Aláhoro Factor in the New Ọyọ History

Abstract

Scholarly analyses of the collapse of the Òyó Empire and the foundation of New Òyó have largely overlooked the Aláhoro factor, making its role in New Òyó's emergence an understudied area of history. This article examines the status of Aláhoro within the context of New Òyó history and explores the rationale for the integration of the Aláhoro towns. It interrogates the methods of this integration, highlighting the socio-economic contributions of the Aláhoro towns to the development of New Òyó. Adopting a historical methodology, the study relies on both primary and secondary data. Primary sources include oral accounts collected from representatives of the Aláhoro quarters, while secondary data are sourced from court proceedings, government documents, books, and journals on Òyó history. Findings reveal that, contrary to claims of forced annexation or conquest (e.g., by Johnson), the Aláhoro towns were integrated into New Òyó primarily through persuasion.