Chieftaincy crisis: Lawyer petitions IGP, DSS over threat to lives, bloodletting in Oyo community

A legal practitioner, Hassan Ajibade, has sent save our souls petition to the Inspector General of Police and Directorate of the State Security Service over what he referred to as unabated bloodletting in Ago-Are community, Atisbo local government area of Oyo State.
He said if urgent and appropriate actions were not taken to checkmate
brutal attacks on innocent lives by hoodlums, and bring the
masterminds of these dastard acts into book, the community may soon
degenerate into a theatre of war, as the issue at stake is now putting
up a garb of religious colouration which is always volatile and needs
to be nipped in the bud.
Ajibade in his petition letter made available to the media was written
on behalf of Taiwo Oladejo, Imran Oladejo,Salami Kazeem Oyewole,
Amusat Yisau, Ganiyu Bello Oladeji and Olalekan Olaniyonu all of
princes of Edu royal house in the community.
He said instead of waiting for the outcome of the chieftaincy tussle
in court, the said alleged one prince Bodunrin Kofoworola and Alhaji
Lawal Oyebisi, and their retinue of hoodlums since the month of May
last year have wantonly assaulted and inflicted injuries on his
clients severally, and have destroyed their properties with reckless
abandon.
According to him, at the beginning of the criminal activities, a
letter was written to the Oyo Area Police Commander who intervened to
an extent, but could not placate the dastard intention of these
perpetrators of bloodletting in the community.
Said he, ‘’letters were also written to the Governor, State
Commissioner of police and the Assistant Inspector General of Police
in Osogbo, all to no avail. Also, all the criminal cases of assaults,
vehicles smashing, and wanton destruction of properties by hired
hoodlums till the present moment, and need to safeguard lives and
properties were being serially reported to the Divisional Police
Officer in charge of Tede Division.
Barrister Ajibade also alleged threats to lives of his clients and
burning down of their houses.
‘’The killer squad are up in arms to hit their targets’’, he stated.
He explained that his clients have adopted ‘shift abode’ method to
escape fatal attacks, thus leaving their families at the mercy of the
hoodlums and hired killers prowling the community and awalking about
freely despite several reports of the criminal activities.
This, Ajibade stressed, has emboldened the hoodlums and hired killers
to be more ferocious in their needless attack.
Meanwhile, the Edu royal family has dissociated itself from what it
called purported action by alleged perpetrators of criminal activities
to establish new chieftaincy titles and appoint individuals as the
title holders in the community.
A release signed on behalf of the family by Prince Salami Oyewole also
urged the state governor not to endorse the new chieftaincy titles,
which they said were not honorary and contrary to the community’s
customs and traditions, elders of the family were not consulted.
The statement added, ‘the stated chieftaincy titles are not only
inconsistent with the age-long customs and traditions of Ago Are
community, but also irrational. For example, no part of the community,
including its farm settlements bears the name Irewolede. The name of any part of Ago-Are land cannot be changed arbitrarily’’.