entrusted the Owu crown to a warrior, simply referred to as Akogun (Owu's first documented Akogun warrior - Akogun being a title similar to a modern army defense chief), Ijaola and a few of the king's closest aides. When the siege on Erunmu began, Akogun was assigned to the warfront with the hope that he could turn the tide of war while Ijaola was sent on a mandatory royal assignment to Ibadan with a message for Maye, the Ibadan warlord. Before these two crown trustees left to carry out their respective orders, they had to entrust Oni (a skilled and specialized trader and farmer, and also the older stepbrother of Ijaola) with safeguarding the crown. Oni and other men entrusted with the crown mingled with the refugees that eventually settled in Abeokuta. These men had strict instructions not to disclose the whereabout of the crown in the absence of the Akogun and Ijaola, unless they received news of their death. The crown is now resident at Owu-Ijebu and not Owu-Abeokuta. It remains the pride of all Owu descendants. Interregnum In 1855, the Owus crowned Oba Pawu as the first King Olowu of the Owus at Oke Ago-Owu, Abeokuta. Notably, there was a 21-year interregnum between the settlement of the Owu sojourners in Abeokuta and the crowning of Pawu as the first Olowu in Abeokuta. He reigned for 12 years. The reason for the interregnum may be attributed to the deterioration of the socio-cultural bond that became evident during the journey between Orile Owu and Abeokuta. Hardship had made these Owu families insensitive to each other's welfare. The worst affected were the people of Erunmu because they were fewer. As a result of their minority status they were marginalized by other Owu indigenes. Oni the keeper of the crown was convinced that if he revealed the crown to a people who had grown insensitive to the needs of their brothers, he would allow despotic rule to hold sway over the townships of Owu, Erunmu and Apomu (the Owu kingdom in Abeokuta). Over the years, Akogun (the warlord) arrived in Abeokuta, but he could neither locate Ijaola nor Ijaola's stepbrother, Oni. Also, unknown to the Olowu and Oluroko, Ijaola returned to Erunmu but had to hide on a farm settlement to escape capture. He later settled in Iwo town where there was a community of Owu refugees and began to trade in