Pandemonium
broke out in Ayetoro, the political headquarters of Yewa North Local Government
Area of Ogun State, when at least 10 village heads allegedly beat the Alaye of
Ayetoro, Oba Azeez Adelakun and destroyed his traditional beads.
The
fracas which occurred,weekend, shortly before the embattled monarch
installed a village head of Ago-Imala, Olayiwola Ajibola, prompted the state
Commissioner of Police, Mr Ikemefuna Okoye, to personally supervise his men who
stormed the place in four Hilux vans to restore normalcy.
The
installation was billed to take place at Isale-Agboro multi-purpose hall before
the crisis escalated.
When our
correspondent visited the place, there were eight bonfires in various places
which were reportedly made by the youths in the area in protest against the
assault on their monarch.
It was
gathered that, there had been bad blood between the monarch and the
aggrieved village heads following the refusal of the monarch to merge two
village heads in Saala village.
An
eyewitness told our correspondent that some village heads had demanded to hold
a meeting with the monarch on the need to jettison the installation of
the new village head, and when the monarch entered the palace, the aggrieved
village heads refused to pay homage to him, saying they did not recognise
him.
Speaking
on behalf of the monarch, Baale Ayobo-Ayetoro, Ezekiel Ogundele
said: “Those Baales have vowed to dethrone the Kabiyesi
and they have been planning against him for long. They said
until they dethrone him they will not rest.
“They
alleged that the Kabiyesi disgraced them in Abeokuta and
they would retaliate by removing him as the oba of the town. They
said the two village heads in Saala should be merged, but Kabiyesi told
the government not to allow them merge the two offices. This did not go
down well with the aggrieved Baales who vowed to deal with the Kabiyesi
by removing him as Oba.
“This
development led to the confusion to the extent that, these aggrieved
village heads wrote the Kabiyesi to meet them at
his palace, December 16.
“But,
Kabiyesi wanted to install Baale Ago-Imala and when they got to the palace they
did not pay homage to him and when the monarch asked them why they failed to
pay the homage, they said the Kabiyesi had been removed as the Oba,
“They
vowed that they will not remove their caps and shoes as the culture demanded
and they carried out the threat. They were about 10.”
Confirming
the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Muyiwa Adejobi,
said 19 Baales were involved, adding that one of the Baales assaulted
the oba by removing his traditional beads.
Vanguard.
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