Aare Latoosa of Ibadan

Obadoke Latoosa Oyatoosa, but more commonly referred to as Latoosa (or Latosisa), and later Mohammed Obadoke Latoosa, and the commander and leader of the Western forces of Ibadan during the Kiriji War from 1877 to his death in 1885.

On arrival in Ibadan, Latoosa joined Ogunmola's private army and soon became the captain of his guards. On October 3, 1871, Latoosa was installed Aare Ona Kakanfo and ruler of Ibadan. Originally from Ilora, not far from today's Oyo.

Obadoke Latoosa (or Latosisa) of Ibadan, the 12th Kakanfo. He is worthy of mention because he was the Kakanfo in office when again, several parts of Yorubaland were at war — the Kiriji War, said to be the longest civil war in global history, and was fought for 16 years from 1877 to 1893. He was also the last military Kakanfo, being succeeded by an honorary holder, Samuel Ladoke Akintola. The Kakanfo saw reported developments at Oke-Imesi as an affront on his authority and declared war on the offenders, but he had underestimated the resolve of all states and towns that had Ajeles to repudiate them. Oke-Mesi, being Ekiti, sought the help of their ethnic kith and kin in Ijesaland, a famous general called Ogedengbe Agbogungboro, rallied warriors from Ekitiland and Ijesaland into a coalition of forces known as the Ekiti Parapo, jointly commanded by Ogedengbe and Fabunmi. Thus, in 1877, the series of battles that would later be known as Kiriji Wars began, and lasted for 16 years. It is said to be the longest civil war in global history. That is not all about the mystiques surrounding Kakanfo Momodu Obadoke Latoosa, Asubiaro Agadagudu.

He is on record as the ruler that put an end to the inhuman treatment of slaves in Yorubaland when he decisively dealt with a renowned slave dealer and women leader, Efunsetan Aniwura. This story has been romanticised in movies, and is the subject of a Yoruba novel by Emeritus Professor, Akinwunmi Isola of the University of Ibadan. In 1885, while the Kiriji War was still on and the Europeans were in Berlin at a conference later known to history as the Scramble for Africa, Latoosa met his end in an unexpected way.

Latoosa's prominence and significance in Ibadan exist till this day, with his rule as Aare Ona Kakanfo featuring in the Oriki of the town of Ibadan, and he is also known as the last Aare Ona Kakanfo to fight in a war. The position was abolished under Colonial Nigeria, and was not bestowed for another 80 years until August 1964, when Samuel Ladoke Akintola was appointed as the Aare Ona Kakanfo, a clear contrast from previous Aare, including Latoosa.