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A recent biographical tribute penned by Professor Abubakar Imam Ali-Agan about his father, Shaykh Imam Ya’qub Ali-Agan, the current Sarkin Malamai of Ilorin and Imam of the Aliagan Mosque, has ignited a robust historical rejoinder from the descendants of the Magaji Aliagan family.

The rejoinder, titled “Between Historical Facts and Fallacies,” challenges several claims made in the professor’s 69-paragraph write-up, particularly those concerning the origins, structure, and authority of the Aliagan dynasty.

The Magaji Aliagan family, widely recognized as custodians of the Ode Aliagan—an area comprising over 22 compounds—asserts that the professor’s narrative misrepresents the historical lineage and governance of the Aliagan quarters. Central to their rebuttal is the clarification that the Aliagan family was founded solely by Mallam Aliyu, a warrior-scholar from Ọyọ-Ile, who settled in Ilorin before the collapse of the Old Oyo Empire. Contrary to the professor’s claim of dual founding by “two jolly friends,” the rejoinder emphasizes that Mallam Aliyu alone established the dynasty and invited others, including Mallam Abdullahi, to settle around him after the area was developed.

The rejoinder also refutes the notion of a bifurcated family structure—political and spiritual—suggesting instead that the Magaji Aliagan family has always held singular authority over both governance and religious leadership within the quarters. Historical records cited in the rejoinder, including the book Breakers of the City Wall, document the Magaji’s role in appointing Imams, including the current Imam’s father, Busayr, who was resettled and protected by Magaji Aliagan Danialu during intra-family conflicts in the 1960s.

Further, the rejoinder challenges the professor’s timeline and geographical assertions regarding the migration of Imam Abdullahi, arguing that his supposed settlement in the “new headquarters” of the defunct Oyo Empire—Oyo Atiba—postdates the death of Shaykh Alimi, thereby invalidating claims of shared vision or contemporaneous settlement.

The document also provides a detailed account of the evolution of the Aliagan Mosque, tracing its origins to Mallam Aliyu’s old age and its expansion under Magaji Aliagan Danialu, who invited 13 families to form a congregation and appointed his brother, Mallam Uthman, as the first Imam of the rebuilt mosque. This historical trajectory, the rejoinder argues, undermines the professor’s claim of a distinct “Imam lineage” and affirms the Magaji’s enduring authority over religious appointments.

On the etymology of “Aliagan,” the rejoinder acknowledges multiple theories—including barrenness, warrior exploits, and linguistic derivations—but disputes the professor’s assertion that the name derived from a descendant of a “Magaji Abdulganiyu,” a figure not recognized in the documented genealogy of the dynasty.

The rejoinder also corrects the professor’s reference to “Ode Nla” as the original name of the compound, clarifying that “Ile Aliagan” and “Ode Aliagan” have always been the traditional names, with “Ode Nla” serving merely as a descriptive term denoting the compound’s grandeur.

In its closing sections, the rejoinder addresses claims of Malian Fulani origins, clarifying that historical references to Malian ancestry pertain to Aliagan himself, not Imam Abdullahi, and that such claims remain under scholarly exploration.

This detailed rebuttal, grounded in oral traditions and documented history, underscores the importance of accuracy in historical narratives, especially those concerning revered families and institutions in Ilorin Emirate. It calls for continued scholarly rigor and respect for established traditions in preserving the legacy of Ilorin’s foundational dynasties.

Find the full text of the rejoinder below:

BETWEEN HISTORICAL FACTS AND FALLACIES: RE: SHAYKH IMAM YA’QUB ALI-AGAN: THE NEW SARKIN MALAMAI OF ILORIN, BY PROFESSOR ABUBAKAR IMAM ALI-AGAN

(A Rejoinder by the Descendants of Magaji Aliagan Family, Ilorin)

In a recent write-up shared on the social media on a biography of one of the important scholars of Ilorin Emirate and current Sarkin Malamai, Shaykh Imam Ya’kub Ali-Agan, who is also the present Imam of Aliagan mosque, Professor Abubakar Imam Ali-Agan, a son of the Imam, traces the position and contributions of the Imam to Islamic scholarship in the emirate.

In that write-up, Prof. Abubakar also presented an account of the history of the family of the Shaykh and the larger Aliagan family/dynasty, which traditionally was/is the custodial family for about 22 compounds that form the Ode Aliagan (although he conspicuously did not reflect this in the said piece). The 69-paragraph write-up makes references to a number of scholars and issues surrounding Islamic learning generally in the Ilorin emirate.

We must commend this effort of Prof. Abubakar in documenting the biography of his father, as written documents helps in sustaining history and legacy of individuals and institutions. However, of particular interest to us in the said write-up is the historical background of the Ali-Agan (Aliagan) family/dynasty narrated by Prof. Abubakar,
in which he presented some accounts and claims on the Aliagan family/dynasty, for which some clarifications need to be made. The issues in the write-up that need clarification are therefore, presented hereunder for the education of all and for posterity.

Origin, Jurisdiction and Authority of the Magaji Aliagan Dynasty: Claims and Fallacies
It should be stated, at the onset, that as submitted by Prof. Abubakar in the said biography of his father, what is now known as the ALI-AGAN family is to the ‘public’ composed of two segments, the Magaji Ali-Agan dynasty and the Imam of Ali-Agan mosque’s family, and not the Magaji Aliagan family/dynasty and the compounds around it as we and others around us know it. As also stated by the professor, the progenitors of the TWO families were “jolly friends” who “became brothers as a result of deep love, intermarriage and mutual respect for each other” (see “Shaykh Imam Ya’qub Ali-Agan: The New Sarkin Malamai of Ilorin” by Professor Abubakar Imam Ali-Agan, paragraph 13). According to his claim, what the “two jolly friends” founded were, therefore, two families, one being the ALI-AGAN family and the other being that of the Imam of Ali-Agan Mosque. This claim is not only untrue, but also tends to consign to obscurity or devalue several important compounds that constitute the Ode Aliagan historically.

It should also be observed that Prof. Abubakar’s reference to intermarriage between the two families, which he apparently advanced to justify his claim on the founding of the Aliagan family by the two “jolly friend” and, therefore, a division of the Aliagan family and compound into a “political arm” (a “Magaji lineage” of the dynasty) and a “spiritual arm” (an “Imam lineage”), is a more recent phenomenon in history. Indeed, the singular record of intermarriage between the two families (that of a niece of Imam Busayr, father of the current Imam and a member of the Magaji Aliagan family) was only a development of the early 1960s.

That does not, in any way, equate the two families as the same or parallel arms. There has been only one Magaji Aliagan family and it has no parallel. However, an important incident that strengthened the tie between Magaji Aliagan family with Imam Busayr, the father of the present Imam of Aliagan mosque was the role played by Magaji Aliagan Danialu (5th Magaji Aliagan) in rescuing the then young Busayr from intra-family squabbles that threatened his life and re-settling him (for safety reasons) at ‘Ile Baba Agba,’ an original settlement built for the elder brother of Aliyu, founder of the Aliagan dynasty, when he arrived much later after Aliyu had settled in the area (see Salihu, I. O. (ed.), Breakers of the City Wall: A Socio-Economic and Political History of the Aliagans and their Neighbours (Fig and Olive Limited, 2015), pp. 34, 37).

As a mark of respect for the Magaji Aliagan family, Imam Busayr who was appointed an Imam of Aliagan mosque courtesy of the love and care Magaji Aliagan Danialu had for him, throughout his lifetime, would not enter the Magaji compound with his shoes on.

He also made it a point of duty to pay morning homage greetings, not just to the Magaji but to every woman of the house till he died. The well-known demonstration of loyalty and respect for the Magaji Aliagan family by Imam Busayr facilitated the approval of the then Magaji Aliagan, Baba Kelebe, to turban the present Imam in 1983, in spite of stiff opposition from some quarters and indication of interest in the Imamship by contenders from other families (See Breakers of Ilorin City Wall, p.69).

Arrival of the progenitors of Aliagan family from Oyo Ile
The submission by Prof. Abubakar that “the progenitors of Ali-Agan family came to Ilorin from old Oyo” (paragraph 13) requires further clarification in view of some apparent factual errors in the claim.

First, contrary to the claim of the Professor, the documented historical account of the Aliagan dynasty makes it clear that their progenitor named Aliyu, a migrant warrior-scholar, migrated from Ọyọ-Ile, the ancient capital of the Old Oyo Empire, to Ilorin PRIOR to the collapse of the defunct empire (see Breakers of the City Wall, p. 31).

When Mallam Aliyu arrived, he first stayed with Magaji Agbadamu before he eventually relocated with his family to his present abode of Aliagan Quarters, which was then virtually a virgin territory. By this time, some parts of the Ilorin city wall were broken down, with the permission of the first Emir of Ilorin, Shehu Abdul Salami bn Shaykh Alimi (reigned c.1823-c.1836), to enable Mallam Aliyu and his large family and following to establish “a more expansive and conducive area beyond the city wall” (see Breakers of the City Wall, pp. 18-19, 31).

The breaking and shifting of the city wall at different times to create space for the ever expanding population of Ilorin during the reign of Emir Abdul Salami bn Shaykh Alimi is attested in L.A.K Jimoh’s monumental work on Ilorin history (see Jimoh, L.A.K. Ilorin: The Journey So Far, 1994 (page 147) and the revised edition of 2022 (page 161). It was quite some time after he had settled down and established the Aliagan Quarters on the virgin territory that Mallam Aliyu invited “many of his friends and followers to settle around him” (see Breakers of the City Wall, p. 31).

The claim made by Professor Abubakar in his write-up would seem to suggest that the family of the present Imam is different from that of Mallam Abullahi, Mallam Aliyu’s friend invited to join him at Ilorin quite some time AFTER he had established a comfortable abode in what is now known as the Aliagan Quarters, especially as there is no record that this ‘Abdullahi’ led prayer in the area.

According to the professor:
“The progenitor of the new Sarkin-Malamai, Imam Abdullahi bn Muhammad, was said to be of Fulani stock and an itinerant Muslim scholar, who after series of intellectual and religious propagation and sojourn in several towns and villages of the defunct Oyo empire settled at its new headquarters and location, Oyo.”

‘Imam Abdullahi’, as reported in Prof. Abubakar’s account, had visited various parts of the Old Oyo empire and had settled at the “new headquarters and location” of the “defunct Oyo empire”. However, it is an established and verifiable historical fact that a “new headquarters and location” for the defunct Oyo Empire was established sequel to its final collapse AFTER the last battle of Woru Kura or Eleduwe War of c.1835-6 fought within Ilorin. Being established by Alaafin Atiba, and initially known as “Agọ d’Ọyọ”, the new headquarters of the empire is what is now known as Ọyọ-Atiba, in the present Oyo State.

Oloduowo

In addition, the history of the Aliagan family shows that, after establishing an expansive and conducive area, sequel to the breaking of the Ilorin city wall, Mallam Aliyu “invited many of his friends and followers, whom he had known in [Old] Oyo” (that is, Ọyọ-Ile) to join him at Ilorin. Among those invited and who eventually relocated to join him at Ilorin was Mallam Abdullahi, “a Qur’anic teacher” (Breakers of the City Wall, p. 31), who was not recorded as having been an Imam (there was no reason for such as Aliyu himself led prayer) and also not related to the personality claimed in Prof. Abubakar’s article.

Many of those who came to join Mallam Aliyu consequent upon the invitation were allocated lands to build their homes from the expansive land area of Aliagan. Thus, at the onset, there was the Ile Aliagan, on the one hand, established by Mallam Aliyu during the opening years of the establishment of Ilorin Emirate, and others outside his main compound in what was Ode Aliagan, on the other, which were established subsequent to, not before or concurrent with, the settlement of Mallam Aliyu in the area (Breakers of the City Wall, p. 31).

The issue of parallel authority of the Magaji Aliagan and the Imam
The assertion by Prof. Abubakar that, “While the descendants of Magaji Abdulganiyu produces the political and traditional Head of the family till date, the Imam Abdullahi lineage produces the spiritual head and Imam of their Quarter’s mosque” is erroneous and incorrect.

The creation of a parallel or a division of the Aliagan family and compound into a “political arm” (a “Magaji lineage” of the dynasty) and a “spiritual arm” (an “Imam lineage”), as claimed in the write-up, is misleading and is not rooted in the established history of the Aliagan family. This can be confirmed in the documented history of the Aliagans and their neighbours already cited above, and which is available in several libraries in Nigeria and abroad.

The Aliagan family that established the Magaji dynasty and has continuously produced the Magaji till date is one and traces its origin to Mallam Aliyu, not “Magaji Abdulganiyu” described as a friend of Mallam Abdullahi. Similarly, what Prof. Abubakar refers to as the “jurisdictional demarcation” of the family has no basis in the history of the Aliagan family or the compounds that constitute the Ode Aliagan. It is also not in consonance with the tradition in the emirate’s political and religious history.

Furthermore, Prof. Abubakar claims that:
“The settlement of Shaykh Alimi, the progenitor of the ruling family of Ilorin, whose scholarly activities in conjunction with those of other eminent scholars, who came from far and near to turn the city into a sanctuary of Islam and a place of refuge for Muslims facing persecution or thirst for more knowledge, encouraged Shaykh Imam Abdullahi to come to Ilorin where he found accommodation. He shared the same vision with Magaji Abdulganiyu and the two came down to Ilorin for permanent settlement in continuation of their fraternity and to confederate with like minds towards defending and preserving its territorial integrity and the course of Islam, which was gathering momentum in Ilorin.”

In the above, Prof. Abubakar associates the movement of Abdullahi, whom he claimed to be the progenitor of his family with the settlement of Shaykh Alimi at Ilorin. However, it is an established historical fact that Shaykh Alimi settled permanently at Ilorin in c.1817, lived there for six years and died around 1823.

The revered Shaykh was, therefore, no longer alive as at the time of the destruction of Ọyọ-Ile, and the founding of Ọyọ Atiba as a “new headquarters” (that is, after c.1835) where Prof. Abubakar claims Imam Abdullahi had “settled” before moving to Ilorin. This claim of linkage with Shaykh Alimi and confusion of Oyo Ile with Oyo Atiba in the professor’s biography of his father, question the linkage with ‘Imam Abdullahi’ and other things associated with him (See Breakers of the City Wall, p.31).

In addition, the prior arrival and settlement of Mallam Aliyu in Ilorin, even before establishing the larger Aliagan Quarters, was not the outcome of anyone having ‘shared a vision’ with him as claimed in the professor’s article. In short, there was no contact, talk less of sharing common vision.

As documented in the history of the Aliagans and their neighbours, “an oral account claims that [Mallam Aliyu] said that he was moving to Ilorin to join his kin who had established an Islamic empire there” and this was during the reign of the first Emir of Ilorin, Shehu Abdul Salami (Breakers of the City Wall, pages 31, 52).

Another erroneous submission in the write-up is the claim by Prof. Abubakar that the progenitor of the Magaji Aliagan lineage was one “Magaji Abdulganiyu” who was supposedly a friend of Imam Abdullahi.

In the biography of Shaykh Imam Ya’qub, Prof. Abubakar submits thus:
“Imam Abdullahi made friend with a man who later became known as Magaji Abdulganiyu. His friend was the progenitor of the Magaji lineage of the Ali-Agan dynasty” and further, that Imam Abdullahi “served as an Imam and a religious adviser and spiritual consultant. His main client was Magaji Abdulganiyu, who, as a soldier, more often than not, depended on Imam Abdullahi for guidance on when to go to the battlefield.”

These submissions are not documented or corroborated in the established history of the Aliagan family and their neighbours, produced from rigorous research and supported by heads of respective compounds and elders in the Aliagan quarters.

The progenitor of the Aliagan family was Mallam Aliyu who, of course, was not only a warrior but also a scholar in his own right. These clarifications are well supported by evidences provided by historical information obtained from various families in the Aliagan Quarters, and documented in the Breakers of the Ilorin City Wall (pages 28-32, 55; the genealogical tree on page 35, and a list of Magaji Aliagan, page 36).

It is also not on record that any Mallam Abdullahi “served as an Imam” of the Aliagan Mosque or in the Aliagan Quarters. Sequel to the breaking of the city wall and his settlement in the present Aliagan compound, oral tradition recorded that when Aliyu first settled in the area, he set up a small prayer space at his domain for his family, a common practice among early Muslims in Ilorin before proper mosques were built.

Later, he discovered that the Agbaji scholars were deeply knowledgeable about Islam, so he started joining them for congregational prayers. By choosing to pray with them, Aliyu showed his dedication to Islamic learning and respect for scholarly excellence, values that would become a hallmark of the Aliagan family tradition. This tradition upheld by Mallam Aliyu mirrored how earlier Ilorin scholars had recognised Sheikh Alimi’s religious authority when he arrived to join them.

The Aliagan Mosque and its Expansion during the tenure of Magaji Aliagan Danialu
However, as Aliyu grew older and found it harder to trek to the Agbaji Mosque, he established the Aliagan Mosque in front of his own compound where he led the prayer. This was a natural progression; mosques in Ilorin typically evolved from private family prayer spaces to neighborhood mosques, and eventually to larger Friday (Jumaat) mosques serving entire communities.

It was this mosque Mallam Aliyu caused to be built that came to be known as Aliagan Mosque till date. In other words, the establishment of the Aliagan Mosque came much later and associated with Mallam Aliyu being very old and unable to attend the Agbaji mosque (see Breakers of the City Walls, Chapter Two, pp. 31-32, and chapter 4, pp. 68-69).

The small mosque built by Mallam Aliyu was enlarged during the reign of the Magaji Aliagan Danialu (5th Magaji Aliagan) when he invited 13 families to form the congregation of the Aliagan mosque. At this time, the Ile Keji, Aliagan family compound annex directly opposite the Magaji compound was where the brother to the Magaji Aliagan Danialu, Mallam Uthman, ran the community Quranic school, attended by children of the Aliagan quarters, including the father of the present Imam, Busayr, Abdulrahman Alagbede, Kolawole Ile Tapa (Akata), and Anbelohun Ile Oloduowo, among many others, to learn the scripture.

After the mosque was rebuilt, Uthman (brother to Magaji Aliagan Danialu, being the most learned and an appointee of Magaji Aliagan Danialu was made the Imam of the rebuilt Aliagan Mosque. This meant that a sibling of the Magaji Aliagan Danialu was the first Imam of the enlarged Aliagan Mosque.

As evidence of the kinship of Uthman with the Magaji Aliagan family, he was buried at the family burial ground at the back of the Fada of the Magaji Aliagan. After the death of Uthman, Mallam Umoru Ikapo of Ile Ikapo was made the second Imam. It was when he died that Magaji Aliagan Danialu caused the father of the present Imam whom he had relocated to Ile Baba Agba to secure his life, to be turbaned as Imam.

When Imam Busayr was installed, he was made to take over the Quranic school of Mallam Uthman as the most senior and learned of his students and having left Ilorin during the Imamship of Umoru Ikapo to acquire further learning. The Quranic School operated by late Imam Uthman was then moved to Ile Baba Agba, where Magaji Aliagan Danialu resettled Imam Busayr as earlier mentioned. This explains why Imam Busayr turned out to be teachers of the persons listed in the professor’s biography of his father.

Based on this, therefore, prior to the first building of and the later expansion of the Aliagan Mosque, there was no “Ile Imam Aliagan”. What is now Kaa Ile Alfa where the present Imam family initially lived or the present site of the family later released by Magaji Aliagan Danialu to accommodate the family was previously known as Ile Elepo (Breakers of the City Wall, p. 34).

The change of its name from Ile Elepo to Ile Imam was a creation of the 1990s, that is, some years after the present Imam of Aliagan Mosque took on the spiritual role. Our analysis on the establishment and expansion of the expanded Aliagan Mosque becomes clearer when the account of the founding of the Agbaji mosque is considered.

According to a book on Agbaji released in 2015, the Agbaji mosque was built around 1823-1824, that is, during the first two years of the establishment of the Ilorin Emirate (see Razak, B. A. Agbaji: History, Culture and Legends: A Book in Honour of Late Dr. Abubakar Olusola Saraki (2015), pages 29, 64). The book also recorded that other mosques like Aliagan Mosque, along with Sholagberu, Baakini, Alkinla, Alfa Iwo mosques, among others, were later established due to population increase, security challenges, distance, among other factors (Agbaji: History, Culture and Legends, page 69).

As previously explained, the Aliagan Mosque grew beyond its initial size when Magaji Aliagan Danialu invited thirteen prominent families from the Aliagan neighborhood to join prayers. This expansion meant they needed an official Imam to lead the prayer and Mallam Uthman, his sibling who also taught the kids of the community the Quran was installed the Imam of what stands today as the expanded Aliagan mosque. As the Magaji (compound head), the Magaji Aliagan held the authority to appoint the Imam, a standard practice in Ilorin where compound leaders controlled such appointments.

Therefore, throughout its history, the Magaji Aliagan has maintained control over who serves as Imam. The Imam’s responsibilities include leading prayers, teaching the Qur’an, and conducting weddings and funerals, but always under the Magaji’s authority. Over the years, however, some persons from different families have served as Imam Aliagan, each one appointed by the reigning Magaji and announced to the congregation, usually during dawn (Subhi or Fajr) prayers, after which the Magaji conducts the turbaning.

Etymology of the name Aliagan
Prof. Abubakar also ventured into the etymology of the name of the family, vis: “Ali-Agan” and submits thus:
“The original name of the place now called Ode Ali-Agan was Ode-Nla, which simply means a spacious place. The family derived its subsisting name, Ali-Agan, from the experience of a renowned member of the family. History has it that he was a patriarch of the family, who was a descendant of the Magaji lineage and whose name was Ali. He had suffered from infertility for quite a significant part of his life and that gave the family its subsisting name. His situation became a source of scorn among his neighbours who derided and mocked him for being biologically unproductive by referring to him as Ali-Agan (Ali, the barren) because he was not so lucky with procreation.….He would, therefore, respond to his tormentors by saying “Agan oye mi”. People called him Ali-Agan Oyemi. When his prayers were eventually answered, the singsong changed and his admirers turned it into Ali Agan di Olomo. The appellation was eventually shortened to Ali-Agan. And it stuck till date.”

The different traditions and postulations on the etymology of the name “Ali-Agan” (or Aliagan as adopted by the family) have been documented in the history of the family (see Breaker of the City Wall, Chapter 2, pages 28-29, 32).

These included his having possibly been initially barren before being blessed with a child (an Agan), or from his military exploits as a warrior who fought in military campaigns like one who had no child or children (that is, “a jagun bi Agan”).

Another plausible etymology canvassed on the name of the family recorded on page 29 of the Breakers of the Ilorin City Wall was that the name Aliagan was a corruption of “Ali Ga’ani” – Ga’ani being a name common among people of Nupe/Tapa origin. Like it is true with the etymology of the name ‘Ilorin’ to which there are several postulations, ‘Aliagan’ shares similar trace, which we have continued to explore. Whatever may be the case, it suffices to clarify that while the etymology presented above by Prof. Abubakar might reflect one of the possible or probable etymologies of “Ali-Agan”, which was connected with Mallam Aliyu being barren at a point in time (as already captured and reported in the Breakers of the City Wall, pages 28-29), it is definitely not a closure to the debate on the etymology of the name.

Similarly, the claim that the said ‘Ali-Agan’ was “a descendant of the Magaji lineage” and at the same time a “patriarch of the family” is NOT supported by the history of the Aliagan family. Mallam Aliyu who was THE PROGENITOR of the MAGAJI Aliagan family and, therefore, from whose name (ALIYU) and life challenge/exploits the family derived its name (see Breakers of the City Wall, pages 28-29), was NOT “a descendant” of any “Magaji Abdulganiyu” as claimed by Prof. Abubakar.

Similarly, the “Magaji Abdulganiyu” of Prof. Abubakar’s article was neither the progenitor of the family nor one of the immediate descendants of Mallam Aliyu. This can only be regarded as a twist on the etymology of the family’s name, and therefore, undeserving.

Reference to Ode Nla

Prof. Abubakar equally mentioned that the name of the compound on which Aliagan traditionally superintend was not originally Ali-Agan but Ode Nla. In his words, “The original name of the place now called Ode Ali-Agan was Ode-Nla, which simply means a spacious place.” This looks like standing the truth on its head, and therefore a serious claim that confounds the understanding of all.

As documented in history and known by all compounds within Aliagan Quarters, the original name of the family is Ile Aliagan, and the compounds outside the main Ile Aliagan, was/is Ode Aliagan. The phrase “Ile Nla” or “Ode Nla” was only a description to fit the might of the occupiers of the house, in which passersby dreaded passing its frontage with their shoes on.

This practice went on up to the early 80s in which some passersby on approaching the compound area would remove their shoes to avoid being challenged for lack of respect to the Magaji. We earlier made reference to the practice by Imam Busayr on not entering the Magaji Aliagan family compound with his shoes on, up to the time he died in 1983. It was also probably referred to as Ile Nla to show the might of the house which is the only house with the Big Main Entrance or Gate (traditionally known as Enu Ilo) in the whole area, as common to houses of important families in the emirate. It is also the only house with the Magaji’s Fada in the environment.

A similar example of such usage is the reference to the settlement or residence of Ahmadu Barike, the progenitor of the Alangua Badari, as “Ile Nla” in reference to his influential personality as well as the extensive grounds that his residence or Fada covered (see Otukoko, I. S. “Origin and Settlement Pattern in Badari Ward”, in Jawondo & Aliagan (ed.), Badari Ward in Ilorin Emirate History, Chapter Two).

At one time, the Aliagan Compound was also referred to as Kaa Paanu, being the first house with corrugated iron sheets used for roofing in the whole of the area. Thus, these descriptions do not, in any way, reflect or suggest a change in the original name of ‘Ile Aliagan’ or ‘Ode Aliagan’, as the professor’s article seems to canvass.

Akaaba and Aliagan

Prof. Abubakar also mentions that:
“Magaji Abdulganiyu was a war veteran and comrade-in arm to Magaji Akaaba and Magaji Ikolaba. The trio were foremost lieutenants to Balogun Ajikobi, the most senior commander of Yoruba contingent of the dreaded Army of Ilorin Emirate. Together, they participated in many wars and battles for Ilorin to survive as a political entity.”

Although, we have earlier refuted the claim of Abdulganiyu being the progenitor of the Aliagan family as conjectured by Prof. Abubakar, it is important to explain the context within which Aliagan (not Abdulganiyu) and Akaaba related in history. It is a true fact of history that Aliagan and Akaaba were part of the warlords of the emirate under the Balogun Ajikobi. However, the exact context needs to be properly situated.

The early years of the Ilorin emirate definitely recorded the involvement of many warriors and war leaders before the office of the Balogun became streamlined to four. As a foremost warrior-scholar, Mallam Aliyu, the progenitor of the Aliagan family/dynasty (not “Magaji Abdulganiyu” of Prof. Abubakar’s narrative) took active part in the early wars of the emirate; hence the appellation “Ajagun bi Agan” as previously inferred.

History records the prominent role played by the first Balogun Ajikobi Usman in the Ilorin wars up to the Osogbo War during which he was captured and eventually killed in c.1838 or 1840 (Jimoh, Ilorin (2022), pp. 412-413; Jimba, S. Iwe Itan Ilorin (1990), pages 153-154; Johnson, S. History of the Yorubas, pp. 285-288). An oral account states that Aliagan and Akaaba were involved in this war with the Balogun Ajikobi Usman.

There is also a tradition that “Magaji Aliagan rescued the Emirate’s flag and brought it home during one of the expansionist wars and would have laid claim to superiority if he had been the ambitious type” (Breakers of the City Wall, page 55).

Some sources of Ilorin history records Idris Akaaba as having been appointed “Balogun” after the death of Balogun Usman Ajikobi (Jimba, S. Iwe Itan Ilorin, page 45). According to Mallam Sulu (History of Ilorin, compiled in 1953), the reason for the appointment of Akaaba as “Balogun”, was because, at the time of his death in c.1840, Balogun Ajikobi Usman’s children were too young to take the title.

Oral sources explained that Aliagan showed no interest in occupying the stool, thereby leaving Akaaba to be put forward for the stool of Balogun, apparently in acting capacity. Thus, Aliagan, the progenitor of the Magaji Aliagan dynasty, and Akaaba had served with the first Balogun Ajikobi until his death in c.1840. Being just about two to three years after the final abandonment of Oyo-Ile and establishment of Ọyọ-Atiba as “new headquarters”, the death of the first Balogun Ajikobi Usman in c.1840 would seem to be about the time Aliyu invited several friends and followers to live around him at his virgin terrain.

Aliagan and Mali Origin

As claimed in Prof. Abubakar’s write-up, “Imam Abdullahi was said to be a Malian Fulani with historical connections with the Alaaya family of Pakata as submitted by the late Samaki of Ilorin and foremost historian, Alhaji Safi Ajibola Jimba (1942-2017)” (see paragraph 14). This information is not correctly reported.

The record in Safi Jimba’s book did not mention ‘Abdullahi’ but ‘Aliagan’. This fact was analysed in the documented history of the Aliagans in the Breakers of the City Wall, which we quote as follows: “It should, however, be noted that a Malian origin has been attributed to Aliagan, although no detailed historical explanation is given for such claim that he was a Malian Fulani.”

In his Saraki: Portrait of a Charismatic Leader, Safi Jimba lists “Aliagan” as among “notable Ilorin families” whose forefathers “had migrated to Ilorin from the present-day Mali Republic” (see Jimba, S., Saraki: Portrait of a Charismatic Leader [Ilorin: Dr Abubakar Olusola Saraki Foundation, 2006], page 2).

The claim in the professor’s article represents another evidence of confused narrative. However, as we mentioned earlier, we are continuing to explore and track the possible migration route of Aliagan before getting to Oyo Ile, from where he came to Ilorin, hence more is expected from this and other issues related to it.

The point we are making
In this rejoinder, we have tried to respond to the several inaccuracies contained in the write-up by Prof. Abubakar, particularly those that touched on the Aliagan family/dynasty. While we support his right to document the history of his father who has been turbaned the second Sarkin Malamai of Ilorin, and the current respected Imam of our mosque, as descendants of Magaji Aliagan family, we owe a duty to our lineage and to posterity to point out the errors in the piece under reference and set the record straight in order to avoid misinformation, disinformation and distortion of history.

In summary, the claim that the Aliagan dynasty was founded by “two jolly friends” is historically inaccurate and lacks any support in history and our position on this is known and accepted by other families in the Aliagan and its environs. The narrative of dual authority also goes against everything we know about how Ilorin emirate political system has always worked. Finally, our mosque as it presently stands has had Imams from different families, including the Magaji Aliagan family itself.

Thus, our response in this rejoinder is only to restore the true history of the Aliagan Dynasty, using solid historical evidence, established scholarship and authentic oral sources. The real story is compelling enough on its own: it is about a warrior-scholar who held both political and religious authority, who earned recognition from the Emirate through dedicated service, and whose descendants have rightfully maintained that authority through proper succession over generations.

By setting the historical record straight, we honour both the genuine achievements of the Aliagan dynasty and seek to preserve the integrity of Ilorin’s longstanding traditional political traditions for future generations. For those who may wish to know more about the Aliagans and their neighbours, we recommend that you read “Breakers of the Ilorin City Wall: A socio-economic and political history of the Aliagans and their neighbours.”

For and on behalf of Descendants of Magaji Aliagan family:
1. Professor Taiye Shehu Aliagan
2. Alhaji Danialu Tunde Olokoba Aliagan
3. Mallam Uthman Taiye Kawu
4. Imam Muhammad La’aro Yakub Aliagan
5. Professor Isiaka Zubair Aliagan

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