The Obail community in the state of Ondo accused the Deji de Akure, Oba Aladetoyinbo Ogunlade Aladelusi, of invasion and illegal installation of bosses in communities under their domain.
At a press conference, the Regent and Oloba on the Council, led by a former commissioner, Omoniyi Omodara, alleged that Deji tried to annex Owode, Araromi, Eleyowo and other agreements despite the historical and legal recognition of Oloba Oodaye as the prescribed authority.
They promised to resist what they described as expansionist tendencies and warned that additional interference could trigger an avoidable crisis.
The community argued that Oba-ile is prior to Akure for several centuries, insisting that the dispute areas are an integral part of their kingdom.
Omodara cited historical records, including the White Book of the 1981 government on the Morgan Commission and the past resolutions of the Executive Council of the State of Ondo, as stated by Oloba’s jurisdiction.
In addition, he affirmed that the first Deji, Obagbeyi Adegbite, was maternally linked to the Oloba throne, while telling how Oba-ile supposedly provided refuge for Akure during wars with Benin.
In addition to what Omodara called illegal incursion, he also warned Akure’s Deji of other attempts to install bosses in Owode, Araromi, Eleyowo, Ugoba or other surrounding settlements, to avoid an invitation to the crisis.
The community insisted that the communities in dispute are not only part of their traditional domain, but were completely founded by indigenous Oba-ile, tracing their historical ties through several generations.
Omodara declared that “the oba-Nily kingdom prior to Akure for several hundred years. The Oloba Oodaye is insurmountable and, by history and tradition, it is not under the Deji. Trying to install minor bosses in our domain is an insult to our heritage and will not be tolerated.
“We affirm without fear of the contradiction that Owode, Araromi and Eleyowo belong to the Sao family under the Olooba.
“Traditional rites extended to those communities during the transition from our late monarch, Oba Joseph Oluwadare Agunbiade Otutubiosun III, because they are an integral part of our kingdom.
“No amount of political influence can cancel historical truth and legal facts, and Oba-ile land cannot be assigned to anyone for any reason.”
But in a rapid refutation, the Palace of the Deji de Akure dismissed the accusations as unfounded and an attempt to distort the story.
In a statement signed by its chief press secretary, Adeyeye Michael, the palace insisted that both government circular and judicial judgments.
ADEYEYEE said that the decisions of judges WA Akintoroye, A. Osadebay, and the Court of Appeals had long affirmed Akure’s Deji as the prescribed and consent authority over the minor cabins in the land of Akure.
Oba-ile described when the settlers joined the Akure community, emphasizing that Obagbeyi, Deji’s 11, was not the son of the oloba as stated.
The palace also urged security agencies to place Omodara in surveillance to allegedly the food division, reiterating that only the DEPI has the prerogative to appoint bosses in Akure North and South.
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