Ipetumodu

Ipetumodu is a city in Osun State, in the southwestern part of Nigeria. It is the headquarters of the Ife North local government. The city is under the leadership of traditional ruler with the title of Apetumodu, which means "the great king of Ipetumodu".

Understand

Ipetumodu is located on the western uplands of Yoruba land in western Nigeria, this area lies between 300 and 600 m above sea level. It is located in the high forest also called rain forest. The annual rainfall is estimated to be between 130 and 150 cm annually, and humidity of over 80%. This high humidity and long raining season support the cultivation of perennial cash crops such as cocoa and kolanut tree. Although the town is now fairly urbanized the hinterland west and east of the town centre is home to cocoa, oil palm and kolanut plantation which are usually own by private individual from the town.

Ipetumodu is the headquarters of the Ife North local government of Osun State Nigeria. The city is about 218 km from Lagos, the commercial capital of Nigeria. It shares a boundary with Ile-Ife, the spiritual headquarters of the Yoruba Kingdom,Yakooyo, Asipa, Akinlalu, Gbongan and Ode-omu.

History

Ipetumodu was founded by the warriors Obatala and Orunmila (both are contemporaries of Oduduwa). They came from Ile-Ife to settle near River Isasa. Obatala was named "Oseremaigbo" while Orunmila was named "Barapetu".

Orunmila and Obatala left Ipetumodu for Ile-Ife, but left Akalako the son of Obatala in the city. Akalako then became the first king of the city.

Ipetumodu and the Nineteen Century Yoruba War

During the Owu War (1812-1822), Isope and Iwaro, two Ipetumodu villages, were attacked thereby causing the exodus of many people. It was after the war that the two villages were rebuilt. Ipetumodu witnessed the arrival of large number of war refugees from Apomu during the Ganamu war. The refugees deserted their town in order to escape the impending invasion by the Ibadan army. The people of Ipetumodu repelled most of the military advances of the Ibadan into their territory.

The 1886 Peace Treaty

The 1886 peace treaty initiated by the British to put an end to the Yoruba civil strife also had some traumatic effects on Ipetumodu. The treaty had stipulated that Modakeke, who had been at constant wars with their fellow Ife host, would be resettled temporarily in Ipetumodu, Moro and Edunabon and other Origbo towns before their final resettlement by the Osun-Odo Oba confluence between Iwo and Ibadan.

The British authorities however, failed to implement the treaty to the letter early enough and on 27 March 1909, some Modakeke refugees settled in Owu Ipole, Gbongan, Edunabon, Ede, Lasole and Akanle while many others led by the reigning Ogunsua settled in Ode Omu (which was Originally part of the farmland of Ipetumodu people). On 18 July 1909, the Modakekes suddenly and surreptitiously displaced the Ipetumodu farmers who had gone to celebrate the annual "Egungun festival" from their farms.

The British authorities later endorsed the permanent settlement of Modakeke refugees on Ipetumodu land without any compensation.

Get in

• 1 Shared car. Shared cars found in different terminals all over the country. From Lagos, a shared car costs ₦3,500-4,000 per person. (updated Jun 2021)

Get around

• Mini-bus (Danfo). These are the main form of transportation around metropolis and cost fare depends on distance covered. Usually carry passengers numbering 10-15, depending on how big the bus is. ₦50-100. (updated Jun 2021)

• Tricycle (Keke Napep, Marwa). This option not so rampant and exclusive to some areas. ₦50-100. (updated Jun 2021)
• Motorcycle (Okada). This is one of the fastest and most common means of moving around Ile-Ife coverage in all areas. Motorcyclists usually very careful. ₦50-100. (updated Jun 2021)

By car

Public vehicles usually found at motorparks are available at a slightly higher fare. This option lowers the wait time in waiting for vehicle to be full and also time of arrival as it is faster.

See

• 1 Akalako Statue. Akalako the son of Obatala is believed to be the first king of Ipetumodu. He is said to be the one that transformed the settlement to a permanent settlement. His statue was erected in Oja-Oba which is located at the center of the town. The statue is located a few meters away from the palace and the town hall. (updated Mar 2022)

Buy

Ipetumodu has two traditional markets;

• Obada market is held every fifth day and is located at the city center.
• Akinola market is held every Friday. It was strategically located near Ife-Ibadan expressway, which makes it one of the popular markets in Osun state.

Sleep

• Green Paradise Palms Hotels, New Town Area, Akinola Road, Ipetumodu, ☏ +567 810 543 8767. Hotel with good rooms and accommodation facilities. (updated Jan 2022)
• Tunsol Hotels, Km 62, Ife-Ibadan Expressway, Ipetumodu
• Jolaade Hotels, Opposite Police Station, Okooko, Ipetumodu
• Work and Relax Guest House, Alapata, Ipetumodu

Connect

For most locations in Ipetumodu, you would most likely find coverage of the 2G/3G/4G mobile networks. Signal strength might diminish further away from the city center, and you might occasionally experience network outage for all or some of the mobile phone service providers in the remote areas of the city. Different networks tend to be more stable and reliable in different locations of the city at different times.

MTN, 9Mobile, Airtel (Zain) and GLO are all available service providers. So if you are planning a visit to Ipetumodu, like you would do for many other places in Nigeria, you should probably consider having multiple SIM cards, preferably for all the mobile service providers, since you can't tell which will be more stable and reliable at a time in your location during your visit. And if you will risk not having any of them, you might be better off not risking the MTN network, because, from indications, it seem to perform well than the others, though its rates may be high and its offers and services might be stringent, but you are less likely to be concerned of erratic voice and data connection compared to others.

Go next

• Osogbo
• Ife
• Ede
• Ikirun