The histories and records of founding of the Egbas are incomplete until the mention of some historical relics.
To discuss Egba, without Olumo Rock may amount to disservice to history, hardly would an historian who deserves accolades would recount the evolution of the modern day Egba without homage to Lisabi, Agbongbo Akala, Sodeke and Others for been gallant warriors who led their people during one turbulent epoch or the others.
The same phenomenon brought to bear the very epitaphic cenotaph of the greatest warriors of Egba land in the ITOKU CENOTAPH.
Itoku Cenotaph was unveiled on Monday, 27th of October,1930 to immortalize the great warriors of Egbaland, who included Lisabi Agbongbo Akala, Sodeke and Others. Oba Ladapo Samuel Ademola also
known as Ademola II was the Alake of
Abeokuta who commissioned the Cenotaph In 1930. He reigned as Alake between 1920 to 1962.
Picture: *Itoku Cenotaph after the construction of the Over-head bridges*
Picture: *Itoku Cenotaph before the construction of the Over head bridges*
In 2013, when the present Ogun State government wanted to expand the Itoku market road with overhead bridges, I spent some days on researches as to know what would happen to the Itoku Cenotaph. I met some elderly people, particularly an old man who happened to be from ancestral home of Sodeke. It was the old man that made me to realize that Government could not remove the Cenotaph easily because of some things. I lobbied my ways to win the man's heart, as he was reluctant to reveal some things to me. He eventually told me many things about the Itoku Cenotaph. He said in Egba dialect "Omo mi, Nję ori ri pe, ijamba moto sele, ki owa kolu Kin-ni yęn ri?" My son, Have you ever seen any accident that badly affected the Cenotaph?
I replied the Old man, I said no sir, I haven't seen any.
With many other things, i researched on, these led me into the convinved belief that Itoku Cenotaph is mysterious, as many accidents had occurred in the market on many occasions, where Trailers or trucks would crushed people and shops but such accident had never touch the Cenotaph.
It was on the record that military administrators and Governors used to perform their Army remembrance days at the Cenotaph in 1970's before and when Ogun State was created.
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