Ara was one of Ekiti’s most important towns in 1850, with a population that rivaled Ijaye’s in Egbaland. To prevent being sold into slavery by Ibadan, the people of Ara (also known as Ara-Ekiti) killed themselves in large numbers in August 1855.
Alara Elejofi, the mayor of Ara Town, started the mass suicide by destroying his properties, killing his family, and taking his own life (with the aid of his first son). The Ibadan army arrived with their extensive arsenal of weapons, and many other homes in the town followed suit. However, when they saw the horrific sight of the dead bodies lying around the town, they turned back.
The people of Ara previously rebelled against their former Alara (ruler) due to his poor leadership and the heinous crimes he had committed against his citizens. He was driven from his home. Chief Elejofi took control of the town during his exile.
Alara, who was in exile because he was unwilling to relinquish his throne, asked Ibadan for assistance. Ibadan, which at the time was gradually filling the void left by Oyo’s fall, was eager to take on new towns, so his request was granted. The deposed Alara returned to Ara with their assistance and was frightfully welcomed, having just returned from an expedition in Ijebu-Ere with the Ibadan army.
Shortly after Ibadan reinstated the ousted Alara of Ara, its army attacked Ikoro, another town in Ekiti, both because they were preventing the Ibadan army from raiding their crops and because there were rumors that Ikoro was preparing an assault on the Ibadan army.
Some other Ekiti towns, such as Ara-Ekiti, attempted to defend Ikoro during the attack. Another uprising broke out in the town as a result of the restored Alara’s efforts to discourage the residents from joining the battle against Ibadan. The towns that supported Ikoro during the war, including Ara, were punished after Ibadan ultimately defeated Ikoro.
Chief Elejofi had once more seized control of Ara during this time. He held onto it for a few months before it fell to starvation, and the people of Ara-Ekiti committed an unprecedented mass suicide to avoid being captured by Ibadan. The mass suicide of Igbo slaves off the U. Is very similar to this incident. S. In 1803.
Before some of its exiled descendants returned, the town of Ara was abandoned for a considerable amount of time. In the history of Ekiti and the entire Yoruba land, the Ara suicide is still one of the most disturbing episodes.