Obasanjo wades into Agodo communal clash

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has waded into the communal clash which occurred in Agodo community located in Ewekoro Local Government Area of Ogun State, which resulted in the death of a controversial traditional ruler, Ayinde Odetola who was allegedly set ablaze.

Penpushing reports that, 89 year old village head of the community, Ajani Sotade, on Sunday led number of residents to the home of Obasanjo, in Abeokuta, calling on him, to help wade into the crisis before the situation further snowball into another round of calamity, adding that the village is being deserted on daily basis over fear of possible reprisal attack and incessant arrest by the police .

The former president, who is a high chief of Owu, the kingdom the community is said to belong to, however, called on the indigenes to let the law take its course over the ugly development, and ensured they maintained peace, to avoid further sad occurrence.

Penpushing further reports that, Obasanjo also called on the police to do through investigation into the murder case, so that no innocent people will be subjected to unfair treatment, while those found wanting will not go scot free

The Owu Kingdom of Egbaland, said to be jurisdiction (Agodo community) where Ayinde Odetola was murdered, it is recalled had declared that the deceased  was a self proclaimed  traditional ruler of the village, who had been involved in land disputes in the community.

Penpushing also reports that the Olowu-in-Council made this known in a statement following the trending media reports about the alleged murder of Odetola  in the Asa-Yobo area and the insinuation that the incident was prompted by conflict between Owu and Ake people over the kingship in Agodo village

The Akogun Owu, Chief Ishola Akinsipo said the land disputes had caused bad blood between Odetola and indigenes of the community, adding that insinuation that, the cause was rift between Owu and Ake on who has authority to install monarch was far from the truth

‘The insinuation is far from the truth as on no occasion has the Agodo community, with a Baale,  has contested or applied to Olowu or Alake  Egba for the uplifting of their Baale to coronet’, Akinsipo wrote.

‘From time immemorial, Agodo village which has been a multi-clan community from Abeokuta had been in peace until some six years ago when some hoodlums besieged the environment to grab the community’s land’, the statement emphasised.

‘Report’s available at our disposal in Owu Kingdom indicate the man who claimed to be Oba in Agodo village had been involved in land disputes with Agodo people which had caused bad blood among him, accompanied hoodlums and the Agodo community’.

The statement recalled that, the community was thrown into crisis in 2016 following an alleged attempt by the deceased and some thugs to bury a corpse in Agodo village as a decoy to establish ancestry to the land.

‘In 2016, for instance, Agodo village was thrown into a turmoil following an alleged attempt by the man and some thugs to bury a corpse in Agodo village as a decoy to establish ancestry to the land’, the statement emphasised.

‘By the directive of Olowu Kangunere, Oba Olusanya Adegboyega Dosunmu, Olowu of Owu, Oba Olufemi Ogunleye,  Towulade Akinale was deployed to visit Agodo village and ensured there was peace. The report of a meditative meeting in Agodo, suing for peace and co-existence of the community was published in a news magazine  The Village Network, vol. 3 No 5 (2016)’.

The Agodo community as at today has denied their knowledge of any Oba in Agodo village as the purported Olu of Agodo has no physical  presence nor a palace in Agodo. Suffice it to call for enquiry as to who recommended him to both Egba Traditional Council and the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs’, the statement stressed.

Penpushing reports that the Ogun State Government on its part assured that it would unveil killers of the traditional ruler and vowed to visit the full wrath of law on the perpetrators of the assassination, emphasizing that the administration would not tolerate breach of peace and harmony being currently enjoyed in the state, and also directed the security agencies to immediately fish out the killers, just as he sent a stern warning  to those threatening the peace of the state.

The Governor, Dapo Abiodun gave the assurance in a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Kunle Somorin, stressing that  his administration would stop at nothing to deal decisively with the perpetrators by prosecuting and meting out the full wrath of the law on them ,describing the incident as unfortunate, noting that politics, land and chieftaincy matters should not attract descent to self-help and killings, adding that security of lives and properties are top priorities of his government.

Penpushing further reports that, Abiodun said his administration will not allow people to take laws into their hands, and called that hirelings, parents and guardians should call their wards to order and no plea for clemency will be tolerated for acts of brigandage, murder and illegal conducts.

“To those threatening the peace of our state, we will stop at nothing to fish them out, prosecute them and mete out the full wrath of the law on them. We have zero-tolerance for these ignoble conducts. Politics, land and chieftaincy disputes are no excuses for people to take laws into their hands. All hirelings, parents and guardians should call their wards to order’, he said.

“OP-MESA, Joint Internal Security Task Force, Amotekun, vigilantes groups, DSS Police and NSCDC are not mere toothless bulldogs. They are armed and deployed to strike agent provocateurs”, Abiodun emphasised .

The Governor, however, commiserated with the family of the late monarch and the residents of Agodo town, assuring them that killers would not go unpunished for carrying out that heinous act

Penpushing also reports that, two lucky survivors in the attack Alfa Wahaab Habideen and Deborah Onilere in a separate interview also explained how they narrowly escaped from the scene, when the traditional ruler was being subjected to torture before his killing.

The Alfa in his own account said he was in company of the monarch at the building site of brother of the traditional ruler, who was also murdered some months ago, when suddenly the gunmen arrived with sort of charms and dangerous weapons, and launched the attack, adding that he also received matchet cuts before escaping into the bush, recalling that, the traditional ruler was beaten blue and black by the assailants who later pour keg of petrol on him and subsequently set him ablaze

‘’W e were at the building site of the late brother of the monarch who was also murdered some months ago, to tidy up the site when the thugs came.  Suddenly they started hauling stones on us, and we saw one of them (nameswitheld) advancing  towards us and asking others to launch attack’, he said

‘I was standing beside  Kabiyesi and engaged in a discussion, but in a jiffy , three  of the attackers approached us, and started using plants to beat us. Some symphatizers within the vicinity were trying to guide Kabiyesi  to move to his car’, Habideen explained

‘As soon as Kabiyesi got close to his car, one of the attackers(nameswitheld) poured petrol on his head, and while the Kabiyesi was trying to wipe off the petrol from his face, the attackers landed big planks on him from behind, and the Kabiyesi fell and lost control’, he added

‘I took to my heels, but they pursued me hit me with matchete and I narrowly escaped into the nearby bush, from where I found my way to the nearby police station, to make report and requested the police to help rescue the Kabiyesi, but the police said the scene crime was not their jurisdiction’ recalled

Penpushing reports that, Habideen said, he later took a motorcycle back to the scene, and to his shock, the monarch had been set ablaze, while the perpetrators, who he said include some indigenes of the community had escaped from the scene.

The woman, Rebecca Onilere in her own account which corroborated Habideen account, said she was in company of the deceased traditional ruler when the attackers arrived the site and violently claimed his life ,recalling that the Kabiyesi and herself alongside some others were supervising the clearance of the site, when the gunmen, on approach where the monarch was, started beating him up, adding that while she attempted to query them, the thugs equally descended on her.

‘I was in company of the Kabiyesi to the site to inspect the clearing of the site. The thugs suddenly arrived, and started beating Kabiyesi with planks, immediately I questioned them, they descended on me with stones and matchet’, she narrated

Penpushing reports that, Onilere who  was crying profusely while narrating the ordeal said , the monarch sensing danger, decided to move into his car, apparently to avoid further attack, but was not that lucky, as one of the  thugs (namewitheld) moved closer to him, and poured petrol on his head

‘’Sensing danger, Kabiyesi moved to his car, it was at this stage one of the attackers(namewitheld) poured petrol on his head, as Kabiyesi was advancing to his car, he was subsequently attacked with plants and fell flat’, the woman recalled

‘As soon as I attempted to rescue the Kabiyesi, the thugs again descended on me and seized my phone, while I was trying to also escape from the troubled spot, I lost control of my strength, and was later rushed to the hospital for medications’, the survivors emphasized

Penpushing further reports that, the Imo Traditional Council of Egbaland, however, came in defence and support of the murdered traditional ruler declaring that he was the authentic monarch of the community before his gruesome death.

The council presented various documents which include letter of notification dated July 12, 2016, certificate of chieftaincy title reference number 000832 signed by Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo and appointment letter by Ogun State Government with reference number CHM.1/85/9 dated April 17,2018.

Penpushing also reports that the traditional council in a notification letter sent to the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs which was received on July 13, 2016 informed that the deceased has been appointed by the council to head the community.

The council in the letter signed by Chief Dauda Amodu, explained that, Odetola was appointed the village head (Baale) in 2016, before his subsequent promotion by the Ogun State Government as the coronet Oba in 2018

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