Ogedengbe of Ilesa

Ogedengbe of Ilesa (1822-1910; born Orisarayibi Ogundamola), also known as Ogedengbe Agbogungboro, or Ogedengbe Agbógun Gbórò, was a Yoruba chief and warlord in present-day Nigeria who served as the Seriki (commander-in-chief) during the Kiriji War (1877-1893) against Ibadan.
He was born to Apasan Borijiwa and Juola Orisatomi in the small village of Atori, near Ilesha. According to oral tradition, a babalawo in 1822 predicted that a boy would be born on "Isegun Day" and liberate the Ijesa people from foreign domination. Ogedengbe was the only boy who was born on that day.
In 1864, he was captured while defending Ilara against Ibadan. He escaped after receiving training from the Ibadan warrior Bada Aki-Iko. He was captured again during the Igbajo War of 1897 but also escaped again. These two incidents trained him in military strategy. When an Ijesa chief named Okanle Ariysasunla allegedly leaked military secrets to Ibadan, Ogedengbe led his warriors to chase him out of Ilesha, and he became a hero. In 1878, Ogedengbe attacked Idoani. He was only able to crush Idoani and return to Itaogbolu, later in 1879 after he lost several of his army at the battle.
After the start of the Kiriji War, the army of the Ekiti-Parapo confederacy was formed in 1878 to lead an attack against Ibadan. Ogedengbe cancelled his trip to the Kingdom of Benin to lead the army at the request of war leaders, despite his initial reluctance. When Ogedengbe arrived at the base, he was greeted with cheers and ovations, and Prince Fabunmi voluntarily stepped down for Ogedengbe. During the war, he helped liberate northeastern Yoruba districts from the domination of Ibadan. After the 1886 treaty, he retreated with his troops to Imesi village until a conflict between Ibadan and Ilorin occurred in 1893. His band of warriors participated in the raiding of local farms and civilians, which resulted in a warning from British Captain R.L. Bower, who served as the Resident of Ibadan and political officer of Lagos Colony.
In 1894, Captain Bower arrested Ogedengbe and imprisoned him in Ibadan. When the authorities of Ilesha protested against the location of his imprisonment, he was transferred to Iwo. After some consultations, the colonial governor Gilbert Thomas Carter freed Ogedengbe when the Owa of Ilesa Fredrick Kúmókụn Adédeji Haastrup paid a fine of 6,000 British pounds for his release. In 1898, Ogedengbe was granted the chieftaincy title Obanla to honour his performance during the Kiriji War. He died in 1910. The colonial government of Nigeria commissioned a sculpture named the Ogedengbe Staff in 1934 to commemorate him, and it was placed outside Owa's Palace at Ilesa. Locations in modern-day Ilesa are named after him, such as Ogedengbe Memorial School.