By Alao Abiodun and Vincent Ikuomola, Abuja

Criticisms have trailed the deployment of armed policemen from Abuja in Magodo Phase II Estate, a highbrow Lagos neigbourhood.

Southwest governors, lawyers, and lawmakers, who reacted to the development yesterday, were miffed that the action was taken without Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s knowledge.

They chided the Inspector-General of Police, Alkali Usman and the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) Abubakar Malami (SAN) for allegedly being behind the deployment of the policemen.

Lawyers who reacted were Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, and Jiti Ogunye. The lawmakers were Ademorin Kuye and Rotimi Agunsoye of the House of Representatives.

Last year, armed security operatives stormed the estate to execute a Supreme Court judgment, which mandated the Lagos State Government to give back 549 plots to the original owners of the area — the Adeyiga Family.

The continuous presence of the armed policemen in the estate prompted the residents to protest.

On Tuesday, Sanwo-Olu led members of his cabinet to visit the estate where he openly confronted the security operatives. He told the leader of the team, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), that they had no business being in Lagos  State without his knowledge as the Chief Security Officer.

The governor, who consequently asked the CSP to vacate with his men, said the case at hand was between the judgment creditors (the original owners of the land)  and the state government.

But the CSP told Sanwo-Olu that “I am here on the instruction of the Inspector-General of Police, through the AGF.”

The governor said AGF Malami told him he was unaware of the operation, and that he had spoken extensively with IGP on the matter.

Read Also: Magodo residents protest presence of over 50 policemen

Sanwolu-Olu’s colleagues, under the aegis of the Southwest Governors’ Forum, condemned the alleged role of Malami in the presence of the policemen in the estate.

They said in a statement by their Chairman, Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State, that it was ‘disgraceful’ for a security agent to disregard   Sanwo-Olu, who visited the area to broker peace.

While activist lawyer  Ogunye described the Magodo crisis as a rule of law catastrophe, Adegboruwa pointed out that only restructuring could save the nation.

Ogunye argued that the policemen had no business being in the estate to enforce a judgment since they are not Sheriffs of any court empowered to do so under the Sheriff and Civil Process Act (SCPA).

He said, “The Magodo Lagos incident is a rule of law catastrophe. AGF’s and IGP’s agents lawfully cannot invade the estate in the pretext of enforcing a Supreme Court judgment.

“They are not Sheriffs of Court empowered to so do under the SCPA. If the LASG disobeyed the court, the redress venue is still the court. Not the office of IGP or AGF.

“The AGF has no power to instruct the IGP to enforce the judgment of the Supreme Court. The IGP has no authority outside the provisions of the Sheriffs and Civil Process Act to enforce the order of any court— Supreme, Appellate, or High.

“If the judgment is not being obeyed, it is still the court that parties must return to.

“Court judgments are not enforced by policemen but by the sheriffs who are assisted, security-wise, by the police. The enforcers are the sheriffs and the mechanism of enforcement is a “civil” process. Not a martial or police process.

“The Supreme Court has the NJC (National Judicial Council) by its side to receive a petition and punish any judicial officer that may be frustrating enforcement of its orders and can direct that the CJ(Chief Judge) of any state should ensure that any sheriff that subverts its orders be sanctioned.

“The judgment creditors have my sympathy. My sense of justice should make me their ally. But I can’t in good conscience support a situation in which agents of the central government in a supposed federation are recklessly invading a state in the name of enforcing a judgment in the face of tons of judgments being disobeyed by the Federal Government and its agencies, including the police.

“No reasonable person should support this irresponsible conduct.

“For the Lagos State Government that is locked in a fresh legal battle with the judgment creditors on appeal over the writ of possession that was issued and set aside, the resolution route is a settlement and compliance with the judgment.

“The judgment of our courts is binding on all authorities and persons- Section 287 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The Judiciary that gave the judgment is the third arm of government. It is therefore an act of executive lawlessness if the Executive branch willfully and perennially disobeys the decision of the judicial arm.

“Incidentally, history is repeating itself. The complaint of the judgment creditors was that while their action was in court and after the court had granted an injunction in their favour , the Lagos State Government and it’s officials kept allocating their lands to third parties. Terrible of course.

“But consider the situation today. While the fresh action on the set aside writ of possession is pending in the Court of Appeal, the judgment creditors have resorted to self-help, illegally aided by the AGF and IGP to take over the subject matter of the pending appellate litigation.”

Adegboruwa, in a statement titled “Governor Vs IGP: Only restructuring can save Nigeria,” stated that the Magoda brouhaha has shown that only restructuring can save Nigeria.

He added that: “the 1999 Constitution tells a lie against the people of Nigeria when it claims that we are running a federation but strips the governor of a state of powers over security.

“Kuye and Agunsoye of the House of Representatives advised that the involvement of Malami and Usman in the matter be probed.”

They argued that the presence of the policemen from Abuja in the estate amounted to a bid to “destabilise the peace of the state, scuttle the ongoing settlement process and enforce an illegality.”

A group, the Housing Development Advocacy Network (HDAN), also described the presence of armed policemen in the estate as illegal.

It, therefore, called on the Federal Government to stop the “illegality” being perpetuated by the police

HDAN’s Executive Director, HDAN,  Festus Adebayo, said what played out yesterday has brought to the fore, the need to review the Land Use Act.

Adebayo said, “We call on the IGP and the Attorney General to stop the illegality. The Sheriffs are the enforcers and they can only seek the support of the police to enforce.

“But from what we saw, there was no sheriff in the team that went to forcefully enforce the court judgment but only the police.”

By Emmanuel Badejo and Bolaji Ogundele

• Decision to protect likely successor

• ’I will sign Electoral Amendment Bill when reworked

President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday said he would not disclose his preferred successor for personal reasons.

Besides, he said it would be too early to anoint a successor, adding that if he disclosed his preferred candidate, the person may be eliminated before the 2023 general election.

President Buhari spoke yesterday on Channels Television’s ‘Politics Today’.

When asked to name his successor, the President, who first said he did not have anybody in mind, said he would not disclose the identity of the person.

He said: “I don’t have any favourite for 2023 and if I do, I won’t reveal his identity because if I do, he may be eliminated before the election. I better keep it secret”.

President Buhari, who defended his decision not to assent to the Electoral Amendment Bill, said he would sign the bill once the legislators correct the identified anomalies.

Buhari said: “Personally, I don’t support direct primaries. Let the people be given options and let them choose the option that is best for them.

He added: “I didn’t tell the legislators what I didn’t like. All I said is that, there should be options and once that is done, I will sign.”

He scored his administration high on security, saying a lot has been done and more efforts are being explored to restore peace.

President Buhari said: “When we came into power in 2015, about 18 local government areas in the Northeast were under the control of Boko Haram. But, none of those areas is still under Boko Haram now.”  He said his government was going after terrorists with full military might because that is the language they understand.

Read Also; 2023: I am still consulting, says Tinubu

The President said with the steps taken so far, the situation has improved.

President Buhari rejected state police, saying: “State police is not an option. Find out the relationship between local government and the governors. Are the third tier of government getting what they are supposed to get constitutionally? Are they getting it? Let the people in local government tell you the truth, the fight between local governments and the governors.

“How many times did we have to release money to states in the name of bailouts to enable them pay salaries?

“How many states are able to pay their workers in time? And you add the police to them? People should look at this matter well.

“No, I am not convinced. We should have solved the current insecurity in the Northeast and South-South by now. Can the states be able to shoulder the burden of the police?

“You cannot just give someone guns and ammunition, train him and refuse to pay him. You know what will eventually happen”, the President said.

He spoke on reports of farmers/herders clashes in the country and wondered why there should be such occurrences among people that he observed used to coexist peacefully.

“For example, there were two governors that came to see me about problems – Oyo State and one other state – because the herders were in their forests, but the animals were going into the neighbouring farms, and eating the crops; I said, as far as I know, the farmers and herders have been co-existing in Nigeria for generations.

“Let them go and ask the local leadership what has gone wrong, why the break in communication between the local leadership and the herders”.

The President also said traditional rulers should be involved in solving herders/farmers crisis, adding that their involvement will yield better result than the establishment of regional security outfits like Amotekun and Ebubu Agu.

He added: “The role of traditional rulers must not be undermined because in their areas, they know who is who and we have to revert to them as far as effective security in localities are concerned.

President Buhari, who reiterated his resolve to resuscitate the grazing reserves and herders’ routes, said: “Herders’ routes and grazing reserves should be reinvented and cattle-rearers are to ensure they do not go beyond these routes. Those who do are to be arrested and prosecuted”.

He disagreed with those calling for the disintegration of the country under the guise of restructuring, saying the agitators were only calling for more deals and not for the break-up of Nigeria.  According to him, many of the agitators believe in the unity of country.

On Nnamdi Kanu’s travail, the President said he would not interfere with the judiciary.

He said: “I won’t interfere with the judiciary on Nnamdi Kanu’s case. For taking him to the court, we are only giving him the opportunity to defend himself and not to be abusing us from Europe, as if he is not a Nigerian.”

Although the President said the possibility of resolving the matter politically was not foreclosed, he however, said it was good for Kanu to answer for his actions.

The President said: “I wouldn’t interfere with the judiciary. We cannot rule out possibility of political solution, but if he will behave himself all well and good. But, you can’t go to a foreign country and keep on sending incorrect economic and security problem against your country and thinking that you will never have to account for what you have been doing. Let him account for what he has been doing.

“There is one institution that I wouldn’t dare interfere with. That’s the judiciary. Kanu’s case is with the judiciary.

“But, what I wonder is when Kanu was simply in Europe, abusing this administration and mentioning too many things, I never thought really he wants to voluntarily come and defend himself on the accusations he has.

“So, we’re giving him an opportunity to defend himself in our system and not to be abusing us from Europe as if he was not a Nigerian.

“Let him come here with us and then, criticize us here in Nigeria. Let him be listened to. But people who are saying he should be released, no, we cannot release him”, he said.

He promised to hand-over a healthy economy to his successor, saying that, 2022 budget would be fully implemented.

He said: “I want to bequeath free economy to the people. We have to stop smuggling; we must disallow Nigeria being a dumping ground and that is why ECOWAS and other bodies are working to boost the indexes.

He bemoaned the state of electricity in the country, saying that was why his administration was working towards improving accompanying infrastructures that would aid the process of improving power.

According to him, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which privatized the power sector, sold those infrastructures, not on merit, but on political patronage.

He said his government would continue to lift millions of Nigerians out of poverty by encouraging the youths to embrace agriculture.

“It is a pity that only 2.5 arable land in Nigeria is being used and we need to make use of land and that we have started already.

“I think we have made a lot of progress in agriculture, now we’re not just producing rice but exporting it.

And we’re working vigorously to encourage the people to go back to agriculture.”

He said his government was working to remove all obstacles hindering the people from accessing the land, adding that agriculture was a sure way to lift millions of Nigerians from poverty.

To him, many of those calling for restructuring were not sincere, as it is obvious that many of the states do not allow the local governments to operate in accordance with the constitution.

The President urged youths to think out of the box, adding there were several opportunities in the country that could be sources of income for them.

Buhari, who described PDP as a failure, urged Nigerians to stop stealing the common patrimony and eliminate all corruption tendencies in all dealings.

By Nduka Chiejina and Frank Ikpefan, Abuja,

• Severance package being worked out, says minister

• Labour kicks

There was anxiety yesterday in the Federal Civil Service as the Federal Government unfolded plans to reduce the size of the work force.

Already, government is working out an exit package for workers that would be affected.

However, there was disquiet as Labour described the plan to sack workers as a reversal of the much advertised Federal Government’s employment drive.

Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning Mrs. Zainab Ahmed said it was imperative to reduce the size of government because of the huge huge amount government spent on recurrent expenditure annually.

Fears are rife that the merger of agencies being proposed will compound the unemployment crisis in the country.

However, the minister said government’s mode of reducing the workforce will not entirely be in line with the Stephen Oronsaye Report.

She said government is working on an “exit package” to be paid to those that will be affected.

Read Also: INEC promotes 1,985 workers

Mrs. Ahmed said: “There is a special committee, led by the SGF, that is working on the review of agencies, with a view to collapsing them partly using the Oransanye Report. At the end of it, what we want to do is to reduce the size of government and also to reduce the size of personnel cost and part of it will be designing the exit packages that are realistic”.

Explaining the reason for the proposed sack, the finance minister said: “We are revenue challenged. So, everything we do, we can’t put an exit package if you are not willing to cash it immediately. So, when you are asking people to exit by choice, you must be able to give them that package as they are exiting”.

She added: “There are so many things that are happening. These are not easy decisions to make because they affect people and families. So, you have to make sure that whatever we commit to we are actually going to deliver on it”.

The minister fielded questions at the Public Presentation and Breakdown of Highlights of the 2022 Appropriation Act in Abuja.

Mrs. Ahmed said the Federal Government will start repaying the $3.4 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan collected last year, based on the repayment schedule agreed to by the two parties.

The finance minister stated that President Muhammadu Buhari has ratcheted up his monitoring of the performances of ministers in his cabinet, adding that he now monitors the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) every quarter, instead of annually.

On when Nigeria will start using credible population figures to plan the economy, the finance minister said “the country is almost ready for the census exercise. What is needed is the date, which the National Population Commission will communicate to President Muhammadu Buhari”.

The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) said it closed 2021 fiscal year with a tax revenue collection of N6.4 trillion.

Contributing virtually to the budget breakdown session, Executive Chairman of FIRS, Muhammad Nami said the tax authority generated N6.4 trillion in 2021, adding that, non-oil sector revenue accounted for 70 percent of the revenue.

He said: “In 2021, FIRS realized N6.4 trillion as tax collection for the first time with the assistance of Information Technology (ICT) deployment”, he said.

The finance minister stated that as at November 2021, Federal Government of Nigeria’s (FGN’s) aggregate revenue was N5.51 trillion, representing 74 percent of what was targeted in the year. This was made up of FGN share of oil revenues N970.3 billion (representing 53 percnt performance of the prorated sum in the 2021 budget).

Labour unions have called for caution, urging the Federal Government to have a rethink over sack.

The unions asked the Federal Government to ensure that affected workers  should  be paid their full entitlements.

Presidents of two federal workers’ unions, who spoke with our correspondent are; Comrade (Chief) Lawrence Amaechi, President, Nigeria Civil Service Union and President, Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria, Dr Tommy Okon, expressed worry about the sack.

Amaechi said his union would monitor the implementation of the White Paper of the Oronsaye Committee Report.

He said: “If at the time of implementation we are satisfied that Mr A must go, we will ask where is his cheque? Is it complete? Give it to him and he will go and better his life.

“The Oronsaye committee white paper has long been gazetted. At this point, we cannot stop it. It is just to follow the implementation; how it will not affect our workers badly.

“When the implementation starts, we will know how to fight it.”

President, ASCSN, Dr Okon, said the union’s position on the planned retrenchment would be made public after meeting its organs.

He said: “We have to meet as a Congress and take a decision that will be all encompassing. I cannot speak on the position yet, until we meet. Once we meet, then, we will make our position known.

“The Central Working Committee will meet to look at the decision and even at the National Joint Council level we will meet. Once our decision is made we will communicate it to all parastatals.”

• Bandits kill nine, injure five in Kaduna attacks

• 97 kidnapped victims freed

Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has said forests in northern Nigeria should be carpet-bombed to end banditry in the region.

”I’ve always believed that, you know, we should carpet-bomb the forests; we can replant the trees after. Let’s carpet-bomb the forests and bomb all of them,” El-Rufai said in an interview with Arise TV.

“There will be collateral damage, but it’s better to wipe them (bandits) out and get people back to our communities so that agriculture and rural economics can pick up,” he added

The Kaduna State governor said more investment in security personnel, technology and military equipment will wipe out bandits “once and for all”.

El-Rufai attributed the prolonged inability of security operatives to curb banditry in the Northwest to a lack of encouraging factors.

He said the military and other security agencies “are doing their best, but they are overstretched” and advised a more strategic approach to the fight against them.

“These bandits operate in the periphery because their hiding place is in the forest. It’s a major problem,” El-Rufai said.

“The reality is we don’t have enough boots on the ground to address the myriad of security challenges that we face, and these security challenges are asymmetric, widespread, and there’s no part of Nigeria that doesn’t have one security problem or the other,” he added.

A notorious bandit leader, Bello Turji, yesterday freed over 50 kidnapped victims in his custody in Zamfara State, following military raids on neighbouring bandit camps in Zamfara and Sokoto forests.

The Co-Chairman of the State Committee on Finding Lasting Solutions to Banditry, Dr. Abdullahi Shinkafi, confirmed the development to Channels Television.

Read Also; APC won’t bequeath banditry in 2023, says Masari

Shinkafi noted that the released victims were about 70, adding that the notorious bandit kingpin released them ‘unconditionally’.

According to the police, arrangements are being made to evacuate all freed victims to the state capital, Gusau for profiling and medical treatment before they are released to their families.

Zamfara State Commissioner of Police Ayuba Elkanah, who briefed reporters yesterday at the Command Headquarters in Gusau, revealed that those freed included seven pregnant women, 19 babies, and 16 minors.

Giving a breakdown of the number of the returnees, he explained that 68 people were released in Shinkafi while 29 others regained freedom in Tsafe.

Elkanah said: “Following an extensive pressure mounted as a result of the ongoing military operation around the camp of a notorious bandits’ kingpin known as Bello Turji that covers Shinkafi, Zurmi and Birnin Magaji Local Government areas, on 3rd January 2022, police tactical operatives deployed at Shinkafi axis received an intelligence report that some kidnapped victims were seen stranded in the bush.”

He added: “The police operatives in collaboration with genuine repentant bandits and vigilante swung into action and rescued 68) victims from the forest.

“The victims were in captivity for over three months and they include 33 male adults, seven male children, three female children, and 25 women including pregnant/nursing mothers respectively. The victims hailed from Magarya, Maradun, Gusau of Zamfara State and Sabon Birni LGA in Sokoto State.”

The victims, according to him, were abducted for over 60 days from three villages namely Adarawa, Gana, and Bayawuri in Rijiya District of Gusau LGA.

Elkanah said all the rescued victims were treated by the joint medical teams of the state government and the police.

He stated that they would be debriefed and handed over to the state government before being reunited with their families.

Kaduna State Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs Samuel Aruwan said bandits killed nine citizens, injured five and rustled hundreds of animals during three attacks across Igabi and Zaria local government areas.

Aruwan said the bandits attacked Kudu da Gari settlement in Sabon Birni, Igabi and killed seven residents. The victims are Dahiru Bilya, Jibrin Bilya, Dayyabu Adamu , Bashir Habibu , Jabir Shuaibu , Buhari Habibu and Abubakar Habibu.

He added: “Four others were left critically injured, and were rushed to a medical facility for treatment. They are identified as Audi Mohammad, Mubarak Ilya, Balarabe Junaidu and  Umar Bilya.”

The commissioner said that in another incident, bandits invaded a herders’ settlement called Ruggar Goshe, on the outskirts of Kangimin Sarki village, Rigachikun, Igabi. A man, Auwal Koshe, was shot dead by the brigands, who then rustled about 250 goats and sheep from the settlement.

“Furthermore, bandits attacked another herders’ settlement at Filin Idin Barebare, Zaria LGA, where they killed Abubakar Mohammad. Abubakar Aliyu sustained gunshot injuries to his ribs and is receiving medical attention. The bandits then rustled an unspecified number of cattle from the settlement, “he added.

Aruwan said troops have reported that two bandits were neutralised around the outskirts of Tumbau village, Kerawa, Igabi council.

According to him, the bandits were retreating to the Malul forest when they were intercepted by the troops, and two of them were neutralised in the ensuing firefight, with an AK-47 rifle recovered.

The Federal Government is set to gazette the court order classifying bandits as terrorists, it was learnt yesterday.

The November 26, 2021 judgment by Justice Taiwo Taiwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja has also become a critical factor in the deployment of Super Tucano aircraft in the fight against terrorists, kidnappers and bandits.

Also, the Attorney-General; and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, said President Muhammadu Buhari would be guided by public interest while considering the request to release the detained leader of the proscribed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.

Malami spoke on the gazette and the request for Kanu’s release on the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) ‘Good Morning Nigeria’ show.

On the process of gazetting the order declaring bandits as terrorists, he said: “The gazetting of a court order or judgement is a process, but what matters fundamentally within the context of international convention is the judicial declaration and that has been obtained; the court has declared bandits, kidnappers, cattle rustlers as terrorists.

“So, with or without the gazette, what gives effect to such a declaration is a judicial pronouncement but the gazette is a mere formality and it has been on and I believe within a matter of days, it will be concluded.”

The minister said government acted promptly in declaring IPOB and Boko Haram as terror groups because of the “threats to lives and properties they have caused in the nation.”

He stressed: “Government has a responsibility to act, but within the context of acting, you are equally expected to operate within the confines of international best practices associated with engagement.

“One of such best practices is that you can only use maximum force on groups or individuals that are declared terrorists and that is where the application of the Terrorism Act comes in place.

Read Also: Declaring bandits as terrorists

“With that in mind, Nigeria acted, first by proscribing IPOB, taking into consideration the threats to lives and properties they have caused in the nation. Boko Haram was also proscribed.”

The AGF said the outcome of IPOB and Boko Haram’s proscription encouraged government to consider the decision to deploy military hardware against bandits.

Malami said: “Now, we are confronted with another threat in the North-west associated with banditry, kidnapping, cattle rustling and in all these, these people are using weapons to attack Nigerians, kidnap them and created a situation of serious security challenge and fear in the system.

“Whatever military hardware you acquire, there are limits within the context of the international convention as to how it can be used, when it can be used and against who it can be used. And that is how the idea of looking at the activities of the bandits, cattle rustlers, kidnappers come into being.

“Our assessment, taking into consideration that they are causing a major threat to the territorial peaceful co-existence and causing a major threat to lives with weapons, the idea then came about that indeed, they (bandits) have satisfied the criteria of being declared terrorists within the context of the law so that whatever military hardware are at the disposal of the Federal Government can best be used against them within the context of the international convention and within the context of the law.”

On whether the military can now deploy the Super Tucano aircraft against the bandits, Malami said: “I can tell you that the international convention demands associated with the usage of Super Tucano has been obtained, which is a judicial pronouncement and declaration of bandits, cattle rustlers and indeed, kidnappers as terrorists, and that has been procured and the way has now been cleared for the application, deployment and usage of Super Tucano. Whether they have been put to use or not, I cannot say.”

Malami said President Buhari will consider the interest of Nigerians before considering the request to release Kanu.

Some Igbo elders, led by First Republic Minister of Aviation Chief Mbazulike Amaechi, had visited the President and requested Kanu’s unconditional release on November 19, last year.

The President told them while he would not want to interfere in the judicial process in relation to the Kanu case, he would consider their demand though it is “a heavy one.”

On November 10, 2021, Malami had hinted that the government would not rule out political solution while addressing the cases of Kanu and Sunday Adeyemo (Igboho), adding that pleas by credible individuals and groups cannot be ignored.

Malami said yesterday: “By way of general statements to the two issues presented – the issue relating to Electoral Bill and the issue relating to Kanu and by extension, IPOB, what I can tell you for certain is that the decision of the President is based fundamentally and at all times on public interest consideration.”

He added: “In the art of governance and what I have come to learn about the mind and heart of the President, Muhammadu Buhari, is to consider the 200 million Nigerians as against the limited people.

“By extension, the issue of Kanu, what would as well govern the decision of the President in terms of whatever request is presented is the public interest as against limited sectional interest of it.”

Members of the Olubadan-in-Council will meet today over the succession crisis that hit Ibadanland, following the demise of the Oba Saliu Adetunji Olubadan.

The 11-member council is scheduled to meet at the historic Mapo Hall where they chose as meeting place after receiving beaded crown as obas. The late Olubadan had forbidden them from bringing crown to his palace, insisting that they were high chiefs.

Oba Adetunji and the Osi Olubadan, Senator Rashidi Ladoja, opposed their elevation in 2017. The deceased monarch and Ladoja dragged the late governor Abiola Ajimobi to court, challenging his power to undertake the review.

It was learnt that the Olubadan Palace has withheld the statutory letter that should be transmitted to the council, notifying it of Oba Adetunji’s demise and consequent vacancy of the Olubadan stool.

A source said the palace decided to withhold or delay the letter due to the attitude of members of the council, since Oba Adetunji joined his ancestors on Sunday.

According to the source, most of the council members stayed away from the deceased’s burial Sunday evening. Only Ladoja was visible at the burial.

Other members, however, attended the third day fidau prayers held at the palace yesterday.

The Nation gathered that the high chiefs decided to meet without an official letter from the palace, following a petition by a renowned lawyer, Mr Michael Lana, calling Governor Seyi Makinde’s attention to what he described as the ‘danger’ of approving Sen. Lekan Balogun’s enthronement as successor.

Read Also: How next Olubadan of Ibadan will emerge

A source said the high chiefs interpreted Lana’s letter a move to scuttle the enthronement of Otun Olubadan Balogun, who is the next-in-line to the throne.

Members of the council had met in Balogun’s house on Monday where they declared that their elevation to oba’s position would not in any way hinder his ascension to the throne as prescribed by the Ibadan Chieftaincy Declaration.

The kingmakers may announce the new Olubadan-designate tomorrow, the source added.

Many indigenes are still thronging the Alarere residence of Balogun to felicitate with him over his imminent ascension to the throne.

Dignitaries who visited him yesterday included a former minister, Wole Oyelese, former President-General of the Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes (CCII), Chief Bayo Oyero and a former Commissioner for Health, Dr. Chief Gbola Adetunji.

Itinerary drummers and singers are welcoming guests to the residence.