Aliagan Family Debunks Historical Claims on Ilorin Dynasty, Calls for Accuracy in Preserving Emirate Heritage

 

The descendants of the Magaji Aliagan family of Ilorin have issued a detailed rejoinder challenging claims made by Professor Abubakar Imam Ali-Agan in a recent publication about the history of the Aliagan dynasty and the emergence of the current Sarkin Malamai of Ilorin, Shaykh Imam Ya’qub Ali-Agan.

In the document circulating online, Prof. Abubakar, who is the son of the current Imam of the Aliagan Mosque, traced his father’s scholarly journey and outlined what he described as the origins of the Ali-Agan family.

However, in their response signed by Professor Taiye Shehu Aliagan, Alhaji Danialu Tunde Olokoba Aliagan, Mallam Uthman Taiye Kawu, Imam Muhammad La’aro Yakub Aliagan, and Professor Isiaka Zubair Aliagan, the Magaji Aliagan descendants insisted that several of the professor’s claims were historically inaccurate and misleading.

According to them, contrary to Prof. Abubakar’s assertion that the Aliagan family was founded by “two jolly friends” who later became “brothers” through marriage, the dynasty has always had a single origin traced to Mallam Aliyu, a warrior-scholar who migrated from the ancient Oyo-Ile to Ilorin before the fall of the Oyo Empire.

“There has been only one Magaji Aliagan family, and it has no parallel,” the statement read. “The claim of dual lineage or separate political and spiritual arms is completely alien to our history.”

The rejoinder clarified that the present Imam’s lineage did not originate alongside the Magaji dynasty but was later integrated through historical association and respect.

“The tie between Imam Busayr, father of the current Imam, and the Magaji Aliagan family was strengthened by friendship and acts of kindness, not by shared origin,” the family noted, recalling how the fifth Magaji Aliagan, Danialu, sheltered the young Busayr during a family conflict in the 1960s.

They also refuted the claim that the Aliagan dynasty descended from “Magaji Abdulganiyu” or that there was ever a formal separation between a ‘political’ and ‘spiritual’ lineage in the family.

“The authority of the Magaji Aliagan, both political and religious, has always remained undivided,” the family explained.

“Every Imam of the Aliagan Mosque, including the present one, has been appointed and turbaned under the authority of the Magaji, in line with Ilorin Emirate traditions.”

The descendants further provided detailed historical evidence from the book Breakers of the City Wall: A Socio-Economic and Political History of the Aliagans and Their Neighbours, describing how Mallam Aliyu, the family’s progenitor, established the Aliagan Quarters after receiving permission from the first Emir of Ilorin, Shehu Abdul Salami, to settle beyond the city wall.

They added that the Aliagan Mosque was initially a small family prayer space built by Aliyu in his old age, later expanded under Magaji Aliagan Danialu, who invited 13 families to form its congregation.

On the etymology of the name “Aliagan,” the family noted that while Prof. Abubakar’s interpretation linking the name to childlessness was one possible version, it was not definitive.

“The name could also have derived from Aliyu’s military exploits as ‘Ajagun bi Agan’ (a warrior without fear) or from linguistic adaptation over time,” they stated.

The rejoinder also dismissed the claim that the area’s original name was “Ode Nla.” “The compound has always been known as Ile Aliagan, with ‘Ode Aliagan’ referring to the surrounding quarters. The term ‘Ode Nla’ was merely a descriptive title reflecting the size and importance of the compound,” it explained.

Citing respected historical works by scholars such as L.A.K. Jimoh and the late Alhaji Safi Jimba, the Magaji Aliagan descendants reaffirmed that the Aliagan family played a key role in the early development of the Ilorin Emirate, both as warriors and as scholars under the leadership of Mallam Aliyu.

They concluded by stressing that their intervention was not to undermine the contributions of the current Sarkin Malamai but to correct historical inaccuracies that could distort Ilorin’s heritage.

“Our response is to set the record straight for posterity. History must be protected from distortion,” the statement emphasized.

“The Aliagan story is one of scholarship, bravery, and service to the Ilorin Emirate — a legacy that must remain rooted in truth,” the family declared.