INTRODUCTORY.

Afunja, having matured his plans, instigated an insurrection that met with some success. Oyo was besieged, and Arogangan, to avoid falling into his nephew's hands, committed suicide by poisoning. However, Afunja was unable to secure the throne because the elders of Oyo elected Adebo, the brother of Arogangan, as monarch. Afunja was forced to retire to Ilorin, where he maintained a semi-independent position. These events are believed to have taken place around 1807; it was also around this time that some of the Yoruba people pushed south and colonized Lagos. The first chief of Lagos was named Ashipa, and he is said to have belonged to the family of the Alafin.

Adebo reigned for only about four months and died suddenly, leading to the suspicion that he was poisoned. He was succeeded by Maku, who attempted to resist the Mohammedan tribes then pressing in from the north, but he was defeated in a major battle and committed suicide after a reign of only three months. An interregnum ensued, during which the Oba-shorun, or prime minister, held the reins of power. It was not until five years had passed that a new king, named Majotu, was elected. He reigned for about seven or eight years, committed suicide—tradition says because of the misbehavior of his son—and was succeeded by Amodo.