Ipetumodu was founded by the warriors Obatala and Orunmila (both are contemporaries of Oduduwa).

Ipetumodu was founded by the warriors Obatala and Orunmila (both are contemporaries of Oduduwa).They came from Ile-Ife to settle near Shasha River. Their group fought and drove away the Igbo aborigines of Ile-Ife who left their original homeland to settle near the river isasa in Ipetumodu from where they came to invade Ile-Ife.[5] But the Igbo pleaded with them not to trouble them or drive them away from their new abode. Obatala was named "Oseremaigbo" while Orunmila was named "Barapetu".In spite of their pleading by the igbo, they were finally driven out of the Ipetumodu.

Orunmila and Obatala later left Ipetumodu for Ile-Ife, but left Akalako the son of Obatala in the city.Akalako then became the first king of the city.

Ipetumodu and the Nineteen Century Yoruba War

edit

During the Owu War (1812-1822), Isope and Iwaro, two Ipetumodu villages, were attacked thereby causing the Exodus of many people. It was after the war that the two villages were rebuilt. Ipetumodu witnessed the arrival of large number of war refugees from Apomu during the Gbanamu war.The refugees deserted their town in order to escape the impending invasion by the Ibadan army. The people of Ipetumodu repelled most of the military advances of the Ibadan into their territory.

Hukuhuku war

edit

Between 1839 and 1848, Ipetumodu had its own share of the Fulani attack on Yorubaland. A Mohammedan at Iwo called Mohomi invited the Fulanis of Ilorin to extend their conquest to the towns of Eastern districts of Yorubaland.The Fulani secretly entered ipetumodu from Osogbo end and succeeded in killing several people including the military head of Ipetumodu, balogun Adewusi. So tough was the invasion that the reigning Apetumodu, Oba Folasade Ajiga, with many chiefs and families fled to Ile-Ife for safety.He died in Ile-Ife in 1842. It was Lafiani popular known as “Arakatampo pa Hukuhuku” (He who used crossbows to kill Hukuhuku) that led the remnants of the Ipetumodu warriors to dislodge the Fulani marauders from Ipetumodu.After the Fulani marauders were dislodged from Ipetumodu, Oba Olakanmi Okoro Giesi succeeded Oba Folashade Ajiga as the Apetumodu and he was responsible for the reconstruction of the war-ravaged town.

 The 1886 peace treaty initiated by the British to put an end to the Yoruba civil strife also had some traumatic effects on Ipetumodu. The treaty had stipulated that Modakeke, who had been at constant wars with their fellow Ife host, would be resettled temporarily in Ipetumodu, Moro and Edunabon and other Origbo towns before their final resettlement by the Osun-Odo Oba confluence between Iwo and Ibadan.

The British authorities however, failed to implement the treaty to the letter early enough and on 27 March 1909, some Modakeke refugees settled in Owu Ipole, Gbongan, Edunabon, Ede, Lasole and Akanle while many others led by the reigning Ogunsua settled in Ode Omu (which was Originally part of the farmland of Ipetumodu people). On Sunday, 18 July 1909, the Modakekes suddenly and surreptitiously displaced the Ipetumodu farmers who had gone to celebrate the annual "Egungun festival" from their farms.

The British authorities later endorsed the permanent settlement of Modakeke refugees on Ipetumodu land without any compensation.