THE CELEBRATED BATTLE OF IKIRUN OTHERWISE CALLED—“THE JALUMI WAR”

The Are of Ibadan at this crisis hastily filled up one or two gaps in the ranks of the chiefs. Oranyan was worshipped on the 20th October and the standard of war immediately marched northwards to the seat of carnage. It was a most unfavourable time for the army to march out, as it was the time of the latter rains. The rivers were unusually full, and unhappily many of the soldiers found a watery grave in the overswollen Oba and Osun rivers before ever they came in sight of the enemy.

The expedition was altogether a trying one for the Balogun, for the Are even in this hour of danger recklessly continued to practise those short-sighted, suicidal policies of his which tended to weaken the power of Ibadan, thus showing a great lack of statesmanship. He slyly tried to handicap the Balogun by making the Osi his rival. To this young man already of considerable importance he assigned most of his own war-chiefs and his fighting slaves, and also all the fighting men of the late Seriki Iyapo his old rival. Intoxicated with such honours conferred upon him, the Osi looked down upon the Balogun; he not only refused to obey orders, but often dictated his wish to the Balogun.