Alafin Abipa reoccupies Oyo Ile, beginning of the imperial period

Abipa, successor to Ajiboyede and the last Alafin to reign at Igboho, reoccupied the old capital at Oyo Ile, probably in the early seventeenth century. Law dates this to around 1600, noting that both his own calculations and those of Robert Smith coincide at this point. The reoccupation marked the beginning of Oyo's imperial period, during which it became one of the most powerful states in West Africa.