Royal rumble in Osun: Monarch asks court to sack Oluwo of Iwo

An Osun State Magistrate Court in Osogbo has asked the Oluwo of Iwo, a first class traditional ruler, Oba Abdulrasheed Akanbi to appear before him to defend himself over allegations of criminalities brought against him by another monarch, the Oluwo of Iwo-Oke, Oba Kadiri Adeoye.

At the court sitting on Friday, November 25, 2016, the Chief Magistrate, Mr. Emmanuel Akano rejected the apology tendered by Oba Akanbi’s counsel, Barrister A.B Quadry for his non-appearance before the court, saying as a first class traditional ruler in the state, he was engaged in other important assignment.

Magistrate Akano stated that the status of the defendant has not made him to be above the law of the land while directing the Oba Akanbi to appear before him on the day of the next sitting fixed for Friday, December 2, 2016.

Oba Adeoye had gone to court with series of criminal allegations against the Oluwo of Iwo and asked the court to remove him as the traditional ruler, while noting that “as a member of Iwo Traditional Council” he owed it a duty to inform the court of the information he had about Oba Akanbi.

According to the Oluwo-Oke, Oba Akanbi had displayed characters that did not befit a person of his status and calibre “as he is used to carrying armed thugs, miscreants and hoodlums around to harass, intimidate, molest and attacked persons whom he perceived as his enemies”.

Oba Adeoye stated that he was a victim of the Oluwo of Iwo’s intimidation when he allegedly used thugs to attack him at his shopping complex in Iwo and connived with the police to stop him from free movement in Iwo-land and from attending the presentation of staffs of office to two traditional rulers in his domain.

He further alleged in a 33-page affidavit in support of his claims that the Oba Akanbi was “an ex-convict who does not deserve the post that he is presently occupying.

“That I know as a matter of fact that when he was about to travel out of the country sometimes late 1990’s, he disowned his father and started using the name Adeonigbagbe as his father’s name.

“That he used the said Adeonigbagbe as his surname to travel to the United States of America where he resided at New York City and that he was later arrested for an offence which bothered on dishonesty and was detained for seven months before his deportation back to Nigeria in 2000”.

He added that Oba Akanbi later travelled out with his real name to Canada in 2001 and became a Canadian citizen but was also arrested in Toronto and was in jail between 2006 and 2007, saying these facts were concealed for the state government which appointed and installed him as the Oluwo of Iwo.

He also accused him of presently making money through the internet fraud otherwise known as “Yahoo Yahoo” and was using his palace as a cover-up.

But reacting to these allegations in a-nine page affidavit on behalf of Oba Akanbi, the Aremo of Iwo land, Chief Adelani Akanbi described the application filed against the Oluwo of Iwo by Oba Adeoye as “scandalous, vexations and designed to embarrass, blackmail and ridicule the monarch in the view of right thinking members of the society”.

He further noted that by virtue of his position, there was no person, be it traditional or honourary that is referred to the Oluwo of Iwo-Oke.

However, Oba Akanbi’s counsel has asked the court to disqualify itself from hearing the case as it lacked jurisdiction to entertain the suit and that the applicant lacked the locus to file the application against his client.