This September marks the 138 years of the end of Kiriji War, the civil strife in Yorubaland that lasted for 16 years. The author of this report recalls collections from old and young people who still hold on to thrilling stories relating to the military tactics and strategies of the ancient warriors.
It is now almost a century and a half that the Yoruba civil war ended.
No fewer than 400,000 soldiers participated in the war.
Though often conceived as Ibadan-Ekiti Parapo war, in reality the war involved almost all Yoruba sub-ethnic groups.
Prof Banji Akintoye, in his book, A History of the Yoruba, estimated that almost half a million soldiers took part in the civil war.
A section of Ijebu for instance supplied arms to Ekiti allied forces while a section of Yoruba in today's Togo and Benin Republic supported Ibadan.
Yet, Yoruba in today's Kogi State including pitched tents.
Akure, Ikale, Ilaje, Akoko-Edo and Itsekiri pitched their tents with Ekiti Parapo by offering tactical and strategic support.
The war also had class content.
Ibadan had become the most dominant military might in Sub-sahara Africa, taking over territories and seizing swath of land.
The Ibadan ruling class, which emerged in the late 17th century, had dominated and sought to dominate the Yoruba political economy to the envy and disdain of the working class and the masses who sought freedom and liberty.
Its class content was not in doubt: the rich, land owners against the masses, the armed against the defenceless, the military class against the business civilians, the haves against the have-nots.
In this piece, I devote a short treatise to the military tactics of ancient Yoruba warriors who had created an infantry school at Ibadan and Otun Ekiti; ballistic and research centre later surfaced at Okemesi; while Oyo maintained the headquarters for diplomatic affairs.
Ile Ife retained her power as the spiritual spring.
In 2011, I had the fortune on travelling across Yorubaland.
I met offspring of great warriors.
I met Latoosa and Ogedengbe in their sanctuaries.
I had extensive and investigative collections, some of which I intend to share.
One of the most interesting aspects of the 16-year civil war is the military strategy and tactics which, in my estimation, met the global standard of the time and would be useful to future military institutions if some of those tactics are not already in use.
Use of spies
In his book, The History of Yorubas, Rev Samuel Johnson reported the British sending 'spies' to the Yoruba battlefield.
Both sides were legendary in the use of spies. Ibadan was even more grandeur in its employment of beautiful women as spies.
They were sent to Ekiti territories as traders during the war with focal points on communities with renowned military commanders like Oke-Imesi, Ado Ekiti, Ido-Faboro, Ire Ekiti and Irele Ekiti where Palaake was thought to be a high ranking military officer with spiritual authority in the Ekiti Parapo Army. Some of these women allowed themselves to be captured and taken as wives. The term sex slaves only applied in Western lexicon.
Captured women were legitimately married by the Ekiti generals.
They had children and were treated as legal wives. Captain Caxton Banjo told me his great grandmother was one of the spies employed by Ibadan.
She was captured and taken to Ire Ekiti where she raised children after she had married a certain officer of middle rank as relayed to Capt. Banjo by his late grandmother.
The woman would visit the market places to meet other spies, posing as traders who would pass on military secrets to Ibadan.
In my own community, and in several Ekiti villages, the spies remain significant Oyo population who, after the war, had assimilated into Ekiti culture.
Their offspring still hold on to their tribal marks sustained over the years and from generation to generation.
Ekiti Parapo soldiers were said to have employed hunters and dogs as spies.
The hunters would go into the bush with their headlamps at midnight with their trained dogs that spied on Ibadan positions.
The hunters were trained to play neutrality claiming they were mere professionals.
They also offered bush meat and palm wine to soldiers in their camps who sometimes carelessly released vital information to the hunters.
Study of animals
This may be similar to Hindus who believe animals have souls.
Careful study of animals in war formation, mood of the enemy, weaponry, positions of the enemy was the science of war in the Yoruba primordial epoch.
A particular mewing of the night birds sent messages about the enemy waking at dawn, from distant camps; the whistle of small birds at twilight, an indication that the enemy is coming slowly from far off, sudden racing of the Turupu, a clear indication that the on-coming enemy is fortified with weapons and a large army.
The seagulls taking flight and perching on the shore was an indication that the enemies were considering assault through the sea.
Ibadan had a naval regiment which led to its victory in the Battle of Waterloo.
Ekiti had to organise its own navy in a string of successful counter attacks.
The fierce scramble of antelopes or leopards was an indication that the enemy was in trouble and may be retreating.
When dogs bark non-stop at midnight, the enemy was considering a night raid and also an indication that ghosts of death were hanging which may actually meant the soldiers were about to lose a multitude of fighters.
Sometimes, the dogs would cry like humans and even roll of the floor.
I was told this was a clear indication that the coming calamity would be difficult to overcome.
A group of birds charging in spiral movement into the sky was a clear indication that the enemies were in disarray, probably fighting among themselves.
The birds surging in one direction, from one nearby tree to the other, was an indication that the advancing enemy is weak.
But when the birds take full flight into the unknown was a clear indication that the enemy was approaching with a fury of vengeance, usually when they had lost some of their soldiers. There was a particular way the squirrel would shriek that soldiers would know a big snake was amidst.
Study of dogs
Dogs are the oldest and most loyal friends of mankind.
Dogs were designated as special guide angels on both sides.
The lead soldier, usually of the rank of a captain, among the Ekiti Allied Forces, was expected to latch a dog.
If the dog suddenly develops cold feet, flagging its tails, that was an indication that the battle would be lost and more people would die; but if the dog barked consistently, charging and trying to break loose from the guide, that was an indication that the battle would be bloody on both sides with heavy casualties.
If the dog wags its tail endlessly and playfully, it was an indication that the soldiers would crush the enemies decisively.
Pigeons as pathfinders
Before going to battle, the soldiers would gather a dozen pigeons.
Each would be released into the sky one after the order.
A tough battle would see the pigeons reluctant and cold while an easy-to-win battle would see the pigeons fly one after the other into the unknown space.
When the pigeons fly and perch on nearby trees, that was an indication that the commander of the battle would be killed, but then the pigeons perching right on the floor was an indication that many of the enemy soldiers would be buried.
When the pigeons refused to fly even when prodded, that was an indication that it was better the soldiers take flight from battle.
Place of plants in making war plans
Watching the response of plants and trees to the prevailing wind could send strong signals to intelligent Yoruba primordial Army that also ran an Intelligence Corps.
When roses suddenly bloom at dawn, the battle would be successful, but when they recoil, even as the sun rose, danger was ahead.
When elephant grasses are downcast, that was an indication that the enemies had only recently passed through the same spot; when the grasses are solemn, it was an indication that the enemies had not being through the pathway.
One old man in his 90s at Itapaji Ekiti told me that Iroko trees were believed to possess some powers and usually appeased by soldiers before going to war.
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When the Iroko tree stood still, the battle would be lost; when it is radiant, dancing to the wind, the prospect of victory was high; when the dance was occasional, punctuated by sudden dances of the thick and light stem, the battle would be undecided for both parties.
Trees were also used as listening (day) and watching posts (night).
But both sides would employ decoy to deceive the enemy.
The tactics of both parties were dynamic as each saw rise and fall in fortunes during the 16-year war.
It is unfortunate that the full history and the majesty of the Kiriji War is yet to be fully documented. Africans must learn to tell their own history and our own civilisation portrayed to the world.
I worked hard to have the South West States establish a Yoruba Museum of War History.
We began with the stage performance of Kiriji in Ekiti State which drew the likes of Dele Odule, Kanran, Oodua and many great Nollywood artistes to Ekiti in a 3-day all night performance that saw the halls filled to the brim.
The current Latoosa, Fabunmi of Okemesi and Ogedengbe of Ilesa also attended with their retinue to aides and traditional warriors.
The play was directed by one of Africa's greatest artistes, Mr Abiodun Abe, who succeeded the late Herbert Ogunde as leader of the Nigerian National Troupe.
Two former Governors of Ekiti and Osun, Dr Kayode Fayemi and Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, were enthusiastic about the project.
They even made contacts with their contemporaries. But other state governors at that time were reluctant which stunted the project.
But it is never too late.
I still nurse the idea of a Yoruba Museum of War History which, in itself, should generate revenue and enhance the pride of Yoruba civilisation.
No doubt, there is universality in military tactics of great nations.
Little wonder that some of the recollections, from generations, are similar to the Chinese tactics of war in the ancient times as recorded by Sun Tzu. In my opinion, the use of animate and inanimate elements in war formations by Yoruba ancient warriors is far deeper than that of the Chinese.
· Adeoye, a CNN Award winning journalist, lives in Lagos
