HISTORY OF IBADAN PART 38: Balogun Ajayi Ogboriefon
We cannot do without mentioning this Balogun, because a lot was said about him and we have heard a lot about him, Elders claimed that after Balogun Ibikunle, no other Balogun in Ibadan is has been as great as Ajayi Ogboriefon, and if it happens that Ibadan is able to have someone like him again, the White men would have taken him away from us.
His name Ogboriefon was derived from his eulogy(Oriki), this eulogy was carved from an incident that involved him and also one of the great things he did, it happened that there use to be a man who is from Efon, he is a hunter, this man usually hides in the forest and use a big tree to shield himself, this man is being said to hide here and from there shoot at Ibadan people. The man was doing this for so long that nobody could go near the area or place the man is hiding, Ajayi Ogboriefon went inside this bush alone, before the man could make a move, Ajayi cut his head off. after doing this, he packed his weapons and started running away from the rest of Efon people so they don’t catch him, Since then they started calling him ”O gbe ori Efon sa Fila Fila” this eulogy is what became his name.
The elders also described what Ogboriefon did at the Esinnele war(Osiele war), in the middle of the war and the war was so hot and fierce, it was time for the Muslim prayer, and Aare couldn’t observe his prayer(salat), Balogun Ogboriefon took a plain cloth, held it at two ends and faced the enemies while using himself and the cloth to shield the Aare, he asked Aare Latoosa to continue his prayers, till he finished his prayers no gun nor gunshot came near him.
