Oyo Empire metropolitan Oyo. This may have been fine in the 15th century when Oyo controlled only its heartland. But to make and maintain farther conquest, the structure underwent several changes. Oyo maintained a semi-standing army of specialist cavalry soldiers called the "Eso", the "Esho" or, formally, the Eso of Ikoyi. These were 70 junior war chiefs who were nominated by the Oyo Mesi and confirmed by the Alaafin of Oyo. The Eso were appointed for their military skill without regard to heritage and were led by the Are-Ona-Kakanfo. After Oyo's return from exile, the post of Are-Ona-Kakanfo was established as the
History of the Yoruba people intercity warfare amongst the Yoruba themselves. Archaeological evidence of the greatness of their ancient civilization in the form of, amongst other things, impressive architectural achievements like Sungbo's Eredo that are centuries old, nevertheless abound. Many Yoruba people organize themselves into villages, kingdoms, and towns. Major cities include the Ile-Ife, Oya, Lagos, Ibadan, Akure, and many other towns and cities. Some towns and cities of Yoruba people are their own civilization because people can share many of the same similarities. These cities are Warri, Benin city, Okene, and Auchi. Since the Yoruba religion started in Ile-Ife, the Yoruba diaspora has two