Ilorin: History
Ilorin was founded by the Yoruba, one of the three largest ethnic groups in Nigeria, in the late 18th century. It became a provincial military settlement within the Oyo Empire until 1817, when the local Kakanfo (field marshal) named Afonja rebelled, supported by the Fulani Shehu Alimi, an itinerant Islamic preacher and teacher. Their alliance eventually broke down over the promise made by Afonja to Shehu Alimi during his quest to overtake the Oyo Empire and make Shehu Alimi the overseer of the Ilorin territory. However, Alimi's son Abd al-Salam eventually became the first ruler after the Demise of Afonja and Shehu Alimi and pledged allegiance to the Sokoto Caliphate in 1823. The Oyo Empire and its Borgawa allies marched against Ilorin circa 1835, trying to reclaim its former glory, but were decisively defeated; this marked the end of Oyo. Abd al-Salam led the jihad toward the sea but was ultimately stopped at Oshogbo in 1840 by the army of Ibadan.
Throughout the 19th century, Ilorin served as a major trade node between the Hausa/Fulani and the Yoruba. It strongly resisted British rule, but was occupied by the Royal Niger Company in 1897 and its lands were incorporated into the British Northern Nigeria Protectorate in 1900. With the subdivision of the country’s administrative regions in 1967, Ilorin became part of West Central (later Kwara) state.
The city retains a strong Islamic influence, although Christianity is now widely practised in the cosmopolitan part of the city due to the significant immigration of people from other parts of Kwara State and the rest of Nigeria.