History of the Yoruba people military capital of Ilorin, and then sacked and destroyed Ọyọ-Ile, the royal seat of the Ọyọ Empire. Following this, Ọyọ-Ile was abandoned, and the Ọyọ retreated south to the present city of Oyo (formerly known as "Ago d'Oyo", or "Oyo Atiba") in a forested region where the cavalry of the Sokoto Caliphate was less effective. Further attempts by the Sokoto Caliphate to expand southwards were checked by the Yoruba who had rallied in defence under the military leadership of the ascendant Ibadan clan, which rose from the old Oyo Empire, and of the Ijebu city-states. However, the Oyo hegemony had
Oyo, Oyo Oyo, Oyo Oyo is a city in Oyo State, Nigeria, founded as the capital of the Oyo Kingdom in the 1830s and known to its people as 'New Oyo' (Ọyọ Atiba) to distinguish it from the former capital to the north, 'Old Oyo' (Ọyọ-Ile), which had been deserted as a result of rumors of war. Its inhabitants are mostly of the Yoruba people, and its ruler is the imperial majesty Alaafin of Oyo. The major market in the city is Akeesan market, also called Oja Oba (King's market) its very close to the Alaafin's Palace, which is opened on a