Ilu Aje: Town of Witches in Oyo

Ilu Aje: Town of Witches

The moment one hears the name – “Ilu Aje” which literarily translates to mean “Town of Witches” – what naturally comes to mind is a scary place full of witches. Some people have even sworn never to visit the town out of fear for the indigenes as it has been said that every man in Ilu Aje is born of a witch and every woman in Ilu Aje is a witch.

Ilu Aje Local Government

Surprisingly, this is not true. In the real sense, Ilu Aje is a small town near Fiditi in the Afijio local government area of Oyo State, Nigeria.

A long time ago, the paramount ruler of the Oyo Kingdom, the Alaafin of Oyo was said to have had a beloved son in whom he was well pleased. However, the unexpected happened when the monarch’s beloved son went missing. Fear and grief enveloped the town, men, and women, old and young. People were awed in misery over the missing prince.

As a result of this incident, the chief priest, as well as herbalists from far and near, were called upon for solutions, however, the prince was not found. This made the queen heartbroken and left the king’s household in confusion.

In a bid to find the prince, the search continued. Hunters combed all the forests of Oyo Alaafin in search of the missing prince, the herbalists continued with their divinations but all to no avail. The prince remained missing.

According to history, after three months of searching every nook and cranny with no result, an old tattered herbalist approached the market square and asked for directions to the Alaafin’s palace. After much ado, he was led to the palace. Due to his tattered look, the protocol had restricted him entrance into the palace to see Alaafin. However, after getting approval from the monarch, he was led into the palace.

He introduced himself to Alaafin as Akinyolu, an herbalist from a remote and secluded part of the town, and had come to help the monarch find his missing son. He also told the king that he had lost his wife and children to a strange animal attack.

The chiefs were said to have laughed at him because other herbalists from saner climes had tried but they failed. Alaafin who seemed to be uninterested but in a bid not to be rude reluctantly asked him to go ahead with his divination.

Why is the town called Ilu Aje?

History has it that after Akinyolu had consulted his oracle, he assured Alaafin that his beloved son would return home. He asked that five chiefs be allowed to sit under a Shea butter tree at the eastern border of the town, seven days from when he made the divination. He asked the chiefs to dress in white and continuously clap rhythmically in unison, with an assurance that Alaafin’s son would approach them on the 21^st clap, to ask for water.

It was said that no one believed Akinyolu but in a bid to try him out, Alaafin ordered the chiefs to do what they were asked to and the prince was found exactly as he had said.

The elated monarch who was in awe was said to have asked: “Iru Babalawo adifaṣẹ bi ajẹ wo ni babalawo yii? Which translates to mean what sort of herbalist who makes divinations that comes through like a witch’s proclamation is this?”. The monarch thereafter asked about Akinyolu’s whereabouts and he was told that he had gone to the forest patch at the outskirts of Oyo.

According to history, Alaafin was said to have ordered that Akinyolu be clothed in fine apparel and be treated like the important guest he was. The monarch also graciously told Akinyolu to ask for whatever he wanted for compensation.

Akinyolu was said to have told Alaafin to allow him go back to his forest in peace. He also requested for slaves who would live with him in the forest. The monarch obliged. He gave Akinyolu gifts as well as instructed 30 of his slaves to join him on his journey back to the forest.

For a long time, when people want to describe the area where the herbalist lived, they would say “ilu adifaṣẹ bi ajẹ” which means the town of the one who divines with precision like a witch. With time, people omitted “adifase” and started calling the town – “Ilu Ajẹ”.

That was how the town got her name and Akinyolu, who was made the Baale of his old forest now a thriving town, ruled as the first Alaje of Ilu-Aje.