T

he traditional head of Ogbomoso is called the Soun. Soun came to the site where the town is today over three hundred and fifty years ago. At that time, the area was a dense forest, however, the area is now an open Savannah . Ogbomoso traditions insists that Soun was a great hunter of Bariba origin who Migrated Southward about 1659. The migration of Soun was consistent with the usual pattern of north-south movements that were common at that time.

A perusal of developments in Ogbomoso would reveal that the emergence of soun was not connected with the Olugbon or Aresa, if in particular, the general history of Yourubaland is taken into consideration. By 1650 when soun founded Ogbomoso, Iresa was in the Ibolo District of the old Oyo Kingdom , while Igbon was somewhere near Idofian and Elehinjare. Towards the end of the eighteenth century , Afonja who was the Area Onakakanfo, and who had been firmly established in Ilorin after his quarrel. With Ojo Agundandara, the son of Barosun Gaha, raided and destroyed many Villages, some of the Villages were Igbon, Iresa, Ganma, Elehinjare, Idofian, Ibare and many others. Consequent upon Afonja’s destruction of Igbon and Iresa, a descendant of Olugbon escaped to Ogbomoso, where he became a subject of the Baale of Ogbomoso while the Aresa and some of those captured along with him were settled in Ilorin .

During the region of Soun Odunaro (died 1860) two men who wanted to settle came to Ogbomosoland. They told Soun Odunaro that they were twins, although one was dark while the other light in complex. Soun Odunaro jocularly referred to the dark Complexioned one as Aresadudu and the other light one as Aresapupa; and he settled them at Ogbomoso. When they told Soun Odunaro that they wanted to farm, they were given farmlands which are known as Iresadu and Iresapa. The chiefs of the two places are known as Aresadu and Aresapa respectivity. It is therefore incorrect to assert that either the Olugbon or the Aresa of the old Oyo Kingdom had any blood relationship with the Soun.

Soun Ogunola was a great hunter who enjoyed hunting expeditions. In one of his hunting expeditions, he pitched his camp under the Ajagbon tree. The site of this tree became the centre of Ogbomoso town where the Ogbomoso Palace stands today. Not far from Soun’s Camp three other hunters had also established their camps. One of them was a Nupe elephant hunter who had his camp in a place known today in Ogbomoso as Oke-Elerin (Elephant Hill). Another was an Otta Prince who left his place because of chieftaincy dispute. His descendants became Baales of Ijeru. There was also another hunter who had his camp at Isapa. It is related that Soun Ogunola observed that these hunters were not far from his camp because of the smoke that came out of their fires. He later went to invite them to his camp. Ogunlola established his supremacy over these hunters because his wife was very good at preparing tobacco snuff and corn-wine which always attracted the tree hunters to his camp. Apart from that, disputes were always settled in Soun Ogunlola’s camp as the settlement became bigger.

Sojalumota