THE YORUBA-SPEAKING PEOPLES.

In the days of Ajagbo, the kingdom of Yoruba consisted of the following four states:

(1) Yoruba proper, whose capital, Old Oyo, or Katunga, was situated about ninety miles north of the present town of Oyo. The king of this state, whose title was Alafin or Alawofin (literally, “One who owns the entry to the palace”), was the ruler over all the Yoruba-speaking tribes.

(2) Egba, which lay to the south and west of the kingdom mentioned above. Its chief town was Ake, and from it the chief took his title of Alake (“One who owns Ake”).

(3) Ketu. This was then, as it is now, the western province. Its capital was Ketu, and from it the chief took his title of Alaketu (“One who owns Ketu”).

(4) Jebu, which lay south and east of Yoruba proper. It was divided into Jebu Remu and Jebu Ode, each having its own chief, but the ruler of the latter, called the Awujale, was considered the chief of the whole.

The rulers of Yoruba, Egba, and Ketu addressed one another as “brother.”

Ajagbo was succeeded by Abiodun, who is said to have enjoyed a long and peaceful reign; therefore, the reign of his brother and successor, Arogangan, could scarcely have begun before 1800. It was during the reign of Arogangan that the Yoruba kingdom began to disintegrate. The Fulas The Fula people, often associated with the spread of Islam in this region. had apparently overrun the territory of the Hausas, and the latter, driven southward, sought refuge in the northern provinces of Yoruba. Arogangan had appointed his nephew, Afunja, governor of Ilorin, the north-eastern province, which contained a large number of Hausa refugees. Afunja, being ambitious, conceived the plan of utilizing the Hausas to dethrone his uncle and make himself Alafin.