The Ibadan Mogajis (family heads), under the aegis of the Council of Authentic Ibadan Mogajis, have issued a seven-day ultimatum to the 21 kings installed by the Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi to withdraw their threat to dethrone the Olubadan of Ibadan land, Oba Saliu Adetunji, or face the wrath of the Ibadan people.
The 21 kings, who were on August 27, 2017 installed by the governor, had on Monday given a 21-day ultimatum to the monarch to be of good conduct or be dethroned.
At a press conference addressed by the 21 kings at the Mapo Hall, Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, the leader of the group, Oba Lekan Balogun, who is also the Otun Olubadan of Ibadan land, accused the monarch of taking unilateral decisions on behalf of the ‘Olubadan-Kings-in-Council’ and inciting the people against the state government.
At the end of a meeting held by the Mogajison Thursday, eight of the 21 kings, who are high chiefs in Ibadan, were urged to stop parading themselves as Ibadan kings to prevent anarchy in the city. The Mogajis also called on President Muhammadu Buhari and Ajimobi to stop the 21 kings from disrespecting the Olubadan, whom they described as a peace-loving monarch.
Among those who were at the meeting were Mogaji Oloko compound, Chief Abass Oloko; Mogaji Adanla compound, Chief Abduljelili Karheem; Mogaji Akere compound, Chief Moshud Gbolagade; Mogaji Omilabu compound, Chief Waheed Kosoko; Mogaji Olasomi compound, Chief Ademola Oladosu; and Mogaji Akinsola compound, Chief Wale Oladoja.
The spokesman for the group, Chief Oladoja, said the family heads decided to speak out on the threat to the Olubadan by the new kings to avert the disintegration of the Ibadan chieftaincy customs and tradition.
He said, “As elders and stakeholders in Ibadan customs and tradition, we can no longer fold our arms and watch the city disintegrate. We can’t continue to fold our arms and watch while some people rain abuses and insults on our revered Kabiyesi, the Olubadan.
“It is a big slap on the real Ibadan sons and daughters, and we have decided to appeal to the eight high chiefs to withdraw their statement within the next seven days or face the consequences of their disloyalty to the Olubadan, who by law and tradition of the city, remains the paramount ruler of the land. This desecration of our tradition is what the illegal installation of the high chiefs and baales by the governor has brought but we will stand firm against it.
“These eight high chiefs are members of the Olubadan-in-council and they should stop parading themselves as constitutional obas in Ibadan land; failure to do so may lead to anarchy. We know quite alright that the government of President Muhammadu Buhari will not tolerate anything that will jeopardise the security of any part of the country; and the governor, who is the chief security officer of the state, should caution all these so-called obas.”
He added, “They should allow the court to decide the case on merit and stop cutting corners. We, the authentic Mogajis of Ibadan, begin to wonder if these people are already feeling guilty before the court pronouncements. Why can’t they allow the status quo to remain pending the judgment of several cases on the matter?”
The family heads added that they believed in the judiciary and urged other parties to do the same. They warned that if the high chiefs continued to disrespect the Olubadan, they would also be subjected to public ridicule.