Rẹ́mọ, Ṣàgámù, Ìkọ̀rọdú, Èpé and Badagry
The Ìjẹ̀bú-derived towns of the northwest and the lagoon, the 1872 assembly that made Ṣàgámù out of thirteen towns, and Badagry's slave-trade and mission history.
Di town dem inside dis file share origin from Ìjẹ̀bú and location on top di lagoon and di routes from am, and dem differ from each other well well for how dem dey relate with Ìjẹ̀bú-Òde. Rẹ́mọ don claim say dem dey independent from di Awùjalẹ̀ for as long as record reach, Ìjẹ̀bú-Ìgbó dey operate under im paramountcy, and Ìkọ̀rọdú and Èpé come end up inside Lagos State and therefore dey inside different administrative world from di two of dem. Badagry no be Ìjẹ̀bú at all; e dey here because e belong with di coastal town dem and because im history na di Atlantic one.
Rẹ́mọ and Ṣàgámù
Di Akárigbò of Rẹ́moland na di paramount ruler of di thirty-three town dem wey make up di Rẹ́mọ kingdom for Ògùn State, with Ṣàgámù as di capital .
Di 1872 gathering
Ṣàgámù na town wey dem form together, and di making get proper record and e recent. Thirteen out of di thirty-three Rẹ́mọ town dem gather together for Ṣàgámù inside 1872 for better security . Dem na Offin, where di palace of di Akárigbò dey, plus Makun, Sonyindo, Epe, Ibido, Igbepa, Ado, Oko, Ipoji, Batoro, Ijoku, Latawa and Ijagba .
Wetin drive am na di internal war dem wey happen after di collapse of Ọ̀yọ́, plus slave raiding and di Abẹ́òkúta and Dahomey conflicts, and di Akárigbò establish Ṣàgámù as refuge for people wey run commot from di north and west . Di twelfth Akárigbò, Faranpojo, move di capital go another place during dat war period .
Di thirteen constituent town dem no dissolve. Dem still remain as quarters wey get name inside Ṣàgámù, each with im own chief dem and im own identity, wey make Ṣàgámù resemble Abẹ́òkúta for structure: nineteenth-century security joining together wey still keep im parts. Dis na di standard Yoruba response to di war dem of dat century, and na why plenty big Yoruba town dem be federation of quarters instead of settlement wey just grow on im own.
Di status dispute question
Whether Rẹ́mọ na part of Ìjẹ̀bú or separate kingdom na live dispute and di two positions dey on record.
Di Rẹ́mọ autonomy claim hold say people wey trace ancestry go Iremo inside Ilé-Ifẹ̀ establish Rẹ́moland for mid-fifteenth century, say di region get im own kingdom structure by early sixteenth century, and say even though e share strong cultural similarities with di Ìjẹ̀bú kingdom, di Rẹ́mọ maintain separate political identity and historically no consider themselves under Ìjẹ̀bú rule .
Di Ìjẹ̀bú-derivation claim hold say di ọba of Rẹ́mọ don dey exist since di founding of di Ìjẹ̀bú kingdom by Ọbanta and di arrival of Prince Akárigbò inside di western area of dat kingdom around early sixteenth century , and dem regard di Awùjalẹ̀ as paramount over every town wey originally be Ìjẹ̀bú domain .
Dem never reconcile di two positions anywhere inside di accessible sources. Dis na status dispute wey get present consequences for protocol and precedence, no be just historiographical disagreement, and make dem report am as something wey never settle. How colonial administration handle di relationship na wetin scholars sef don study .
Ruling houses and current status
Four families wey descend from di sons of di first Akárigbò qualify for di throne, and di documented lineage names wey dem give na Aderan, Debolu, Gbelu, Lokusade, Anoko and Odumena, wey be six names for four families and e dey inconsistent inside di source . Report di inconsistency instead of trying to resolve am.
Di current holder na Ọba Babátúndé Adéwálé Ajayi, Torungbuwa II, nineteenth Akárigbò, wey dem install on 7 December 2017 .
Ṣàgámù na city and local government area inside Ògùn State with 253,412 people during di 2006 census, centre for cement production based on local limestone deposits, and di biggest kola-nut collection centre inside Nigeria, wey dey along di routes between Lagos and Ìbàdàn . Di kola trade na di older economic base and e connect Rẹ́mọ directly to northern Nigerian and trans-Saharan markets, where kola from dis forest zone don be di main southern export for centuries.
Ìjẹ̀bú-Ìgbó
Di founding tradition na about person wey refuse succession. One prince from near present-day Ìjẹ̀bú-Òde, skilled hunter wey im name na Onayelu, dey hunt when im father die and im younger brother take di throne; e choose say e no go return con settle permanently inside im hunting grounds, wey later become Ìjẹ̀bú-Ìgbó .
Di ruler na di Orímọlùṣì of Ìjẹ̀bú-Ìgbó, wey dey rule over territory wey spread across four local government areas and ten local council development areas inside Ògùn State, wey dem describe as di largest kingdom inside di state by land mass with pass three hundred villages . Di town get five clans: Oke-Sopin, Oke-Agbo, Ojowo, Atikori and Japara, each with im own ọba, and all of dem dey submit to di Orímọlùṣì .
Ifẹ̀ tradition mention di Orímọlùṣì as founder wey come out from di Òkèrewè quarter of Ilé-Ifẹ̀, wey dey stand beside instead of against di Ìjẹ̀bú-prince account, and e be good example of how two towns fit each hold origin story for di same title without any of dem clearly wrong.
Di Orímọlùṣì dey operate inside di Awùjalẹ̀'s paramountcy over Ìjẹ̀bú domains .
Ìkọ̀rọdú
Ìkọ̀rọdú na city and local government area inside Lagos State, about thirty-seven kilometres northeast of Lagos on top di Lagos lagoon, di twelfth largest city inside Nigeria with over one million inhabitants and projection of 1.7 million by 2035 .
Di indigenous settlers migrate from Ṣàgámù and parts of Ìjẹ̀bú inside present-day Ògùn State, and di Yoruba wey dem dey speak there na di Ìjẹ̀bú dialect . Di ruler title na Ayangburen.
Di tori of how dem take found di place scatter inside di sources wey dey available, and na to report di confusion instead of trying to make am smooth. Tori talk say di settlement grow under Oga Lasunwon, wey one account describe as one single person, prince from Akárigbò family line, and another account describe as two people: Oga, crowned prince of Rẹ́mọ and pikin of Kuyelu, descendant of Akárigbò of Ìjẹ̀bú-Rẹ́mọ from Orile Offin Ṣàgámù, and Lasunwon, wey Olisa Rebugbawa, di first Olisa, install as di first Olója of Ìkọ̀rọdú after Oga die . Di Ìkọ̀rọdú Oga statue dey remember Oga . Make una also note say di first title wey dem record na Olója, and Ayangburen na di title wey dem come dey use later for paramount ruler; di exact time wey di change happen no dey clear inside di sources wey dey available.
Di Palace of the Ayangburen na site wey dem document , and di festival of di town na Odun-Osu .
Dem re-organise Ìkọ̀rọdú for 2003 into five local council development areas: Imota, Igbogbo/Bayeku, Ijede, Ikorodu North and Ikorodu West, along with di main local government area . Na there Caleb University dey, wey be di first private university for Lagos State, and di Imota rice mill wey open for 2021 with capacity to produce 2.8 million fifty-kilogram bags every year .
Èpé
Èpé na city and local government area for Lagos State wey dey north side of Lekki lagoon, about ninety kilometres from Ìbàdàn, with 181,409 people according to di 2006 census and around 269,000 for 2022 .
Di tori of how dem take start di town talk say one hunter wey dem dey call Uraka go hunting expedition come settle for Oko-Eepe, wey mean forest of black ants, na from there di name come out, and e still get connection to Peeta wey be Uraka wife; by 1810 Èpé don turn fairly big town . Di traditional ruler na di Olója of Èpé, wey be Ọba Kamorudeen Ishola Animashaun right now.
Di second time wey dem establish Èpé get connection with Lagos. For 1851, after British bombardment push am commot, Ọba Kòṣọ́kọ́ of Lagos run go take refuge for Èpé with more than fifteen hundred followers . As e dey there, e bring Islam enter di area, many of im warriors convert, and di Muslim communities wey dem start still dey till today .
Di way Èpé take divide into Ìjẹ̀bú quarter and Èkó quarter wey many people know, with di second one coming from Kòṣọ́kọ́'s Lagos followers, na wetin dat history show well well and na wetin people for di area dey talk, but di sources wey dem consult for here no talk am clear-clear. Make una treat di division as wetin local people agree to, and see di written source as something wey weak.
Badagry
Badagry na town wey dey beside Atlantic ocean and im history na di hardest for this section.
Names. Badagry or Badagri; Gbagli for Gun. E be like say di name come from Gbede:gli:me, meaning inside blacksmith wall, for Gbe languages, wey dey refer to one early settler wey im name na Agbede wey plant okro .
Population and origins. Di first set of people wey stay there include Àwórì groups from Ilé-Ifẹ̀ together with people wey run commot from their places, mainly Ogu, Ewe and Ọ̀yọ́ Yoruba, and Robin Law describe di settlement as place wey displaced people from different ethnic groups come resettle . Di migrants organize themselves into eight wards, each with traditional leadership wey dey stand on im own .
So Badagry no be Yoruba town di way Ìjẹ̀bú-Òde be. Na mixed coastal settlement wey Yoruba, Ogu (Egun) and Ewe people all get strong ground, and Ogu culture, including di Zangbeto masquerade wey dem historically dey use for community security and to settle dispute, na big part of di life there .
Ruler and wards. Di Akran of Badagry. Di eight quarters na Jegba, wey be di ruling house of di Akran, plus Asago, Ganho, Posuko, Boeko, Ahoviko, Ahwanjigo and Wharakoh, and each of dem get chiefs wey dey stand on their own . Ọba Babátúndé Akran, De Wheno Aholu Menu-Toyi I, wey dem born for 1936, former journalist, climb throne on 23 April 1977 and serve as permanent vice-chairman of Lagos State Council of Ọba and Chiefs; e die for January 2026 after forty-eight years on top throne . Di age wey e die no dey consistent for reports, as some talk say na eighty-nine and some say na ninety , and di person wey go take over from am no show for di sources wey dem consult for here.
The trade. From 1736, one European trader, wey fit be Dutch merchant Hendrik Hertogh, establish trading post and Badagry turn commercial hub, wey dey work like middleman port for smaller scale pass Ouidah or Bonny; by 1865, about eight hundred slaves na dem dey ship commot from Badagry every year .
The Vlekete market. Tori talk say dem establish di Vlekete or Velekete slave market for 1502 and name am after Vlekete deity, goddess of ocean and wind, and dem describe am as one of di slave markets wey get people pass for West Africa, wey dey open for business every two days with report say dem dey sell no less than nine hundred people every week, wey dem auction for iron bars, mirrors, cotton, dry gin, whiskey, cannon, gunpowder, guns and different kinds of hot drinks .
Two warnings dey on top those numbers. Di 1502 date and di nine-hundred-a-week number come from Nigerian sources wey focus on tourism, plenty people don repeat dem, and academic literature wey dem check no support dem; make una present dem as claims instead of proven facts. Di 1502 date especially no match well with di 1736 date when European trading start and with how di timeline of Bight of Benin trade take happen generally, wey come heavy only for later seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
The Point of No Return. For Gberefu Island, one cenotaph mark di exact point wey enslaved people stand last on top African soil . Dem move captives from di market go barracoon, holding cell, before dem ship dem pass di Point . Local belief talk say if captives drink water from one well wey dey there, e dey make dem forget their past life . Museums along Marina Road dey display shackles, chains and drinking vessels .
Di heritage site na real thing and di physical objects na real things. Di tori wey dem join with am for tourism presentation don solidify into one fixed style, and make reader try separate di actual site from di tori wey dem dey tell about am small.
Di mission. Di first Christian missionary dem for Nigeria, Thomas Birch Freeman for Wesleyan Methodists and Henry Townsend for CMS, land for 1842 . Na under Agia tree for Badagry Freeman and Townsend first preach Christianity on 24 September 1842; di tree tall reach one hundred and sixty feet and e round reach thirty feet . Dem build di First Storey Building in Nigeria between 1842 and 1845, majorly na Townsend build am, make e be vicarage for di Anglican church, and na there Samuel Àjàyí Crowther work on im Bible translation .
Di tori dem about Christmas get contradiction. One source talk say di first Christmas wey dem celebrate for Nigeria happen for Badagry on 25 December 1842 ; another source talk say Freeman reach Abẹ́òkúta on 11 December 1843, come return go Badagry on 24 December go celebrate Christmas with Townsend for there . Dem also record say Methodist missionaries arrive around 1837, preach under one Agia tree before dem build bamboo church . Make person treat 24 September 1842 as di preaching date wey get proof pass, and treat di Christmas claim dem as wetin people dey drag over.
About di Brazilian connection. No documented Agùdà history, dat is people wey return from Brazil, wey particular to Badagry wey dem fit verify from di source dem wey dem check. Di Agùdà community dem wey get proper document dey for Lagos Island and Porto-Novo, and di way dem dey frame Badagry return-diaspora today dey pass through di Fourth Door of Return heritage programme, instead of one historic returnee quarter . Make nobody claim say Agùdà dey Badagry unless more source dey to back am up.
Current status. City and local government area for Lagos State wey get 241,093 people for di 2006 census, wey depend on fishing, trade and tourism for dem economy, with plan to get extra seaport make e reduce Lagos congestion, and annual Badagry Festival .