A first class traditional ruler in Ekiti State, the Attah of Ayede-Ekiti, Oba AbdulMumini Adebayo Orisagbemi, has condemned alleged mass arrests of his subjects by the police over a land dispute with neighbouring Itaji-Ekiti, which has claimed at least two lives. The monarch called on the Ekiti State government to constitute a Judicial Commission of Inquiry to investigate the immediate and remote causes of the bloody land conflict with a view to punishing anyone indicted in the mayhem.
The Attah who addressed a news conference in Ado Ekiti, the state capital, on Saturday called on the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, to save him from suspected hoodlums threatening to either kill him or frame him up on the communal crisis. He accused the people of Itaji of instigating the police to arrest his subjects, revealing that at least seven Ayede people have been arrested and detained at the state police headquarters in Ado Ekiti
Oba Orisagbemi disclose that an Ayede chief, Kayode Adetifa, and other detainees were arrested at about 1.00 am and whisked away in the presence of their family members, adding that the arrests had thrown the community into panic. Last Tuesday, an Ayede indigene, Oladipo Popoola, was shot dead on a portion of land at Egan which belongs to Ayede while on Wednesday this week, a farmer was beheaded at Orisunmibare, a settlement belonging to Itaji.
Oba Orisagbemi also denied the allegation by the Onitaji of Itaji, Oba Adamo Idowu Babalola that Ayede people invaded Orisunmibare in a bid to forcibly annex the land. The Attah said he still enjoys a good relationship with his brother first class monarch (Onitaji) even though it has become “strained” by recent development.
While disputing the claim of Itaji people that the Egan land had been ceded o them in 1845, the Attah appealed to Governor Ayo Fayose to constitute a commission of enquiry to ascertain the actual owner of the contentious land in Egan to avert further bloodshed.
The governor’s mother, Mrs. Victoria Olufunke Oluwayose is from Ayede. Ayede and Itaji are both located in Oye Local Government Area and the two monarchs are first class rulers. Oba Orisagbemi, who is also the Chairman of the Traditional Council in Oye Local Government Area, appealed to the Inspector General to prevail on his men to do their job professionally and be impartial in the dispute.
The royal father claimed that Popoola was killed in the presence of policemen deployed to the crisis area to nip the violence in the bud, wondering why only Ayede people are being clamped into detention. He said: “It marvels me that the police could be arresting my subjects over the death of a farmer at Orisunmibare even when they knew that one Asiwaju of Orisunmibare actually shot Popoola in their presence.”
The Oloye of Oye Ekiti, Oba Oluwole Ademolaju, has removed one of the senior chiefs of his community, the Ogbolu of Idofin Quarters, Chief Michael Taiwo from his position.
The monarch said he sacked the chief for alleged indiscipline and dishonesty ordering Taiwo to vacate the position immediately.
The first class traditional ruler announced this at a meeting with members of the town’s traditional cabinet, the Oloye-in-Council and some indigenes of the community on Thursday .
He ordered Idofin Quarters to nominate another candidate to replace the sacked chief.
Oba Ademolaju who did not give full details of the alleged offences, said the removal of the chief had become necessary over alleged incessant acts of indiscipline and dishonesty.
The royal father explained that Taiwo’s deposition was consequent upon recommendations of a five-man panel of inquiry set up to investigate allegations against him.
The monarch said the deposed chief had been warned and even suspended on several occasions for similar offences but failed to turn over a new leaf.
But reacting to the development, the deposed chief denied all the allegations as untrue. Taiwo contended that his sack was not done in good faith.
Besides, he said even if the allegations were correct, they were not enough to warrant the type of punishment meted out to him.
The Olukere of Ikere-Ekiti, Oba Ganiyu Ayodele Obasoyin, has warned Governor Ayo Fayose to avoid igniting a communal war with his alleged claim to the royal stool.
Obasoyin, who addressed reporters yesterday at his palace, recalled that a month ago, the governor threatened him not to disturb the Ogoga, Oba Samuel Adejimi Adu, whom he (Fayose) recognised as the monarch of the town.
The Olukere warned the governor not to use Ikere as the “testing ground” to actualise his threat against the Federal Government.
He said Fayose should avoid actions that could set Ikere on fire. Obasoyin said his subjects had become agitated, following a statement credited to the governor last Saturday that Ikere had one recognised paramount ruler – the Ogoga.
Fayose spoke through his deputy, Kolapo Olusola, who is an indigene of the town, at the inauguration of a new palace built by Adu, who became Ogoga in July, last year.
Obasoyin, who supported his argument with documentary evidence, said the Olukere was the first monarch in Ikere before the advent of the Ogoga.
The monarch wondered “how the landlord would now become a tenant”.
Some of the documents tendered by the royal father included the Intelligence Report of 1933, letters from the state and local governments, which recognised the Olukere stool.
The monarch noted that though he ascended the throne of Olukere in August 2014, the state government had not paid him his allowances as a monarch.
According to him, it was in 1989 the occupant of the throne was last paid.
Stressing that the Olukere stool could not be abrogated by any government, Obasoyin warned Fayose not to allow the Ife-Modakeke crisis, which happened in Osun State several years ago, to be re-enacted in Ekiti…”
THE Ewi of Ado Ekiti, Oba Adeyemo Adejugbe, has urged his subjects to embrace agriculture to prevent hunger, generate more jobs and boost food security.
Adejugbe, who spoke yesterday after the community held a prayer session as part of a week-long activities to mark this year’s Udiroko Festival, said agriculture used to be the mainstay of his kingdom’s economy.
He said Ado-Ekiti was renowned for yam production, but the momentum has declined as youths and old people abandoned farming.
The monarch decried a situation in which the Ebiras now dominate yam production in his kingdom and indigenes no longer show interest in farming.
He said: “Only God knows what will happen should the Ebira farmers go on strike. Farming is our pride; it is our tradition, which we must not abandon.
“In those days, people did not suffer hunger because there was plenty to eat and people participated timely in farming, but now, people are no longer interested in farming.
“It is better for all of us to go back to farming, make use of the land behind your house and cultivate the land. In those days, everything you need is at your backyard.”
Adejugbe explained that the Udiroko Festival marks the beginning of a new year in Ado traditional calendar, clarifying that the event has nothing to do with idol worshipping as believed in some quarters.
The traditional ruler said the festival is an opportunity for Ado sons and daughters to come together and deliberate on issues affecting their community.
According to him, many capital projects like the palace amphitheatre and the Faculty of Law building at the Ekiti State University (EKSU) resulted from Udiroko.
The monarch said the festival is another way to promote the rich cultural heritage of the community, offer prayers to the Almighty for witnessing another year and promote unity among indigenes and non-indigenes.
He was happy that his kingdom has grown in leaps and bounds in the last 20 years, which, he said, was made possible as a result of cooperation and unity among the indigenes.
Adejugbe urged his subjects to attend activities marking the festival, which will end on Saturday when the community’s New Year begins.
The people of Iyemero in Ikole Local Government Area of Ekiti State are pushing for the dethronement of their traditional ruler, Oba Ebenezer Agboola Ogungbemi, accusing him of sundry offences. But the monarch, who denies all the allegations against him, is calling for a truce. ODUNAYO OGUNMOLA reports.
Iyemero is one of the remotest and most peaceful communities in Ekiti State. It is located on the northern fringe of the state and very close to both Kwara and Kogi states with huge agricultural and forestry resources.
It is very close to Eruku in Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara state and Egbe in Yagba West Local Government Area of Kogi State. It is a journey of a minimum of one hour and thirty minutes from Ado Ekiti, the capital of Ekiti State.
The community came to limelight during the Segun Oni administration when it was made the centre of attraction for commercial production of cassava and ethanol project.
But presently the town is on the edge as the indigenes are up in arms against their king, the Olu-Iye of Iyemero, Oba Ebenezer Agboola Ogungbemi. They are calling on Governor Ayo Fayose to depose the monarch for what they called “acts unbecoming of his revered position.”
Oba Ogungbemi who was installed as the Olu-Iye of Iyemero on March 11, 2000 was the Aro (second-in-command to the king) before he mounted the royal seat of his community.
An accountant by profession who retired as a senior official of the agency that is now known as the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and served in cities , such as Lagos, Kaduna, Sokoto, Ilorin and Maiduguri where he was president of the Yoruba Community and Ekiti Community in Borno State.
Having assumed the royal seat 15 years ago when he was installed by former Governor Adeniyi Adebayo, Oba Ogungbemi is fighting the battle of his life to keep his throne against forces that want to cut short his reign accusing him of sundry offences.
The Attah of Ayede, Oba Mumini Orisagbemi (centre), Oba Ogungbemi (left) and the Olu of Itapaji, Oba Abdulkareem Adebanjo (right) at the peace meeting.
The members of the community staged a public protest on Saturday, June 27 before and after a peace meeting chaired by the Attah of Ayede, Oba Mumini Adebayo Orisagbemi who came to reconcile the Iyemero monarch with his subjects.
They accused Oba Ogungbemi of withholding allowances due to his chiefs, illegal arrest and detention of his subjects and illegal sale of some parcels of community’s ancestral land to the tune of N5 million without their consent.
The royal father’s subjects also accused him of illegal felling and sale of community’s economic trees, use of divide and rule tactics, highhandedness, dictatorial tendencies and lack of interest in the development of the town.
The Iyemero people who carried many placards protested round the community calling on Fayose to initiate steps to depose Oba Ogungbemi before the already tense situation goes out of hand.
Some of their placards read: “Gov. Fayose, We Don’t Want Ebenezer Agboola as Olu of Iyemero Again”, “We Are Tired of Our Oba, He Must Go”, “Iyemero Youths Reject Ebenezer Agboola As King”, “EFCC, Come and Probe Olu of Iyemero”, “We Reject to Die in Prison, Agboola Must Leave”, “Agboola Is Not Fit to Be Our Oba Again”, among others.
Various interest groups, including traditional chiefs, town union leaders, women leaders, youths, students some of whom were allegedly arrested and detained for challenging Oba Ogungbemi’s alleged excesses who spoke at the parley, said they could no longer guarantee peace in the community if he still remains king.
The peace meeting, which was also witnessed by the Olu of Itapaji, Oba Abdulkareem Adebanjo, collapsed as the Attah was making his closing remarks when the youths who had sat quietly throughout the proceeding brought out their placards and chanted war songs against their monarch (the Olu).
Oba Ogungbemi’s subjects insisted that they were tired of his ‘oppressive’ reign and heckled their monarch as he was seeing off Oba Orisagbemi who was leaving to attend another function in his domain (Ayede).
The Attah who sued for peace said Iyemero remains his second home since it was from there the people of Ayede located in Oye Local Government Area moved to where they are presently.
Oba Orisagbemi urged his brother monarch to listen to his subjects, reconcile with them and pay the chiefs whose allowances are being allegedly withheld for peace to reign.
• IPU President, Lawrence Fatoyinbo, addressing reporters during the peace meeting.
President of Iyemero Progressive Union (IPU), Mr. Lawrence Fatoyinbo, welcomed the intervention of the Attah describing his intervention in the Iyemero crisis as one of the reasons why God brought him to the throne.
Fatoyinbo expressed regrets that things are “turning upside down” in Iyemero as the people of the community are not seeing the development they had envisaged which he attributed to the leadership style of the Olu of Iyemero.
The IPU boss explained that the feud had pitted the royal father with his chiefs and subjects. According to him, whoever that says there is peace in Iyemero is deceiving himself since the matter had been taken to the Attah at least three times in the recent past.
Fatoyinbo revealed that the crisis in the community had been taken to the Governor, the Deputy Governor and the Special Adviser in charge of Chieftaincy Matters without being resolved.
According to the IPU chief, the people had protested against their Kabiyesi for the way he has been administering the affairs of the community but the union intervened and advised them to table their grievances before the Attah to help find a solution.
Fatoyinbo wondered why Oba Ogungbemi was a former IPU President and under whom he (Fatoyinbo) served as Secretary for many years no longer listens to his subjects saying “Iyemero community is at the crossroads and don’t know the way out again” hence the intervention of the Attah.
•Oba Ogungbemi addressing a news confence in Ado Ekiti where he denied all the allegations
He declared that the people of Iyemero no longer want Oba Ogungbemi as their ruler and they had forwarded a petition to Fayose to effect his dethronement for peace to return to the beleaguered community.
Fatoyinbo said: “The Olu of Iyemero is running a one-man show, he doesn’t take advice and he is not ready to work with IPU. Even though he was not the rightful person to occupy the throne, we still accepted him and gave him the benefit of doubt but he has failed to justify our trust.
“He has not been paying the chiefs under him their allowances for the past ten years despite collecting the money from the government. We want him to know that we have a way we can report him to EFCC and it is unfortunate that many of the chiefs had died without collecting what is due to them.
“He sold Iyemero landed property to the tune of N5 million without the consent of the community claiming that the whole land belongs to his family.
“We don’t want him any longer, we have written petitions to Fayose because the governor is the only answer to this issue.
“We have asked him to set up a Commission of Inquiry to look into the matter, we have also taken the matter to the Elekole of Ikole before the latest intervention of the Attah of Ayede.
“You heard what the representatives of various interest groups in Iyemero said at the meeting. We have lost confidence in our Oba because he cannot change again”.
After Fatoyinbo’s remarks, the Attah, Oba Orisagbemi said he was deeply concerned about the crisis rocking Iyemero noting that “there is no way you will be a true Ayede son without having relations in Iyemero”.
He described Iyemero as the home of all the people of Ayede saying the crisis can be resolved if all parties show willingness to resolve it and accommodate themselves.
Oba Orisagbemi, who warned against “externalising the Iyemero crisis”, urged his brother monarch, Oba Ogungbemi, to listen to his subjects and be wary of people who are benefiting from the crisis.
He noted that if the crisis goes out of hand and the community is in chaos, people will be referring to the reign of the Oba Ogungbemi as the time negative things happened.
Oba Orisagbemi explained: “There is no town where a king is deposed that witnesses peace, when there is crisis and people are dying, this will strike terror and far in the minds of your subjects.
“War is not a good thing and if it starts, nobody can predict when it will end. Wherever you take this matter to, you will still have to come back home and dialogue. We the ‘Iye Outside’ will not allow you the ‘Iye Inside’ to destroy the image of this community.
“What are we struggling about? We should always remember the six feet, when we are going to die because life is vanity. There must be mutual respect among us and those of us who are here (to make peace) have no power to remove your Oba for you but if he listens, it will be in his own interest.”
After giving his opening remarks, Oba Orisagbemi gave the floor to some stakeholders in Iyemero to speak on their grievances and first to speak was Mrs. Esther Aduke Ayeni.
Mrs Ayeni said: “This Kabiyesi (Oba Ogungbemi) does not listen to advice of his people. We asked him to join hands with us to reconstruct our environment, he said no. He kicked against our advice to him to renovate the market.
“If he wants his subjects to benefit, he must be ready to listen to advice but he doesn’t listen to advice and he believes so much in himself.
His wife controls him and he hates what we want and works against our interest. Most of our children are graduates who have no jobs to do at all.”
Next to speak was Mr. Sunday Caleb Omotoso who said the Iyemero monarch does not mean well for his subjects. He accused Oba Ogungbemi of being dictatorial and blocking his ears to the cries of the community.
Omotoso said: “This Kabiyesi withholds the allowances of the chiefs under him, I reported the matter to the IPU President. The Oba asked me that when I was a civil servant, am I not receiving my salaries?
“I replied him that when he was the Aro, was he not receiving his allowances? He denied the chiefs their right. Apart from this, he also rewrote the history of our town when he claimed that Isaye and Opada are from the bush near Eruku.
“Later, we discovered that our lands are being sold illegally, I challenged him that he was selling our land illegally and the Olu of Itapaji said the matter might snowball into war.
“We heard that four bulldozers were taken to Eda to fell trees for limbering from far places like Benin and Ogbomoso and I challenged them that they shoul stop.
“He is detaining our youths in police cells, it was our fathers that installed him and we don’t know the way out now. Our Kabiyesi is very bad, the lands of Iye that he sold, he must restore them.
“Nobody is conspiring against him, he is the cause of the crisis. He claims that many of us are strangers that we should leave the land for him and there was tension in the town.
“I was in my home when he brought SARS (Special Anti Robbery Squad) men to arrest me claiming that I sent thunder to him. I told him that I am a church elder and I am not a Sango worshipper and that was what I told the Area Commander.
“He claimed that he spent N12 million on our community secondary school and that is a blatant lie. I was among those who moulded the blocks on this school and what he said cannot be the truth..
“In this community, we are pushed to the wall and if you push a goat to the wall, it will bite back in self-defence. That is what we are going through under our Kabiyesi.”
One of the indigenes allegedly arrested at the behest of the monarch was Ms. Titilope Ayeyemi who claimed that she was arrested and detained with her son when the policemen invited by the Olu-Iye stormed the community to make arrests.
She said the policemen did not even consider the fact that her child was a minor as they were slammed into the cell alongside other indigenes who were accused of fomenting trouble.
One of the chiefs, who spoke at the peace meeting, was was a kingmaker, High Chief David Jimoh Awolumate, the Odofin of Ilaro Quarters in Iyemero.
He alleged that he was given N500 as allowances for five months by Oba Ogungbemi and the boy that was sent to deliver the money to him deducted ‘Okada transport fare’ from the money.
“Our children being detained by the Kabiyesi is not good when they are not armed robbers. God will save us from this oppressive king,” Awolumate said.
Other indigenes representing the community’s stakeholders spoke at the parley saying they are tired of the reign of Oba Ogungbemi urging for intervention before the situation snowballs into an intractable crisis.
Having listened to those who spoke, the Attah of Ayede, Oba Orisagbemi gave his embattled brother monarch, Oba Ogungbemi some pieces of advice that can bring solution to his troubled kingdom.
The Attah said: “The Olu of Iyemero, I want to tell you to humble yourself because whoever that tells you not to humble yourself is your enemy. How much is the chiefs’ allowances?
“As many of them that are alive, give them their due, give them what belongs to them and don’t let them use it against you because the people outside will not have a good impression about you if the news spread around.
“I want to advise the IPU President to choose a committee in collaboration with the Olu of Itapaji and the Regent of Ilusajumu to work out modalities and come back to brief your community.
“But in the immediate plan, I want you (Oba Orisagbemi) to ensure the payment of the chiefs who are still alive. Let that be done immediately. The highest allowances traditional chiefs earn in Ekiti is N2,500.
“The vacant chiefs’ positions must be filled, don’t see anybody as your enemy and have a large heart. Give the IPU President the honour he deserves and involve him in he day-to-day running of he community.
“Hold dialogue with the children of your predecessors, I call on all of you indigenes of Iyemero to embrace peace and allow peace to reign.”
But the Olu-Iye of Iyemero is defending his name and integrity against the legion of allegations levelled against him by his subjects who are calling for his sack from the palace.
The monarch stormed Ado Ekiti on Tuesday, June 30, with his queen (the Olori) and a retinue of his supporters where he addressed a news conference dismissing all the allegations.
Oba Ogungbemi revealed that he had initiated peace moves to reconcile with his aggrieved subjects calling for his removal from throne and progress is being made to resolve the feud for peace to reign in the community.
He described the allegations as “spurious, unfounded and baseless.”
The royal father said the allegations were concocted to tarnish his reputation and turn his subjects against him describing himself as a “lover of peace who loves his subjects and has contributed immensely to the economic and social development of the community”.
Oba Ogungbemi denied sale of community land, felling of economic trees, harassment and detention of chiefs and youth leaders and refusal to pay chiefs’ allowances.
The Olu of Iyemero revealed that he had commenced the implementation of the resolutions reached at the June 27 meeting to ensure the return of peace to the beleaguered community while a follow-up peace meeting was held last Thursday.
The traditional ruler accused some senior officials of IPU of turning the subjects against him saying the protest that rocked the community was a culmination of the “gang-up and conspiracy” against him.
The Oba denied selling the community land illegally clarifying that he released a parcel of arable land to the state government for cultivation and production of cassava in commercial quantity after due consultation with the council of chiefs.
He added that the compensation on the economic trees on the acquired land was shared among the traditional owners of the said land, the Ilisa family at Iyemero and Ayede.
While denying the arrest of and detention of his subjects, Oba Ogungbemi disclosed that some hoodlums and thugs who invaded the community about five years ago with the intent of causing him grievous bodily harm were arrested by the Police.
He revealed that he escaped and lodged a complaint with the Commissioner of Police and the Director of the Department of State Services (DSS) who ordered the arrest of the hoodlums to forestall reoccurrence.
Oba Ogungbemi maintained that his chiefs collect their monthly stipends at their monthly traditional meetings for which they also sign “with the exception of one chief who for reasons best known to him had stayed away from these meetings in the last ten years”.
The royal father who gave a background information on what led to the “rebellion” against him claimed that his reign had witnessed unprecedented development in physical infrastructure and social amenities most of whom he used his connections to facilitate.
He said: “It is worthy of note that with every sense of responsibility, I make bold to say that I met Iyemero Community in a pitiable and deplorable condition as basic amenities such as good motorable roads, electricity and portable water were virtually non-existent.
“In addition, as at that time, the government school, in the community had been closed for almost twelve years.
“However, to th glory of God and benefit of mankind, my reign has witnessed spontaneous and positive development albeit through my personal efforts and great sacrifices on my part.
“Putting it mildly, my reign has brought Iyemero out of darkness and total obscurity.
“Under my rule, Iyemero has witnessed development such as provision of modern motorized borehole, accessible and motorable road, electricity and rehabilitation and reopening of the secondary school in the community among others.
“Without an iota of doubt, all these were made possible through the special grace of God and personal sacrifices on my part while tapping on my connections and goodwill garnered over the years.
“I wish to categorically state that I have never at anytime sold any piece of Iyemero land. However, the previous administration actually requested for a parcel of arable land for cassava cultivation and production and this was released following due consultation with the Olu Iyemero-in-Council and other key members of the community.
“Thereafter, the State Ministry of Agriculture embarked on massive cultivation of cassava on the said land and it is well known fact that government does not pay for the acquisition of land but nonetheless pays compensation on economic trees found on such acquired land.
“The said compensation was shared among the traditional owners of the land, the Ilisa family at Iyemero and Ayede.
Furthermore, I have never arrested or detained any member of my cool unity since my assumption of the throne for about 16 years with the exception of some hoodlums and well-known thugs who once invaded my palace premises armed with dangerous weapons with the aim of causing me grievous bodily harm.
“Fortunately, I escaped and promptly lodged a complaint with the State Commissioner of Police and the Director of State Security who ordered the arrest and interrogation of some of the thugs to forestall reoccurrence.
“Contrary to the allegation of non-payment of the monthly stipends of chiefs in the community, all of them receive and sign for their monthly stipends at the traditional monthly meetings in the palace hall with the exception of one chief who for reasons best known to him has stayed away from these meetings in the last ten years.
“In addition, I have been holding the traditional monthly meetings religiously as this is where I deliberate with my chiefs both male and female and issues are given due considerations, resolutions made and decisions taken on very important community matters.
“As a man of peace and knowing full well that there cannot be any development in a atmosphere of rancour and mistrust, I wish to categorically state that I believe very strongly in the unification of the four constituent groupings or quarters that make up Iyemero.
“My reign has brought social and economic prosperity to all the youths who engage in lumbering activities, they now built modern houses and drive flashy cars.
“Against this background, Iyemero must out away falsehood, vengeance and bitterness if we must move forward as a people and it is my express hope that the leadership of IPU will be courageous to do what is right and just.
“As we do this, I appeal to all individuals who may be aggrieved to remember that infallibility lies with God who is a perfect being, who cannot and can never be found with fault or mistakes.”
The traditional prime minister of the community, Chief Samuel Adebiyi, described the crisis in the town as a gang up by few aggrieved individuals , whom he alleged of desperately working for the Oba’s deposition.
Adebiyi, the Aro of Iyemero and a retired Colonel of the Nigerian Army, said : “Government doesn’t pay compensation for a land taken from any community, but they used to pay compensation for the damaged crops and economic trees.
“So, the N5 million paid for the land taken by government for commercial cassava production was shared to the Ebira farm owners and the Ilisha family, who were directly affected by the project.
“Infallibility belongs to God, is the only person who cannot make mistakes. We are calling on them to eschew violence because nothing can be achieved under the atmosphere of crisis and turbulence”, he said.
It remains to be seen how the crisis is resolved but Oba Ogungbemi’s reconciliation gestures might be the saving grace for him to win back the love and loyalty of his subjects.
The Olu of Iyemero in Ikole Local Government Area of Ekiti State, Oba Ebenezer Agboola Ogungbemi, has initiated peace moves with his subjects, who are calling for his removal from the throne.
At a briefing in Ado Ekiti yesterday, Oba Ogungbemi denied all allegations levelled against him by some aggrieved indigenes of the community, describing the accusations as “spurious, unfounded and baseless.”
The monarch said the allegations were concocted to tarnish his reputation and turn his subjects against him.
He described himself as a “lover of peace who loves his subjects and has contributed immensely to the economic and social development of the community”.
Oba Ogungbemi denied sale of community land, felling of economic trees, harassment and detention of chiefs and youth leaders and refusal to pay chiefs’ allowances.
A peace meeting brokered by the Attah of Ayede, Oba Mumini Adebayo Orisagbemi, ended in fiasco on Saturday when scores of placard-carrying Iyemero indigenes sang abusive songs and protested round the community.
Oba Ogungbemi revealed that he had commenced the implementation of the resolutions reached at the Saturday’s meeting to ensure the return of peace to the beleaguered community while a another peace meeting has been scheduled for Thursday.
The traditional ruler accused some senior officials of Iyemero Progressive Union (IPU) of turning the subjects against him saying the protest that rocked the community last Saturday was a culmination of the “gang-up and conspiracy” against him.
The Oba denied selling the community land illegally clarifying that he released a parcel of arable land to the state government for cultivation and production of cassava in commercial quantity after due consultation with the council of chiefs.
He added that the compensation on the economic trees on the acquired land was shared among the traditional owners of the said land, the Ilisa family at Iyemero and Ayede.
While denying the arrest of and detention of his subjects, Oba Ogungbemi disclosed that some hoodlums and thugs who invaded the community about five years ago with the intent of causing him grievous bodily harm were arrested by the Police.
He revealed that he escaped and lodged a complaint with the Commissioner of Police and the Director of the Department of State Services (DSS) who ordered the arrest of the hoodlums to forestall reoccurrence.
Oba Ogungbemi maintained that his chiefs collect their monthly stipends at their monthly traditional meetings for which they also sign “with the exception of one chief who for reasons best known to him had stayed away from these meetings in the last ten years”.
The traditional prime Minister of the community, Chief Samuel Adebiyi, described the crisis in the town as a gang up by few aggrieved individuals , whom he alleged of desperately working for the Oba’s deposition.
Emure-Ekiti, one of the major towns in Ekiti State, was last week’s Monday thrown into chaos as the youth of the community staged a protest against what they called “epileptic power supply” from the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC).
The angry youths also demonstrated against non-availability of banking services in the town which has caused them untold hardship as they had to travel down to Ado-Ekiti, Ise-Ekiti, Akungba-Akoko and Ikare-Akoko (both in Ondo State) to carry out banking transactions.
The protesters said the people in the town have been afflicted with electricity and banking problems for over seven months. They claimed that BEDC still distributes what they called “crazy bills” despite the poor power supply.
They are also angry that despite the fact that the only bank in the community is not open officially to the public, some tradition chiefs and other influential indigenes are attended to “underground”.
Following the violent nature the March 9 protest assumed, about 30 Emure youths were arrested by the Police following their alleged attacks on the palace of the Elemure, Oba Emmanuel Adebayo and the police station in the town.
The youth are accusing the traditional ruler who is a retired Commissioner of Police of masterminding their arrest and have declared war on the monarch.
Their arrest has however, triggered a protest by old women of the community who protested half-naked calling on Oba Adebayo to ensure the release of the young men
The protest was dramatic as the youth engaged their Oba in a game of wits. The royal father who did not approve of the protest made attempts to frustrate the youth from carrying out public demonstration.
Oba Adebayo, who at various times during his service career served as Commissioner of Police in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Lagos, Edo and Nasarawa Commands personally confronted the youth and demanded them to stop their protest.
According to a youth leader in Emure and one of the organizers of the protest, Olaoye Olayinka, Oba Adebayo was upset with the development and went to confront the youth and demanded that they stop.
He said the youth continued the protest and blockage until their demands were met.
Olayinka revealed that the monarch made attempt to remove the blockages himself but the youth prevented him, taking off his hands after which the royal father left in anger.
Olayinka said: “What called for the youth’s protest is the epileptic power supply from the electricity firm, Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC), for the past seven months, we hardly have light 5 times in a month, and when they bring it, it was only in the mid-night when we would be asleep.
“Why this bad treatment from the electricity firm is so painful is because, of all Ekiti communities, Emure pays the highest bill, you can go and find out about this. But still we are not enjoying the benefits, instead we are getting crazy bills for a very bad service.
“The electricity firm slams us with N8, 000, N6,000, N7,000 bills for each household, and for the artisans who are just welders, each of them get N15,000 a month. It’s ridiculous.
“And we have warned the boys coming to cut the power supply anytime they feel like.
“This had really angered the youth, the matter reached a climax when on February 21, the staff of the electricity firm came to cut the power supply to the community and the youth decided to stop them.
“The youth insisted that they should allow the community to enjoy the power till end of February and see how regular the light is before payment of their bills is made but the officials refused and would have cut the light had the youth not threatened to be violent with them.
“Meanwhile, the BEDC engineers had secretly removed the switch of one of the transformers supplying power to the community and we only got to know this when there was power supply and we discovered we didn’t have light.
“The angry youth rushed to their (BEDC) office demanding for the switch to be re-installed but the officials denied removing the switch. This angered the youth more because they know that an untrained person could not have removed the switch.
“The youth then decided to capture some of the officials but the men ran off, unfortunately while they were running, one of them was caught and it was that one who eventually called others to restore the switch and we immediately had light.
“But the second day, we discovered to our chagrin that the officials have gone to cut off our community from the central unit at Ise, a neighbouring town. That has been almost a month now and we have been in blackout since. We have written countless letters and attended several meetings all to no avail, before we staged the protest.
“The second issue that made the youths to protest is the refusal for the only bank here, to offer service to ordinary members of the community while they give service to the chiefs and other highly placed people through the back door.
“The bank started that partial treatment since the Ikere Bank robbery incident, seven months ago. Those of us who are just ordinary people have to travel to Ado, Ikere or Akoko area of Ondo State to get our money from the banks and some fell into the hands of the robbers on their way.
“This is why the youth protested, but instead of the Oba to appeal to them, he rather fueled the crisis by ordering them about and even bringing police to clamp down on everyone.
It wasn’t up to 40 minutes that the Oba left the scene of protest that day, when heavily armed policemen with about 15 patrol vans stormed the scene and began clubbing everyone and arresting anyone in sight.
“One of us was shot in the leg and the policemen took him off, they also seized motorbikes parked near the scene of the protest. Many were injured. This infuriated our people and many of them marched to the monarch’s palace to protest the brutality. Over 60 of our young men have been arrested now, “he said.
BEDC officials who spoke newsmen and asked not to be named because they were not authorized to speak said that the failure of the community to pay electricity bills as at when due was responsible for the power cut.
Some women in the community expressed anger at the action of the monarch warning him to release their children from police custody or they could be forced to carry out traditional rites that could lead to his removal from the throne..
One of them who spoke on condition of anonymity said: “Look we are very angry! The women are very angry! Why would Oba Adebayo order his police boys to detain our young men just because theyweare protesting and demanding for their rights?
“Let me tell you something, we women know what to do to put an end to the reign of this monarch, it’s just that the elderly men have been appealing to us.
“There is a market which we gather for only when the monarch passes on, we would not hesitate to gather for this market in order to invoke ancestral and traditional powers against the Oba if the ultimatum we have given the monarch to bring back our youth elapses and he failed to do so”.
The Elemure’s Palace is still being guarded by stern-looking armed policemen since the crisis began while efforts to speak with the traditional ruler have proved abortive.
Calls made to his phone lines were not answered and neither did he reply text messages sent to him.
When reporters visited his palace last Thursday, the secretary to the monarch and other traditional chiefs who never hid their hostility refused to comment on the crisis.
The secretary who refused to give his name said the monarch was not at home and that he (Oba Adebayo) was not favourably disposed to speaking to journalists on the matter.
The secretary said: “The palace would henceforth, not entertain any journalist coming to ask His Royal Majesty questions and on no account should any reporter record his voice”.
The state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Taiwo Lakanu, revealed that about 33 persons were arrested in connection with the mayhem.
Lakanu revealed that the youth invaded the Elemure’s Palace and threatened to set it ablaze while they also threatened to set police station on fire
The Police chief disclosed that he had to lead anti-riot policemen to the community to restore peace saying the town is calm and promised to ensure that there is no breakdown of law and order.
