Ogbomoso is a sprawling town strategically
located along Ibadan-Oyo-Ilorin road. The
major highway that links the southern part
of the country with the north through
South-west axis runs through Ogbomoso.
This historic city, which is one of the places
that have been a source of attraction to
visitors and tourists, is the palace of the
town’s traditional ruler, Oba Jimoh
Oyewumi, Ajagungbade III.
For those visiting the place, what appears
to be the magnet drawing them there is a
324-year-old tortoise popularly called
Alagba by residents.
According to those living in the palace, the
tortoise has lived in the palace for over 300
years. This is not the only spectacle about
Alagba. Since its arrival in the palace, the
tortoise, which is said to have mystical
powers plays host to different calibres of
people including royal fathers, tourists from
foreign countries, ailing individuals seeking
divine healing and people seeking longevity.
In an encounter with the tortoise’s
caretaker during a trip to Ogbomoso
recently, it was gathered that the tortoise
receives up to 150 visitors daily.
According to Samuel Ojo, the current
caretaker, the tortoise was brought into the
palace several years ago by one of the past
traditional rulers of the town, Oba Toyese
Ikumuyi, Ajagungbade I.
Ojo further revealed that the monarch saw
the tortoise while returning from the war
front, and consequently brought it to the
palace.
“This is the history handed down to us
from our forefathers. We all grew up to see
the tortoise in the palace. Out of curiosity,
we inquired from our parents why the
tortoise was brought by the king and we
were told that the king’s initial aim was to
keep it as a pet, but that when it was
discovered that it had some mystical
powers, a decision was taken to take care
of it,” he declared.
Ojo further revealed that a detached
apartment was later put up for the tortoise
within the palace.
“Since that time this tortoise has become
part of our life not only in the palace but
also throughout the town. You cannot talk
of Ogbomoso without talking about the
tortoise.”
On how the tortoise acquired its mystic
powers to perform various miracles credited
to it, Ojo said: “My brother, it is only God
that can explain it. But what I know is that
several people come here every day seeking
to be cured of one form of ailment or the
other, and they believe that whenever they
touch the tortoise that their problems will
be solved. This is why you see all these
visitors here. They are not here for picnic,
they are here to see the tortoise because
they believe that it has powers to provide
solutions to their problems,” he said.
Recalling a time when a traditional ruler
from the Southwestern part of the country
came to the palace, Omo said that the
monarch was carried to the palace by his
aides, but that as soon as he touched the
tortoise’s head, the monarch regained his
health.
“There are many instances that I have
witnessed here where the tortoise was only
touched and you see people jubilating that
their ailment had disappeared.”
Asked whether the tortoise has any taboo ,
Ojo said: “There is nothing extraordinary or
unusual about the tortoise. But when you
come here, there are certain rules you must
observe. As they say, when you are in
Rome, behave like Romans, when you come
here you don’t call the tortoise by name
you address it as Alagba which mean the
elderly one in Yoruba language. Not only
that, you then prostrate or kneel down
depending on your sex before you proceed
to touch the tortoise on the head or any
part of its body, and then table your
requests.”
Reiterating the importance of addressing
the tortoise as Alagba, Ojo said failure to
do so would make the tortoise unhappy.
“If you come here, and you refuse to follow
the rules then this tortoise will not
cooperate with you. If you don’t address it
as Alagba, you will just notice that the
tortoise will suddenly become cold towards
you, and before you know what is
happening it would gradually move towards
its resting place. There were occasions
when the tortoise got provoked, and for
some days, it would not come out of its
resting place. There have been some
occasions when some visitors from far
places had to wait for three days or more
for the tortoise,” he stated.
On the kind of food the tortoise eats, Ojo
said it could eat anything as long as such
item is edible.
“The tortoise eats anything eaten by human
beings. At times, we serve it moin-moin,
rice and fish, bread and tea and even rice.
But what still baffles all of us here is that
the tortoise drink water only once in every
two weeks. If you give water to the tortoise
now, it won’t drink again until two weeks
later.
While saying that there have been one or
two occasions when the tortoise took ill,
Ojo however quickly added:
“Even for human beings, we do fall sick, let
alone animals, but this tortoise hardly falls
ill, and whenever it does not feel fine,
nobody administers any drug on it, the
tortoise will just retreat to its abode, and
for few days will not come out. But by the
time you see it moving round the palace
ground again, you don’t need anybody to
tell you that it has regained its health. I
don’t know the secret of its longevity; this
tortoise has outlived over 15 Souns, that is
talking about our traditional rulers here.”
Has there been any attempt to relocate the
tortoise to a zoo? You inquired. “Never!”,
he retorted. “For what reason? Since it was
brought here, this tortoise has never left the
palace ground. It is generally believe that
any attempt to take the tortoise out of the
palace will have a negative consequence.”
Speaking with some residents of Ogbomoso
on how they feel about the tortoise, most of
them described it as a blessing to the
town.
For Madam Adunni Adunola, a petty trader,
the tortoise since its coming to Ogbomoso
has been a harbinger of blessing to the
residents.
“Since the tortoise came to Ogbomoso,
everywhere has always been peaceful. Have
you heard about any crisis in Ogbomoso?
Our city is a haven, and we owe this in part
to the existence of this tortoise,” she
declared.
The 78-year-old trader enjoined Soun of
Ogbomoso and his chiefs to continue taking
care of the tortoise.
In his own view, Solomon Ayanlola, a
political leader in the town, the history of
Ogbomoso can’t be complete without the
tortoise.
“The tortoise has been with us for many
years. It has become part of our history.
We all treasure its presence among us, and
we urge our leaders to continue taking
good care of it.”

a pix of papa alagba coming out of the palace

humans can go to hell searching for miracles

Is this some sort of moonlight tales or something




Humans sha

Nice article. I have seen Alagba before, I wanted him to help me get a girlfriend, that night 7 ogbomoso girls proposed to me






























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