Timi Abibu Lagunju was a Yoruba monarch and leader in the 19th century. He was the first Muslim Timi that Ede produced, he also belonged to the first generation of Yoruba Muslims who held high political office in the pre-colonial era and who used their positions to enhance the growth of his town, Ede and his religion, Islam. Indeed, Abibu Lagunju was the second Muslim Oba in Yorubaland given the fact that he was already on the throne for a few years when, in November 1857, the American Baptist Missionary, Reverend W.H. Clarke, visited Ede.

The first Muslim Oba in Yorubaland was a famous prince and Mohammedan (Muslim) called Prince Ali of Ado-Ekiti. He was enthroned as Ewi Ali Atewogboye after the demise of Ewi Aroloye in 1836. [1]

Tradition had it that Prince Ali resisted attempts of the priests and chiefs to renounce Islam before he was enthroned. He was adamant to rather hold to Islam than take the throne. Ewi Ali Atewogboye led the people of Ado-Ekiti back to its original location after sojourning for sometime at Oke Ako due to invasion of Benin Armies and Fulani Jihad. Ewi Ali Atewogboye remained the first and only Ewi of Ado-Ekiti since 19th century to embrace Islam.

Timi Abibu Lagunju of Ede was a moslem and enthroned in 1855 as an Oba. However, the first Yoruba Moslem Oba is the Ewi of Ado-Ekiti and not the Timi of Ede from the available record of history. This position is buttressed by the fact that other Yoruba Muslim strongholds produced Muslim Obas at a much later date: Lamuye of Iwo in 1860, Momodu Latoosa of Ibadan in 1871, Iyanda Oloko of Epe in 1875, Aseyin "Noo" (Nuruddin) of Iseyin in 1895, Alaafin Lawani Agogoja of New Oyo in 1905 and Awujale Adeona Fusigboye of Ijebu-Ode in 1906. Lagunju was certainly a force to reckon with in the history of Islam in Ede.

Timi Lagunju also deserves historical attention because he was certainly one of the most outstanding personalities and warrior-rulers of the 19th century Yorubaland. He knew personally and was well acquainted with most Yoruba military, political and religious leaders of note between 1840 and 1900. Lagunju's era is also worthy of study because he was the most enigmatic Timi to have ruled Ede since the 19th century till date. He set the record of being the only Timi to have been dethroned thrice, got himself reinstated twice but eventually lost out on the third count.

Biography

Timi Abibu (Sangolami) (O)lagunju was born before 1817 to the Oduniyi-Olagunju royal household of Ede, the descendant of Lalemo dynasty in Osun State. He was given the name Sangolami by his parents who were Sango (god of thunder) devotees because his birth was bizarre as he held a thunder stone in his left hand and a piece of paper with Qur'anic inscription on it in his right hand. This prompted the family, as it was practice among the Yoruba in those days to consult the Ifa oracle whenever a baby was born to the family, especially with strange event. The Oduniyi-Olagunju family consulted the oracle and they were told that the boy would be a ruler and added a clause that he would switch his father’s traditional religion to a strange religion of Arab. This prophecy angered the reigning Timi then, so he ordered that the boy be beheaded, but his father Oduniyi prevented that to happen.

In his youth, he left Ede for Ilorin where he embraced Islam. When he returned to Ede, he drew opposition from some residents in Ede and he moved to a location far from the main centre of the town. In the new location, he practised Islam with a few other adherents. Despite his many travails, he remained the longest serving Timi, having reigned for 60 years before he died at the age of 90 years.

Well....

I'm guessing Abibu is Habib?

That's correct! Abibu = Habeeb

wasnt islam present in yorubaland before the 18th century