Alaafin Of Oyo: Police Invitation To Monarch Insulting

The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi has described as ‘desecration of the sacred traditional institution’ for the police to invite a monarch to their station to make a statement.

Oba Adeyemi instead posited that the police should go to the palace of the monarch to make enquiries.

He said this in reaction to the invitation of Sabiganna of Iganna, Oba Soliu Oyemonla Azeez, by the police on the invasion of the farmlands of his subjects by some Fulani herdsmen while speaking at the 3rd year coronation anniversary of Sabiganna of Iganna, regarding the action as ridiculous and insulting to the traditional institution of obaship.

According to Oba Adeyemi, “A situation where traditional rulers were being called upon to come to police station to make statements is ridiculous.”

He said a police man should go to the Oba’s palace to make enquiries from him and not the other way round. “This kind of nonsense must stop”, he warned.

The traditional ruler also advised the Oyo State Government to encourage the establishment of a bank for the people of Iganna in the Iwajowa Local Government Area of Oke Ogun in Oyo State.

He stated that it was risky for the people living in the area to travel about 25 kilometres to another town before they could deposit or withdraw money.

Alaafin said the situation was a major challenge to the Deputy Governor, Chief Moses Alake Adeyemo, a retired bank official.

While speaking, Chief Adeyemo stressed further that the call for the establishment of the bank was necessary to save the residents from armed robbery attacks.

He added that absence of a single bank in the whole of Iganna was an indication that the town was lagging behind in the area of social and infrastructural development.

Oba Adeyemi also tasked the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN administration to relocate the local government headquarters from Iwere-Ile back to Iganna where it was initially located.