Osun town kingmakers, princes disagree on protest

Kingmakers in Osun State town, Iree and princes from four ruling houses of the same town, on Friday, disagreed on what led some protesting youth to storm and set a section of Aree of Iree’s palace on fire.

Some youths had, on Thursday, attacked the palace of Aree and razed down a session of the building within the premises.

Shedding light on what led those involved to embark on the protest, leading to the palace being attacked, Osolo of Iree, Chief Sobalaje Alao, said one of the kingmakers, Soliu Atoyebi, was arrested on the order of former Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affair, Mr Bayo Adeleke.

He also said that despite an order by the state governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, that Aree and two other monarchs should vacate their palaces pending the conclusion of the review of the process that led to their emergence, Oba Raphel Oluponle, has refused to leave the palace.

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He called on the state government to ensure that the order of the government was complied with and stressed that the current monarch was not properly elected monarch.

“We have not elected Aree. There are a lot of manipulations towards the emergence of the current occupants and that can’t stand. The attack on the palace was due to the arrest of Aogun of Iree, Saliu Atoyebi by DSS. An aide to the former Commissioner, Bayo Adeleke accompanied those to arrested him and felt it was uncalled for that an individual would continue to oppress us. Government must intervene immediately to save the town from further crises,” Alao said.

But countering the claims by the kingmakers, Adeleke, denied involving in the arrest of Atoyebi, saying he was invited based on a petition against him by people he defamed.

Speaking in a similar vein, Gbemiga Olatunji, who spoke on behalf of Oyekun, Larooye, Iyoonla, Ojo Ayagaga, and Olubonku Ruling Houses, said the arrest of Aogun had no connection with the Aree Obaship and appealed to residents of Iree to resist provocation that could lead to violence.

He also alleged an attack on helpless residents, saying suspected hoodlums entered the houses of some individuals attacking them, and destroying their property all in an effort to create an impression that there was a crisis in the town over Aree stool.

Olatunji said, “We condemn this act in strong terms; it is barbaric, satanic and criminal. The attack to the best of our knowledge is to create the impression that there is a crisis in Iree and portray Iree in a bad light in the face of the new government in the state. We state categorically that Iree is peaceful and all the ruling houses are strongly behind the King, Oba Ademola Oluponle.”