[citation needed] He was born Òrìṣàráyíbí Ògúndàmọ́lá to Apasan Borijiwa and Falupo[3][4] in the small village of Atorin[5] near Ilesha, in August or September in 1822.

[6] According to oral tradition, a babalawo in 1822 predicted that a boy would be born on "Isegun Day" and liberate the Ijesa people from foreign domination.

He was nicknamed Ogendengbe as a child, a Yoruba onomatoepic name originating from his unique fighting style which involved lifting enemies up above his head.

[7] When an Ijesa chief named Odole Ariysasunle allegedly leaked military secrets to Ibadan, Ogedengbe led his warriors to chase him out of Ilesha, and he became a hero.

Ogedengbe cancelled his trip to the Kingdom of Benin to lead the army at the request of war leaders, despite his initial reluctance.

His band of warriors participated in the raiding of local farms and civilians, which resulted in a warning from Captain Robert Lister Bower of the British Army, who served as the Resident of Ibadan and political officer of Lagos Colony.

The colonial government of Nigeria commissioned a sculpture named the Ogedengbe Staff in 1934 to commemorate him, and it was placed outside Owa's Palace at Ilesa.