Abstract
The history of Erunmu, an Owu town in present-day Oyo State, Nigeria, has been subject to contested narratives and incomplete documentation. This study provides an authentic account of Erunmu's origins, its devastation during the nineteenth-century Yoruba civil wars, subsequent resettlement, and modern development. To document and analyze the historical perspectives of Erunmu, tracing its foundations from the Owu dynasty, through its destruction in 1825, to its resettlement and contemporary growth in education, religion, economics, and infrastructure. This study adopted the historical tools in line with qualitative cross-sectional survey qualitative historical research design utilizing multiple primary sources. Data collection methods included structured interviews with key informants and community elders, oral traditions from bard singers (arokin), analysis of chieftaincy declarations and court records, and review of published historical texts including Johnson's History of the Yorubas and Seventh-day Adventist church records. Triangulation of sources was employed to validate contested historical claims. The study established that the Erunmu’s were of the Owu extraction. It was also revealed that indeed, Erunmu was a vassal Owu town before she was laid siege on and sacked in 1825. Resettlement was led by Oluroko, Adeniyi Ojo and a handful of the people who experienced the devastation along with him and who escaped to different locations during the war. Since resettlement, Erunmu has witnessed significant development, particularly following the introduction of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in 1914, which catalyzed educational advancement. Recent developments include the Federal Housing Estate and the landmark Inland Dry Port project. This study clarifies previously disputed aspects of Erunmu's history, particularly regarding leadership succession after resettlement. The findings contribute to the broader understanding of Owu history and post-war resettlement patterns in Yorubaland, while documenting the town's transformation into a modern community.