The Origin of Ede and Timi Agbale Olofa-Ina
It is necessary to realise from the outset that the foundation of Ede cannot be accurately dated because of the lack of written records. But it would seem that Ede was founded in the reign of King Sango of Oyo. There are historians of the Yoruba who deny this, but authentic tradition both handed down orally and traceable in the Sango festival rites shows that Ede must have been founded during the reign of King Sango.
Sango had many nobles who formed his bodyguard and the core of his army, and the foundation of Ede started with a conflict between two of these Eso's. Their names were Agbale-Olofa-Ina, and Gbonka Ebiri. The former was given the cognomen, Olofa-Ina, because he was an expert archer, who used to shoot his arrows with such force that they used to produce sparks of fire. Gbonka Ebiri, besides being a good soldier, had great knowledge of magical medicines. These two amassed so much power that king Sango found it difficult to control them. Not only that, Sango was so much afraid of them that he wanted them killed or banished from Oyo. For this purpose he called his Council together and asked them how he might get rid of these two unmanageable nobles.
The Council advised that the two must be separated. Agbale-Olofa-Ina, who was more dreaded was to be sent on a mission that would lead to his death. Sango did not know where to send him, but the Council reminded him of the Ijesa raiders who had constituted themselves pirates robbing peaceful travellers and traders from Ara and Awo to and from Oyo and Apomu. If the king would send Agbale to some spot, midway between Ara and Awo, it was sure that these Ijesa raiders would soon get rid of him, and since Sango was the king of the Yoruba, he could hide behind the fact that he merely �wanted to protect his subjects at Ara and Awo. The king took the advice and sent Agbale away after he had paid glowing tribute to him.
Agbale swallowed the bait without knowing the underlying motives of his being given this important commission. The following day, he collected his army and left Oyo on the king's mission. He paid scrupulous attention to king's orders and stayed exactly midway between Ara and Awo. The site was verging on grassland soo much that deciduous forest and Savannaland were intermixed. His followers pressed that they would like to stay either in purely Savannaland or purel; but Agbale refused and told them that the king's orders were that he should settle midway between Ara and Awo, and that's where he would settle no matter what was there—grassland, deciduous forest, evergreen forest or whatever. The most common tree in the area was the "Ede" tree, the rook; of which were used for teeth cleaning. It was these trees that the town Ede got its name, for everyone referred to it as settlement in the Ede bush.
Soon, after Agbale's settlement, his army so effectively patrolled the road that traders and
travellers from Awo and Ara to and from Oyo and Apomu became safe and had nothing to fear from the Ijesa robbers. Life became safe to the extent that an unarmed woman had nothing to fear, and peace reigned in the area. This ability of Agbale to curb the Ijesa brought the whole villages to Ede to settle under his protection. That was how Ede started to grow.
When conditions became settled, Agbale asked from the Alafin permission, to collect a toll of 5 cowries per head on all traders passing through his territories (cowries were the units of currency during that period). The Alafin granted the request. Agbale turned his attention to administrative matters both in Ede and in the surrounding villages especially at Ara and Awo. He judge all minor cases but appeals, and cases involving capital punishment were sent to the Alafin at Oyo.
For some time Agbale sent part of the tolls collected to the Alafin as proof of his loyalty and sign of dependence on the king. After some time however, he started to think �that since he was practically an exile, no longer enjoying city life, he would compensate himself by keeping to himself all he collected from these tolls. He therefore stopped sending anything to Alafin. When King Sango, the Alafin, did not see the usual tribute from Agbale he sent one of his messengers called "T'obalagbo" to ask Agbale, the Elede,
why he had not sent his annual tribute.
The Alafin further commanded T'obalaji to bring the tribute back. But Agbale, the Elede, refused to pay any more tribute and told the messenger exactly why he had refused. The messenger went back and told king Sango the result of his mission. Sango was enranged and sent a small force to Ede to press Agbale to pay his annual tribute. Agbale would not be compelled by this show of force and he refused to pay. The force returned empty handed. Then Sango collected a fairly sizeble army and sent it to Ede to bring Agbale in captive to Oyo, but Agbale had no difficulty in driving the king's force back.
This was shameful enough for the imperial forces. But more than that, The Alafin realised that if Agbale, the Elede could successfully refused to pay any more tribute to the Alafin, other might follow his example, and soon the Alafin would lose his sway and his money. Elede's action, if allowed to pass, might in fact be a signal for civil rebellion. One more thing worried King Sango, Agbale had keen sent to Ede where it was thought he might be killed by the Ijesa in which case the king would no more have to reckon with him.
But instead of being killed, Agbale had made himself stationed in the Eastern part of the kingdom, and was getting rich fast on the tolls he is collecting. Not only that, he was asserting his independence and the kings attempts to bring him back to obedience had failed. King Sango then summoned his Council and asked them for advice to do with Agbale. The Council thought that a nice opportunity had come for one of the two overmighty subject of the king to be got rid of. They advised that Gbonka Ebiri, the other wild fighter-noble, member of the king's body guard, and a close friend of Agbale should be dispatched with a weak army to light Agbale at Ede.
King Sango then called Gbonka, told him how insolent Agbale had become, and asked him to bring Agbale back to his allegiance. At the same time King Sango secretly �instructed the army not to fight wholeheartedly but to fight in such a way as to allow Gbonka to be killed in the battle. Without knowing these secret orders, Gbonka took his army and set out on the king's mission. On reaching Ede, he declared war on Agbale. Agbale was surprised to see his best friend turned his enemy, but lost no time in collecting his own forces and joining the battle.
In the first and second encounters, the Ede forces drove back the Oyo forces. Gbonka, the leader of the Oyo forces perceived that his army was planning to have him trapped and killed. He therefore suggested that the battle should be decided by a direct encounter between the two opposing captains. His suggestion was adopted and the armies gathered on opposite sides to watch the duel. Agbale, the captain of Ede forces shot his arrow at him but missed. Gbonka then cast a spell on Agbale who fell asleep, was bound hand and foot and taken to King Sango at Oyo. King Sango thanked Gbonka for a good job well done, but inwardly was not happy at the result of the battle. He called his Council again and told them what had happened. He had wanted one of the leaders killed and possibly the other to remain a virtual exile. Instead, they both were back at Oyo, hale and hearty. What was he to do? The Council advised that the king should express some doubt on how Agbale could have been bound hand and foot and brought to Oyo like a simpleton, and ask the two captains to repeat the battle at Akesan Market in Oyo, in the presence of the Council and the populace. The king did as he was advised, and commanded the two captains to fight in his presence how they fought in his absence.
They both obeyed, but Gbonka saw through the ruse. They did in Akesan market exactly what they did at Ede. Agbale shot his arrow but missed, Gbonka cast a spell on Agbale who again fell asleep. Gbonka enraged there and then beheaded Agbale. That was how the founder of Ede died. The king and his Councillors were happy for they had at least got rid of one of the overmighty subjects. But more was to happen, for King Sango himself was later forced to abdicate and commit suicide.
When Gbonka realised that what the king wanted was to get rid of him, he sent to the king, after killing Agbale, that the king must either die or abdicate and be exiled. He �further boasted that no forces in Oyo, natural or supernatural, could kill him, and if the king wanted to disprove it, he should cause a huge fire to be made, as huge as any fire could be, and should command that all sorts of fuels, should be poured in it to give it additional strength then the king should command him, Gbonka, be thrown into that fire.
The king accepted the challenge, confident that this would be the end of his second overmighty subject. A tremendous fire was made and Gbonka was thrown into it, When everything had burnt to ashes, (Gbonka included, it was thought) the king's friends started to congratulate him on getting rid of his two powerful enemies. While they were thus rejoicing, messages came to the king that Gbonka was out in the streets dancing. Gbonka was in fact coming to the palace and soon he came. He then re-iterated his former ultimatum that the king must abdicate or die and that, if within five days the king did not do either, he Gbonka would drive him out of the town with stones. (This was why, when later Sango became deified, he was worshipped every five days on what was called "Jakuta's" day), King Sango was however not going to allow himself to be stoned out of his capital, so he decided to go on a voluntary exile.
But to his surprise, most of his friends, family and dependants forsook him. That was too much to be borne, so he committed suicide by hanging himself on an Ayan tree just outside the city gate.
Gbonka himself then disappeared from history and nothing was known of him until recently, when it was claimed that he founded a small village called Orile Osupa where his descendants continued to be the Bale until the village was destroyed by the Fulani and the remnants came to Ogbomoso where Gbonka's descendants continue to be the Bale of Oke-Osupa.
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