Ilorin

The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. | 2011 | 700+ words | Copyright

Ilorin , city (1991 est. pop. 420,000), SW Nigeria. It is an industrial city and the market (especially for cattle, poultry, palm products, and yams) and transport center for a wide region. Manufactures include cigarettes, matches, and sugar. Traditional artisans make woven goods, tin products, wood carvings, and pottery. Ilorin was the capital of a Yoruba kingdom that, with the assistance of the Fulani , successfully rebelled against the Oyo empire in 1817 but soon thereafter was incorporated into the Fulani state of Sokoto . Through warfare against Oyo and Ibadan in the later 19th cent., Ilorin considerably increased its territory. In 1897 it was conquered by troops of the British-chartered Royal Niger Company led by Sir George Goldie .

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