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The Olojudo of Ido-Ife, Oba Sikiru Adeyeba, has petitioned the Inspector-General of Police(IGP), Baba Alkali, alleging that men of the Nigeria Police Force in Osun State and some faceless people have conspired among themselves to unlawfully arrest, detain, humiliate, embarrass and intimidate him.
Addressing a press conference in Osogbo, the Osun State capital,on Wednesday, Oba Adeyeba said that strange faces have been trailing him for weeks, adding that the development may not be unconnected with the court cases he filed over some land and chieftaincy disputes between him and Loni of Idea, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi.
He stated that Osun State Police Command has allowed itself to be turned to an instrument of humiliation by some Ife palace chiefs.
“The faceless individuals are using the police from both Osun and Alagbon, Lagos State to harass me, but failed because I was not at home when they visited my family. They wanted to keep me in detention so that I won’t make it to court when my case is called,” Oba Adeyeba said.
Also, in the petition dated December 20, and addressed to the IGP, the monarch’s lawyer, Edmund Biriomoni, wondered how a petition said to have disappeared on October 25, 2021, resurfaced in Lagos, when the petitioner was later invited to the General Investigation Section of the Nigeria Police Force, Alagbon, over the same matter.
The petition read in part:“Sometimes in September 2021, our client received a letter of invitation dated 30th of September, 2021 signed by one SP Afolayan Sunday, directed by the Commissioner of Police for an interactive/peace meeting in his office at the Police Headquarters Off Ring Road, Osogbo on Monday, 4th October, 2021.
“Our Client as a law-abiding citizen and a royal father honoured the letter of invitation by appearing before the SP Afolayan Sunday, who informed him of a petition against him wherein he made several statements under caution and his movement was restrained for hours. However, the Police failed in all totality to find and/or establish any offences(s)against him as alleged by these faceless and busy body persons who were later identified as chiefs of Ooni of Ife.
“That their allegations bother on the fact that our client lacks the power to confer chieftaincy title within his domain to celebrate his 50 years which is purely civil matter. Our client thereafter applied for a certified true copy of the said petition written against him vide a letter dated 18/10/2021 and the same was received by the Commissioner of Police on the 18th of October, 2021.
“Our client thereafter met and complained to the Commissioner of Police on the 25th of October, 2021, that he was yet to be given the certified true copy of the case file but was told that the case file was missing.
“That our client was advised by the Commissioner of Police to be patient.
“But despite all efforts of our client to obtain the certified true copy of the petition from SP Afolayan Sunday as requested, proved abortive, which became apparent that SP Afolayan Sunday, the officer in charge of SIB, Osun State Command does not want to release the said petition on the instructions of the Commission of Police on reasons best known to them.
“That on the 16th of November,2021, I wrote a letter to the Inspector General of Police and the Police Service Commission while I also instructed my fellow counsel to also write to Inspector General of Police and the Police Service Commission against the Commissioner of Police, Mr Wale Olokode, for his refusal to release the certified true copy of the said petition on request.
“That while our client was still awaiting your response on the above letter, he received another letter of invitation directing him to attend another scheduled interview sessions on Thursday, 9th December, 2021, which did not disclose any alleged offences and the reason why he should attend the said orchestrated interview session or disclosed the identities of the so-called petitioners with the Deputy Commissioner of Police, General Investigation Section, Force Criminal Investigation Department Annex, Alagbon Close, Ikoyi, Lagos.
“That the persistent persecutions and the incessant invitation letters of our client is not unconnected with the several chieftaincy and land cases he instituted against the Ooni of Ife.
“That they decided to use the instrumentality of the Police which became a willing tool in order to stop the birthday celebration and restrain him from conferring chieftaincy title on a worthy son of Ido-Ife land by concocting the spurious and baseless allegation in order for the Police to restrain the movement of our client and stop the programme.”
But the spokesperson to Ooni of Ife, Comrade Moses Olafare, discarded the claims against the palace, saying the Olojudo was dethroned by late Ooni, Oba Okunade Sijuade, for various offences.
“Ooni Adeyeye, about six years ago, had attempted to magnanimously reverse the dethronement when some palace chiefs came up with more outrageous allegations against him, thereby stalling the process and that was the last time we heard anything about him. He is free to vent his grievances but I am not aware of any cases against the Ooni from him,” Olafare added.