According to an exclusive interview with Edmund Obilo on August 27, 2025, renowned historian Niyi Aborisade illuminated the critical role of Balogun Oderinlo in safeguarding Yorubaland from Fulani conquest during the turbulent period following the fall of the Oyo Empire.
Aborisade emphasized that without Oderinlo’s leadership, the Sokoto Caliphate’s jihadists might have subjugated Yorubaland, mirroring their dominance over the Hausa states in northern Nigeria.
Aborisade explained that the Fulani had long harbored ambitions to conquer Yoruba territories.
He highlighted the betrayal of Afonja, a prominent Yoruba leader, as a pivotal moment that nearly cost the Yoruba their sovereignty.
According to Aborisade, Afonja’s trust in the Fulani, influenced by their religious projections, led him to accommodate them, inadvertently weakening Yoruba defenses.
This trust, Aborisade argued, stemmed from Afonja’s fallout with the Alaafin of Oyo, which created a rift that the Fulani exploited.
The historian recounted how Afonja’s alliance with the Fulani backfired, as they betrayed him, seizing the opportunity to advance their jihadist agenda.
However, Balogun Oderinlo emerged as a formidable force, rallying Yoruba forces to decisively halt the Fulani advance.
Aborisade noted that Oderinlo’s military prowess and strategic leadership were instrumental in preventing the Fulani from establishing dominion over Yorubaland, as they had done in the north.
In his words, “The Fulani, they always had intention of conquering all the Yoruba land and without Balogun Oderinlo, they would have been ruling us. The way they did in northern part of Nigeria, the Hausas were conquered. They betrayed Afonja. Afonja trusted them because they projected themselves with their religion, and he allowed them. He accommodated these people. He may have betrayed the Yorubas because of what happened between Alaafin of OYO and Afonja.”
