The Secret Society That Could Remove a Yoruba King | The Ogboni Explained

The Ogboni weren't just a secret society. They were a constitutional check on the king — and they could remove him.In this bonus episode of Yoruba History, Identity & the In-Between, we explore the Ogboni (also known as Òsùgbó among the Ijebu and Egba Yoruba) — the earth-veneration society that served as a third organ of Yoruba government alongside the king and the Oyo Mesi.We cover:– The Iledi: the sacred lodge built on the earth they governed– The Edan: paired brass figures that sealed verdicts no king could overturn– How the Ogboni could — and did — compel abdication through ritual sanction– Why women were constitutive members, not peripheral ones– The 1949 Abeokuta Women's revolt: how 10,000 women used this same accountability tradition outside the lodge to remove the Alake of EgbalandThis is not primitive governance. This is constitutional design.🎙️ Series: Yoruba History, Identity & the In-Between (YHIB) — Bonus Supplement📚 Covers Episodes 1–5🔔 Subscribe for documented Yoruba history:  @YorubaHistorych  🎧 Listen on podcast: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3JDmrs5fpaCheUrdaqMC6B?si=486A_8PlTdi9LMRjWkUC4A📖 Support the research on Patreon: patreon.com/zackshittu📷 Follow on Instagram: @zackshittuChapters:00:00 Hidden Elders of Power00:57 Ogboni as Third Branch01:27 Earth as Moral Witness02:09 Edo Symbols and Oaths02:40 Women in Ogboni Authority03:10 The Power to Depose Kings04:09 Colonial Tax Revolt in Egba04:41 Abeokuta Women Remove the Alake05:42 What Was Lost and Why It Matters06:04 Closing and Call to ActionReferences and Source notes: patreon.com/zackshittu