ONE OF NIGERIA UNTOLD STORIES……….
“The Rise and Fall of Bashorun Gaa – The Man Who Ruled Kings in Old Oyo”
by Agbonmagbe Kazeem
There was a time in the history of the Old Oyo Empire when power did not sit only on the throne… it moved behind it. A time when a kingmaker became stronger than kings themselves. A time when fear ruled more than authority. That was the era of Bashorun Gaa.
It all began in the year 1750, when Alaafin Labisi ascended the throne of Oyo after the death of Alaafin Onisile. As tradition demanded, he appointed a Bashorun, the head of the Oyomesi, the powerful council of seven hereditary kingmakers who played a crucial role in the affairs of the empire. The man chosen was Gaa.
At first, it seemed like a normal appointment. But Gaa was no ordinary man.
During the reign of Alaafin Labisi, the Old Oyo Empire, also known as Oyo-Ile, stood tall as a political and military giant. Its influence stretched far and wide. Tributes flowed in from distant lands like Dahomey, Popo, and Ashanti. Over 6000 towns and villages in Yorubaland fell under its control. Oyo was not just powerful… it was dominant.
And standing right beside the throne was Gaa.
He was brave, feared, and surrounded by stories that made people tremble. It was said that Gaa possessed powerful charms, that he could transform into animals, that his strength was not just physical but supernatural. People respected him… but more than that, they feared him.
Slowly, that fear turned into something else.
Power.
Gaa began to grow beyond his position. Beyond his role. Beyond his limits. He became so influential that even the Alaafin who appointed him began to fade behind him. And as his power increased, so did his cruelty.
Not long after his appointment, Gaa committed an act that shook the palace. He murdered two of Alaafin Labisi’s closest friends. The pain was too much for the king to bear. Heartbroken and overwhelmed, Alaafin Labisi took his own life.
That was the beginning.
After Labisi’s death, a new Alaafin, Awonbioju, took the throne. But Gaa had already tasted control… and he was not ready to let go. Awonbioju refused to submit to him, and that was enough. His reign lasted only 130 days before Gaa ordered his death.
Another king gone.
Then came Agboluaje, the next Alaafin. Learning from the fate of those before him, he chose to dance to Gaa’s tune. For a while, it worked. His reign lasted longer. But loyalty did not save him. In the end, Gaa still turned against him and brought his life to an end.
Then came Majeogbe, the fourth Alaafin under Gaa’s shadow. His story was no different. Gaa’s overbearing control and ruthless actions led to his death as well. But before he died, Majeogbe made one move that would later change everything… he poisoned Gaa.
The once powerful Bashorun did not die… but he did not remain the same. The poison left him paralyzed.
For the first time, the man who terrorized kings began to weaken.
Then came Alaafin Abiodun, the fourth ruler under Gaa’s influence, who would eventually change the course of history. Unlike others, Abiodun did not submit… he observed, he planned, and he waited.
Gaa, despite his condition, remained dangerous. And then he crossed a line that could never be forgiven.
He needed a deer… Agborin. When he could not find one, he did something unimaginable. He ordered his men to kill Alaafin Abiodun’s only daughter, whose name was also Agborin.
That moment changed everything.
Grief turned into anger. Anger turned into determination.
Alaafin Abiodun secretly met with powerful allies… the Onikoyi and the Are-Ona-Kakanfo, Oyabi of Ajaseland. Together, they formed a plan. Not just to remove Gaa… but to end his terror completely.
They did something even more powerful… they awakened the people.
The same people who once feared Gaa began to see him for what he truly was. His power had already started fading because of his paralysis, and now his cruelty had turned the entire city against him.
Then came the day.
In the year 1774, hundreds of angry citizens of Oyo-Ile stormed Gaa’s compound. There was little resistance. The fear was gone. One by one, members of his household were killed. His empire of terror collapsed in a single day.
Only one person escaped… his eldest son, Ojo Agubambaru, who fled far away to Bariba.
Gaa himself was dragged out… not quietly, not secretly… but publicly. He was taken to Akesan market, where the people did something they believed was necessary.
They burned him.
Completely.
To ashes.
Because they believed that if he was not burnt entirely, he would return again.
And just like that… the man who ruled kings was no more.
His death gave birth to a powerful Yoruba saying:
“Bi o laya ko seka, sugbon bi o ba ranti iku Gaa ki o so oto”.
Which means:
“If you are brave, venture into wickedness, but if you remembered Gaa’s death, adhere to the truth”.
After Gaa’s death, Alaafin Abiodun finally ruled in peace. But even that peace did not last forever. Years later, after facing heavy criticism for attacking towns like Ijaye and Popo, he too took his own life in 1789.
But the damage had already been done.
The fall of Bashorun Gaa did not just end a tyrant… it changed the structure of the Oyo Empire. The Oyomesi, who were meant to balance the power of the Alaafin, became weak and ineffective. Instead of acting as a check, they became tools.
Power became unbalanced.
And slowly… the empire began to weaken.
Kingdoms like Dahomey, once under Oyo’s control, started declaring independence. Political instability grew. Military strength reduced.
And in time… the great Old Oyo Empire, once feared across the land, fell in 1836/1837.
Some men rule with power…
But some abuse it until it destroys everything… including themselves.
“THE HISTORIAN”
AGBONMAGBE REMILEKUN KAZEEM
+2348036472826
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