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Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare Ii, has banned the Omuada (Palace Head Servant), Roland Ogbebor, for allegedly impersonating the palace and engaging in “sacrilegious acts.”
Ogbebor’s ban, the Benin Palace noted was a sequence to his alleged involvement in the installation of Enogie, Ohen, and Okao in Benin kingdom after he had been relieved of his position by the Benin monarch in 2018.
Addressing a press conference at the Palace, On Tuesday, the Secretary, Benin Traditional Council (BTC), Frank Irabor announced the ban of the palace head servant.
Irabor said Ogbebor was involved in land grabbing, extortion, intimidation, impersonation, and fraud, following his suspension in 2018.
According to Irabor, since his suspension, Ogbebor had been acting “as a wolf in sheep clothing and confidence trickster.”
Irabor, who was flanked by prominent Benin chiefs, noted that the former palace head servant was also involved in what he described as an “abominable and sacrilegious” act of parading himself as the second in command to the Benin monarch.
He said it is a sacrilege for a Benin subject to be imitating the king (Ovientaba), toeing the footsteps of the King (Ovienzowoba), engage in rivalry with the King (Auguobatakpen), and be crowned an Oba (Ovienrioba).
“Furthermore, he paraded himself as deputising for Palace Authority to the extent of being addressed in an abominable manner as the second in command to His Royal Majesty. This is sacrilege and abomination, punishable by customary laws of our tradition. This manner of address is tantamount to equating himself to the God-King,” the BTC Seceretary said.
The BTC scribe added that Ogbebor “has also behaved in treacherous ways to the throne that is akin to being a traitor. He was of the opinion that his services to the throne were indispensable. He started behaving like what Benin called ‘Okpokha Nemoba’ who thought that the system cannot function without him,”Irabor said.
He noted that there was an ongoing overhauling of the palace administrative system that would put an end to such act exhibited by Ogbebor, adding that the ban “extended to his participation at all Oba palace traditional establishments and functions, including spiritual groups, activities, festivals, shrines and, oguedion in the Benin Kingdom.”
The BTC Secretary further directed that all Ohen and Oka so installed by the banned Omuada “must present themselves in the palace if they are innocent and pray to be exonerated,” adding that ”the permission for Enogie, Odionwere, Ohen and Okao to be installed is giving directly by the Oba of Benin with the chiefs, palace functionaries and members of the relevant community present in a small ceremony in the palace of the Oba of Benin.”
“Finally, any person or village or community that has an issue with Roland especially on land grabbing, extortion, intimidation, impersonation, and fraud, is strongly advised to send written complaints to the Secretary, Benin Traditional Council, or the Police, or Department of State Services and, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), copying Benin Traditional Council,” he said.