Timi Abibu Lagunju

Ọba Timi Abibu Sàngólámì (Ọ)Lágúnjú ( - 1900) was a Yoruba monarch of the town of Ede, and leader in the 19th century. He was the first Muslim Timi that Ede produced, he also belonged to the first generation of Yoruba Muslims who held high political office in the pre-colonial era and who used their positions to enhance the growth of his town, Ede and his religion, Islam. Indeed, Abibu Lagunju was the second Muslim Oba in Yorubaland given the fact that he was already on the throne for a couple of years when, in November 1857, the American Baptist Missionary, Reverend W.H. Clarke, visited Ede.

The first Muslim Oba in Yorubaland was a Muslim prince called Prince Ali of Ado-Ekiti. He was enthroned as Ewi Ali Atewogboye after the demise of Ewi Aroloye in 1836.

Tradition had it that Prince Ali resisted attempts of the priests and chiefs to renounce Islam before he was enthroned. He was adamant to rather hold to Islam than take the throne. Ewi Ali Atewogboye led the people of Ado-Ekiti back to its original location after sojourning for sometime at Oke Ako due to invasion of Benin Armies and Fulani Jihad. Ewi Ali Atewogboye remained the first and only Ewi of Ado-Ekiti since the 19th century to embrace Islam.

Timi Abibu Lagunju of Ede was enthroned in 1855 as an Oba. This position is buttressed by the fact that other Yoruba Muslim strongholds produced Muslim Obas at a much later date: Lamuye of Iwo in 1860, Momodu Latoosa of Ibadan in 1871, Iyanda Oloko of Epe in 1875, Aseyin "Noo" (Nuruddin) of Iseyin in 1895, Alaafin Lawani Agogoja of New Oyo in 1905 and Awujale Adeona Fusigboye of Ijebu-Ode in 1906. Lagunju was certainly a force to reckon with in the history of Islam in Ede.

Timi Lagunju knew personally and was well acquainted with most Yoruba military, political and religious leaders of note between 1840 and 1900. Lagunju's era is also worthy of study because he was the most enigmatic Timi to have ruled Ede since the 19th century to date. He was the only Timi to be dethroned thrice, being reinstated after the first two times but eventually losing out on the third count.

Biography Timi Abibu (Sangolami) Olagunju was born around 1817 to the royal family of Oduniyi Olagunju in Ede, a descendant of Lalemo. The descendants of Lalemo, which include Kubolaje Agbonran, and his siblings, Oyefi, Ajenju, Arohanran, and Oduniyi (his father) were chased from the original town of Ede-Ile in 1817, and established the present town, Ede. Olagunju (Lagunju) was born soon after. He was given the name Sangolami by his parents who were Sango (god of thunder) devotees because his birth was bizarre as he held a thunder stone in his left hand and a piece of paper with Qur'anic inscription on it in his right hand. This prompted the family, as it was practice among the Yoruba in those days to consult the Ifa oracle whenever a baby was born to the family, especially with strange event. The family consulted the oracle and they were told that the boy would be a ruler and added a clause that he would switch from his father's traditional religion to a strange Arab religion. This prophecy angered the reigning Timi then, so he ordered that the boy be beheaded, but his father Oduniyi prevented that to happen.

In his youth, he left Ede for Ilorin where he embraced Islam. When he returned to Ede, he drew opposition from some residents in Ede and he moved to a location far from the main centre of the town. In the new location, he practised Islam with a few other adherents. Despite his many travails, he remained the longest serving Timi, having reigned for 60 years before he died at the age of 90 years.

Lagunju years on the throne Sangolami Abibu Lagunju was born before 1817 when the New Ede was established by Timi Kubolaje Agbonran. Existing traditions also indicate that Abibu Lagunju succeeded Timi Ojo Arohanran, the reigning Timi at the outbreak of Batedo War (involving Ibadan and Ijaiye) of 1844. And given Olunlade's account that Timi Ojo Arohanran "spent about three years on the throne," and that the stool of the Timi was vacant for nine years after Arohanran's death, it is plausible to suggest that Lagunju was crowned the Timi around 1855/ 1856.

Timi Lagunju attempted to implement Islamic code of law, the Shari'ah, as he understood it in the running of state affairs. One of his intentions in using the Shari'ah was to purge Islam of accretions, syncretism, and adulteration. His Shari'ah court was presided over by Qadi Sidiq at Agbeni in Ibadan up till 1913. His administration was particularly harsh in its treatment of prostitutes, hoarders, burglars and thieves. The end product of this style of administration was that Ede, under Timi Lagunju, became a crime free society. Olunlade, again, testifies thus:

Part of the progress registered in Ede during Timi Lagunju era was that the subject towns which paid obeisance to Ede increased. It was during this time that Ilorin conquered old Offa, and the reigning Olofa took refuge in Ede, where he was given a site now called Ofatedo (i.e. the Offa people colonized this place). Timi Abibu Sangolami gave the then Olofa two hundred hoes, two hundred cutlasses, two hundred baskets, and two hundred of every instrument or household utensils in order to make his new home easy to settle in.

In spite of the stormy relationship which Lagunju had with the traditionalists, he was favourably disposed to Christianity given the testimony of the first American Baptist missionary to the town, W.H. Clarke. In November 1857, Lagunju had permitted the Baptist missionary to visit Ede and preach the gospel of Christ. During his visit, Clarke was not only given civic reception and well treated, he was also allowed "to preach some special truths of the gospel" to the chiefs and "a company of civil Mohammedans." Clarke states:

...I was pleased with his (Lagunju) free and open toleration, so not in agreement with the Muslim faith he professed to hold... His first proposal as to the length of my stay was nine days, which honour I could but decline in staying four or five days as a maximum."

Lagunju again sided with Ibadan during the Jalumi war of 1878 and fought to expel the Fulani from northern Yorubaland. During this war, Ede forces under Lagunju camped at Ikirun, and the site was subsequently referred to as Oke-Timi. Ede's participation in the Jalumi war was partially a defensive war as the Emir of Ilorin had directed Balogun Ajia, the commander of the Ilorin forces, to conquer Ikirun, Osogbo, Ede and Iwo with their villages. Traditions preserved by Olunlade record that both Timi Lagunju and Balogun Ajayi Ogboriefon distinguished themselves in this war which ended in favour of Ibadan allied army. Ede under Timi Lagunju also allied with Ibadan in the Ekitiparapo War (1879-1886). At the initial stage of the war, Lagunju dispatched the deposed Timi Olunloye to the war-front as the captain of Ede forces. The latter lost his life in the war.

Like Ife, the Ilorin forces also contemplated attacking Ede after the sack of Offa in 1887 because of its support for the Ibadan Alliance. Johnson stated:

Timi Abibu Lagunju was committed to restoration of peace in Yorubaland after a century of internecine warfare. He was concerned about the sorry state of Ile-Ife, the cradle of the Yoruba race. Lagunju, Lamuye of Iwo and Balogun Osungbekun of Ibadan aligned themselves with Ife conditions for peace, i.e., that Modakeke should evacuate Ife. The 'Modakeke Question' threatened the 1886 Peace Treaty as the Modakeke leaders ran away from the peace venue, refusing to append their signatures and subsequently had to be bullied into signing the treaty. The position of Ede authorities is summarized in the records of Prof I.A. Akinjogbin:

Even when the 1886 Peace Treaty failed to resolve the Modakeke Question, the 'Offa Question' and the Ijebu imbroglio, Timi Lagunju continued to liaise with the Oluwo of Iwo, Ibadan authorities and representatives of the Lagos Government towards finding a lasting solution to the crisis. Governor Alfred Moloney's commissioners, H. Higgins and Oliver Smith, had to spend some days in Ede in March 1890." The party later left Ede for Oyo in pursuit of the peace mission. Timi Lagunju appeared to have totally agreed with the Ibadan terms of peace as the peace declaration of May–June 1890 tended to suggest. Johnson states:

Deposition and after The deposition of Timi Abibu Lagunju and his exile to Ibadan marked the end of an era in Ede history. Traditionalists who accepted Islam because of Timi Lagunju reverted to their gods. Muslims were also persecuted by traditionalists. To save their lives from persecution from these traditionalists and families, many of them fled to Owon-la-rogo compound which has been renamed as Imale Compound where they practiced their religion. Meanwhile, the leaders of Islam in the town made efforts, despite persecution by the traditionalists to continue to promote Islam. Such leaders include Zulu Qarneen, son of Noah.

His deposition was displeasing to Oyo authorities and Ibadan rulers who had come to regard Lagunju as one of the greatest statesmen and nationalists of the age. He was well known and respected by the Ibadan leaders. He had contributed to all Ibadan war efforts since the 1850s and had participated actively in the peace process. To the new Ibadan leaders, Lagunju was also a contemporary and friend of their fathers. For these reasons the Ibadan leaders felt that the deposed Lagunju should be restored to the throne of his ancestors. These leaders included Balogun Ajayi Osungbekun, Maye Osuntoki, Abese Kongi, son of Basorun Ogunmola, and Sunmonu Apampa. As the Ekitiparapo war was coming to a conclusive end and camps were being broken up, the Ibadan leaders still planned to spend about two days in Ede to reconcile Lagunju and the people in the town but the colonial government aborted this. Johnson states:

With his deposition, Lagunju came to accept his fate as an exile in Ibadan and he lived as a guest of Sunmonu Apampa, the post-1893 Asipa of Ibadan. Successive Baales of Ibadan between 1893 and 1900: Fijabi, Osuntoki and Fajinmi were very kind and nice to him. Similarly, the Balogun of the period, Akintola, accorded him immense respect. However, in spite of the good treatment and respect accorded him by the Ibadan leaders, Lagunju still carried the prayers for his reinstatement to the Alaafin of Oyo, Adeyemi, his suzerain around 1894 or early 1895. Alaafin Adeyemi I was quite sympathetic to Lagunju and subsequently took up the matter with Captain Bower but without success. In fact, Adeyemi I clashed with Bower over the Lagunju case as Samuel Johnson testifies: Then came the clash with Oyo over the case of Lagunju the ex-Timi of Ede, who appealed to his Suzerian to exert his good offices to restore him to his posts. And again with the humiliation of lbadan leaders in 1894 and the military bombardment of Oyo in 1895, Lagunju came to accept that he had finally lost the battle for his reinstatement and a new era had dawned. Lagunju died in 1900. With his death, the Ede Muslims had lost a friend, a helper, a sympathiser, a leader and a Mujaddid.

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