A coalition of Mogajis and noble princes of Iwo, the state of Osun, dissociated on Monday of a group of people who recently accused Oluwo of Iwoland, Oba Abdulrosheed Adewale Akanbi of the desecration of the ancestral Royal Graves in the city.
The coalition at a press conference led by Prince Wasiu Hammed Modunle, Mogaji of Modunle Rulente House in Iwo, blamed the accusers of acting on behalf of the rivals who lost the race towards the throne and that since then they have resorted to spots campaigns to discredit the traditional ruler.
He described the group of the action of individuals as a conspirator plan to throw the dignity of Oba Akanbi to the dump and maintained that those who make the statements are not true princes or qualified to speak on behalf of the Iwo Royal Family.
“We are not aware of some young people who present themselves as spokespersons for the princes of Iwo. We unequivocally affirm that they have no right or recognition to do so. His accusations against our king are frivolous and a deliberate attempt to blandia to Oba Akanbi.
“They want a king at cost, thinking that they can manipulate things as they used to do in the past, to take land, issue illegal commands and act with impunity under the cover of the traditional authority. But Oba Akanbi has modernized the institution and has done so oriented to the service. That is what they cannot accept.
“We challenge the accusers to present any cemetery that they maintained before the reign of Oba Akanbi. Many of these supposed blue blood critics could not even identify their own family lineage in Iwo's real heritage.
“Our king transformed both the palace and the tombs of the past monarchs. Before his reign, these tombs were like garbage landfills. Now, they are bluish, fenced and worthy. The screams today should show us what they have done to preserve their own legacies.”
When spilling more light on the statement that the remains of past oluwos were relocated or manipulated, the princes explained that, “about their ascension, Oba Akanbi invited members of the royal family to help identify the neglected cemeteries of the past kings.”
“The tombs in question were in poor condition and were surrounded by fetish articles before the monarch renewed and mosaic later.
“There was no trace of graves behind the old palace when Oba Akanbi rose to the throne. In fact, it was he who asked the princes to help them locate them. The identified ones were in a ruined state.
“Oba Tadese's former tomb, the most recent, was marked with old blocks. Oluwo renewed them with dignity. There was never a time when the remains moved.”
In the change of Oluwo's ​​title Aaafin de Oluwo, the princes affirmed that “the term is not exclusive to any city of Yoruba, but denotes one designated by God to govern from the palace, in line with the tradition of the divine reference in Yorubaland.”
These accusers are “boss and perpetual failures” who, despite multiple failed attempts to discredit Oba Akanbi, continue to parade falsehoods while asking for relevance behind closed doors.
“We present our apologies to our supreme ruler for this information. We had always advised us not to respond to the scavengers paid to calm their reign. But in their absence on an official trip to Abuja, we saw the need to defend our collective heritage,” they concluded
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