BRIEF HISTORY OF MOREMI AJASORO 

- Early Life: Moremi Ajasoro was a 12th century Yoruba queen from the Yorubaland region of modern-day southwestern Nigeria. She was originally from Offa, one of the cities under the Leadership of Oyo Empire, which was also under the control of the Oduduwa clan. She was a wife to King Oduduwa, the heir to the king of Ile-Ife. Moremi was a hunter and became a citizen of Ile-Ife by virtue of her marriage.

- Ugbo Invasion: The market in Ile-Ife was the mother of all markets in Yorubaland due to its location within the sacred Kingdom of Ife and its commercial vibrancy. The Ugbo people were also known as “Forest people” due to the way they appear in their several attacks on the people of Ile-Ife. They are always covered in raffia leaves and people of Ile-Ife believed that they are spirits from the forest. Ile-Ife suffered constant attacks from raids from the people of the Ugbo tribe who kidnapped the women and children from the city.

- Liberation of Ile-Ife: The Queen consulted an Orisha, the goddess of river, at the Esimirin river. The goddess offered to help Queen Moremi solve the problems facing her people while Moremi in return made pledge of a great sacrifice to the Spirit of the river Esimirin. The grand plan the river goddess gave Moremi was to allow herself to be kidnapped by the Ugbo people and taken as slave. Moremi being a very beautiful and brave woman was attracted to the leader of the Ugbo people after she was captured and taken into the Ugbo’s King palace to become one of his wives. After discovering the secrets of her new husband’s army, she escaped to Ile-Ife and revealed this to the Yorubas, who were then able to subsequently conquer them in battle.

 Sacrifice: Following the war, she returned to her first husband, King Oranmiyan of Ile-Ife Ife, who immediately had her re-instated as his Queen. Moremi returned to the Esimirin River to fulfilleher pledge.The river demanded her only son.