Adenuga Tunwase, later known by his royal name Folagbade, emerged from a succession system in which ruling families took turns to present candidates for the Ijebu throne. Eligibility was not simply a matter of birth, it was governed by established requirements, including being born during the reign of a father, having an Ijebu freeborn mother, and having no physical deformity that would disqualify a prince under customary rules.
Adenuga was born in 1892, within the Tunwase line connected to the Awujale institution. He had limited Western education, lasting about three years, and during that period he was baptised with the name Theophilus. In the early 1920s, he worked in trading firms as a shop clerk, building the kind of clerical experience colonial officials often viewed as useful for “modern” administration.
The 1915 dispute, why the Tunwase protested
Long before Adenuga became Awujale, his path was entangled in a family grievance. In 1915, the Tunwase family expected to present the next candidate. Adenuga was considered the only qualified candidate available, yet the kingmakers, the odi, rejected him as too young. He was around twenty three years old at the time, and the memory of earlier tensions with youthful rulers fed the concern that he might disregard senior counsel.
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The selection moved to the next family on the succession line and Ademolu, described as an elderly man, was appointed instead. The Tunwase protested loudly and pushed their complaints to British officials, arguing that the decision was unfair and that palace officials were protecting their own influence by installing a ruler viewed as easier to control. The dispute became more than a local quarrel, it became a test of how far colonial administrators would intervene when traditional politics collided with administrative convenience.
The 1916 crisis, education policy meets palace power
In 1916, colonial authorities were encouraging the education of sons of rulers or heirs apparent, believing formal schooling could prepare future leaders for administrative duties under indirect rule. In Ijebu, officials sought to send Adenuga to school in Sierra Leone. The attempt ran into resistance from his household, and the tension escalated sharply.
In the episode recorded in this historical account, a senior British official acted decisively at the palace, deposing the sitting Awujale and announcing Adekoya, Adenuga’s elder brother, as replacement. The chiefs were alarmed and intervened through representations that reached higher authorities. Within months, the earlier decision was reversed, Adekoya was removed, and Ademolu was reinstated in January 1917. Crucially, the government then stated that Ademolu’s successor would be selected from the Tunwase family, aiming to reassure the family that its royal standing would not be erased.
Accession in 1925, Adenuga becomes Awujale Folagbade
When Ademolu died in October 1925, the succession question returned. The Tunwase family pressed for Adekoya, but both the kingmakers and the government rejected him on eligibility grounds. The family then supported Adenuga, and in late November 1925 he was appointed Awujale. He adopted the royal name Folagbade.
Adenuga became Awujale at about thirty three years old, stepping into an office transformed by colonial administration. By this period, the Ijebu Native Administration was operating as a local government bureaucracy. The Awujale was recognised as the Native Authority, heading the administration under the supervision of British officials, and wielding wide powers that included executive authority, law making influence, and judicial control.
Native Authority power and the early signs of trouble
The Awujale’s powers were extensive, and the colonial system placed enormous responsibility on one office. In this account, Adenuga’s reign quickly became associated with allegations of misuse of authority. Within months, he received an official reprimand for extortion connected to forestry fees. Over time, further cautions followed, including accusations that he improperly influenced succession matters and that he became entangled in attempts to conceal a serious criminal case.
The most explosive episode came in October 1928 when the Awujale’s court issued an extremely harsh judgement against Joseph Igu, also known as Frugality, described as an anti corruption crusader within the province. The sentence, presented as cumulative across charges, was severe and included a banishment order after imprisonment. It later emerged that Frugality had been framed by another individual, and suspicion spread that the judgement was vindictive. Adenuga was suspended from judicial duties as wider investigations uncovered patterns of extortion and the role of intermediaries around the court and administration.
The Lagos trip and the collapse of witness confidence
As pressure mounted, Adenuga travelled to Lagos in early November 1928 without permission, a move that angered the Resident overseeing the province. Rumours circulated that higher authorities would protect him, and the atmosphere shifted quickly. Witnesses became reluctant, some withdrew earlier statements, and others feared retaliation if the Awujale’s authority was upheld. The Resident’s immediate response was to require Adenuga to vacate the palace, after which he relocated to Igbeba.
At headquarters, colonial authorities were unwilling to prosecute a sitting ruler, partly from policy concerns about the “sanctity” of traditional institutions and partly because credible witnesses might not appear in open court. Instead, they pursued a different route.
The 1929 commission of enquiry and the deposition decision
A judicial commission of enquiry was established to assess the state of the Ijebu Native Administration and the Awujale’s governance. Sittings were held in Ijebu Ode between 7 and 11 January 1929, and a report was submitted shortly afterwards. The commission found widespread corruption and placed responsibility on the Awujale, describing how influence and intimidation pushed honest officials into the background.
The commission recommended that Adenuga be deposed and removed from the province, and that key officials identified as accomplices, including major chiefs tied to the Awujale’s administration, should be dismissed. The government accepted these recommendations. Instructions were issued for Adenuga to leave the province within days of notification and to settle outside the Yoruba speaking section of southern Nigeria.
A public announcement of the deposition followed in early February, and by 5 February 1929 Adenuga had left for exile, choosing Ilorin.
Aftershocks, succession crisis and dangerous intrigue
Deposition did not end the political problem, it changed its shape. Adenuga’s successor, Ogunnaike, was elderly and died in January 1933, opening a bitter succession struggle. Competing ruling houses contended for the throne, while Adenuga’s supporters continued to agitate for his restoration. A later Awujale appointment in the early 1930s faced disaffection and suspicion, and the climate remained tense.
In May 1934, letters were discovered that revealed efforts by supporters to secure Adenuga’s restoration through spiritual schemes and destabilisation. The atmosphere reached a violent peak on 20 October 1934 when a fanatical supporter attempted to assassinate the sitting Awujale. The attack failed, but the Awujale suffered severe injury to his right hand, which was later amputated.
Trial, imprisonment, appeal, and the long exile
Investigations led to arrests, including Adenuga and others, who were charged with conspiracy and incitement to commit murder. Although hostility toward the Awujale was clear in the correspondence, the account indicates that the assassination attempt itself was a unilateral decision by the attacker. In February 1935, convictions followed and Adenuga received a prison sentence.
The convicts appealed, and their sentences were later nullified by the appeal court in May 1935. Yet Adenuga’s exile continued, shaped by colonial policy that treated deposed rulers as potential centres of disaffection. Exile was reinforced by law, including ordinances that empowered the Governor to remove deposed chiefs from their former jurisdictions in the interest of public order.
Financial hardship became a continuing issue. Adenuga’s maintenance allowance was set at £8 per month, with authorities arguing that a larger allowance could create political problems in the host province. Over the years, Adenuga sought increases, arguing that he could not properly manage farms and business interests from exile and that family responsibilities, including children’s education, created strain. His allowance was later raised, first to £120 per annum, and later to £180 per annum, though the final increase was scheduled to take effect after he died.
Adenuga died on 13 November 1950, still an exile.
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What Adenuga’s story reveals about power under indirect rule
Adenuga’s reign shows how colonial indirect rule could concentrate power in one office while weakening traditional checks and balances that once restrained rulers through councils and established internal discipline. When a ruler was strong, the system could be effective, when a ruler was compromised, the system could magnify abuse. In Ijebu, the attempt to preserve the authority of a traditional institution through colonial policy led to a pattern where deposition and exile became the corrective instrument, rather than everyday accountability.
Author’s Note
Adenuga’s life reads like a warning about what happens when a throne carries more power than the system around it can safely control, succession disputes turn personal, authority becomes a weapon, and the fall of one ruler leaves a community struggling to rebuild trust, stability, and legitimacy for years.
References
Tunde Oduwobi, “Deposed Rulers under the Colonial Regime in Nigeria”, Cahiers d’Études africaines.
Nigerian National Archives, Ijebu Province and Colonial Secretary’s Office records cited in Oduwobi’s study.
The Deposed Chiefs Removal Ordinance (1917) and the Ex Native Office Holders Removal Ordinance (1933), colonial Nigeria legal framework.
