Re-thinking Traditions of Origin and State Formation in Ikorodu up to 1894

Abstract

As is the case with most towns in Yorubaland, the tradition of origin and migration stories of the coastal community of Ikorodu is shrouded in controversy, making it difficult for historians to categorically state its origin.  As a result, historians have not yet concretised their views about the possible place of origin of the Ikorodu people. While efforts have been made to make meaningful deductions from a large body of oral data, findings from such efforts have led to several versions of how the community and her people came into existence. Extant literature on the tradition of origin of Ikorodu focused on one version over the other. The state formation of the community has not received quality attention from scholars, a situation which has created a vacuum in the historiography of Ikorodu’s history. This paper interrogates the various versions of the traditions of origin of Ikorodu. It draws inferences to settle certain fundamental historical issues. It examines the formation of the state up to 1894, when Ikorodu was ceded to the British, and highlights the features of state formation before the period. This paper adopts a simple historical narrative method, relying on information from in-depth interviews, archived materials and secondary sources. The paper concludes that Ikorodu community had long established structures of state and evolved its own mechanism of governance before the coming of the British.