and Winchester repeaters.
The name “Kiriji” itself is an onomatopoeic word describing the thunderous sound of cannons used by Ekiti-Parapo troops. By 1886, both sides were severely weakened after years of fighting between Imesi-ile and Igbajo. The British colonial government in Lagos intervened.
On September 23, 1886, at the war camp in Imesi-ile, a town in present-day Osun State, British commissioners led by Captain Robert Lister Bower convinced the warring chiefs to sign the peace treaty.
The treaty granted independence to the Ekiti Union and ordered the demobilization of both armies. However, final demobilization did not take place until March 14, 1893, when Lagos Governor Alfred Moloney dispersed the warriors.
The Kiriji Peace Treaty has been described as the first Yoruba treaty to embody all segments of the Yoruba race. Following the peace, Southwestern Nigeria was subsequently declared a protectorate of the British Empire.
