A tale of two ‘kings’, one throne

Palpable tension has gripped the people of Okinni community in Egbedore Local Government Area of Osun State as the traditional ruler of the ancient town, Oba Akadiri Okanola, Gbodekije II, has been at loggerheads with a prince of the town, Aminu Olawale, for allegedly parading himself as the rival claimant to the throne of the kingdom.
Prince Olawale, also known as Lele, from Kinimofisomo ruling house, has been referring to himself as Oba Aminu Olawale, even in all the cases he filed in court to contest the ancestral stool of the ancient kingdom.
The lingering chieftaincy tussle began since July 15, 1991, (before Osun State was created from the old Oyo state), when Oba Okanola was appointed and installed by the then Oludo of Ido-Osun, Oba Jimoh Oyeyemi, who was the prescribed authority to the Okinni stool.
By this installation, Oba Okanola, who was only a minor chief (Baale) until 17th November, 2015, when his appointment was approved by Governor Rauf Aregbesola, was handed over his instrument of office, thus making him a part 2 traditional ruler (full-fledged king).
But since the emergence of Oba Okanola, the relative peace that the Okinni community enjoyed had taken flight while spiritual and physical attacks and counterattacks by the kinsmen of the rival claimants and fear of possible outbreak of violence and hostilities between their supporters, have become the norm.
Virtually all the courts in the state had, at one time or the other, entertained cases from the community bearing on the chieftaincy tussle and other alleged trumpedup charges to blackmail and witchhunt one another.
In fact, the tell-tale signs of the unease in the town could be seen on the palace of the Olokinni as the present occupant of the stool, Oba Okanola, still lives in the old structure made of mud due to lack of attention.
The indigenes of the town informed our correspondent during a visit to the community that most residents of the town had fled, owing to the frequent cases of violence over the stool.
Still, the supporters of the two claimants to the throne continue to carry out mutual attacks on their different positions while both ‘monarchs’ parade themselves in the town as the rightful occupant of the Okinni stool. This has continued to be a source of worry to the residents who now live in anxiety and fears.
The rivalry has made Oba Okanola a regular ‘accused’ at virtually all the High and Magistrate courts in the state capital, as so many cases have been instituted against him by Prince Olawale and some of the indigenes of the town opposed to the traditional ruler.
On several occasions, the police have arrested the monarch on the strength of allegations by his opponents that he illegally sold parcels of land in his domain.
But it appears that the chieftaincy tussle in Okinni may not end soon as Prince Aminu Olawale, who claimed he was appointed and installed the Olokinni of Okinni on September 21, 2001 by another prescribed authority to the throne, the Timi of Edeland, has sworn to eject his opponent (Oba Okanola) from the palace through judicial means.
Now, the tussle has divided the residents of the town. While some pitch their tent with Oba Okanola, who is from the Abiodun ruling house, others throw their weight behind Prince Olawale, who rules from his bungalow apartment in the town.
Oba Okanola had in 2008 dragged Prince Olawale before a Chief Magistrate’s court sitting in Osogbo for parading himself as the monarch of that town. The then Magistrate S. O. Falola had on the 18th of January, 2008 made an order on the motion exparte filed by the monarch and banned Olawale from parading himself as the Olokinni of Okinni until all the pending cases on the stool were resolved in court.
Despite this order, Olawale has allegedly remained adamant, insisting that he was also made a king by a prescribed authority. Oba Okanola had cried out on several occasions since the battle for the throne began, accusing Prince Olawale of threatening his life and allegedly disrupting the communal peace of the sleepy community.
The monarch, had on 22nd July, 2016, through his lawyer, Biodun Olaide, petitioned security agencies in the state, asking them to save the community from alleged avoidable hostilities.
In a reference letter marked BOAC/02/16/065, which was made available to our correspondent, the monarch petitioned the director, Department of State Security, against Prince Olawale.
The letter entitled, “Petition against Prince Aminu Olawale for threat to life, disruption of communal peace and attempt to cause communal crisis,” alleged that Prince Olawale had been breeding thugs in the town with the aim of attacking the palace and throwing him out.
But in less than a month after the monarch petitioned the security agency, some thugs, said to be indigenes of the town, stormed the palace of Oba Okanola, raining bullets and stone on.
Oba Okanola, his family members and courtiers narrowly escaped being killed in the attack.
Trouble had started for the monarch on Friday, 29th July when, at about 10pm, some youths of the town, wielding guns and machetes, stormed the palace, shooting sporadically.
Pandemonium had enveloped the entire town as the youths also damaged the windows of the palace in an attempt to forcibly enter the monarch’s court.
Amid the confusion, Oba Okanola was said to have locked himself, wife and children in his bedroom while the courtiers, too, scampered to safety.
Other residents around the palace were said to have deserted their homes and took cover in the bush while the youths kept on firing gunshots and raining other missiles at the palace.
But for the quick intervention of policemen, who stormed the palace and whisked the monarch and his family members away to an unknown safe haven, the situation would have been tragic.
Speaking with our correspondent, the septuagenarian monarch accused his rival of sending thugs to chase him out of the palace with violence.
Oba Okanola alleged that his rival, Prince Olawale, mobilised the suspected thugs to his palace to cause mayhem, saying the plan was to chase him away from the palace and then take over the stool.
The monarch said Olawale, who has been his rival to the stool, was not happy with the High court judgment that upheld his promotion to part 2 Oba by the state government.
“Since 1991 when I became the ruler of this town after I was installed by the Oludo of Idoland, who was the prescribed authority to the throne of Okinni, Aminu Olawale has never being happy with me. He has instituted so many cases in court to oust me from the palace but has not been successful. He was behind the attack at my palace because the youths that stormed this place came from him.
“On that terrible night around 10:00pm, some thugs carrying guns and other dangerous weapons besieged my palace and started firing sporadically and raining stones on my palace. Some of the stones hit my windows and damaged it. I was so afraid that I did not know what to do. It was my son who had climbed to the palace roof to hide that put a distress call to the police.
“I had sent my driver, Lati, to buy fuel and as he was about pouring it into the car, they started shooting and he had to hide inside a bathroom in the front of the palace. So, he was able to identify some of the youths who attacked us.
“When a police team arrived at the palace few minutes later from Dada Estate Police station, myself and family members were rescued and taken to a safe place before the policemen, led by the Divisional Police Officer of the station later returned to the palace to disperse the thugs. But they had escaped before they arrived.
“The following day, Saturday, I returned to the palace with my family escorted by the police and some policemen have since then been attached to the palace. My men later saw and recognised some of the thugs who attacked us. We phoned the police and they were able to arrest four suspects. “But I was baffled to discover that only one out of the four arrested suspects was taken to court. The police did not do well in this regard and it appears they have been taking side in favour of my rival, Olawale.
“I want the government and other relevant authorities to wade into this before it escalates because I don’t want anything that will affect the peace of my domain since I can no longer trust the police,” the monarch said.
Following the attack, a team of armed policemen had since been guarding the Olokini palace on the order of the state Police Commissioner, Mr. Femi Oyeleye.
Our correspondent gathered that the monarch and members of his family have been living in fear since the incident occurred, especially because Prince Olawale’s house is situated beside the Olokinni’s palace.
The monarch said he had appealed the High court judgment delivered by Justice J.A. Olowofoyeku on 4th of March, 1997 in which the court ruled that the processes that led to his appointment as the Olokini was factionalised.
In the High court judgment with suit number: HOS/116/91 made available to our correspondent by Oba Okanola, one Chief Jonathan Abioye, the then Eesa of Okinni, who represented all the kingmakers and Rufus Olaniyi Ilori, for Olatunbosun ruling house had instituted the case against the traditional ruler. Furnishing our correspondent with more court documents, it was discovered that the Appeal Court sitting in Akure in the suit number: CA/I/133, filed by Oba Akadiri Okanola against the High court judgment, recognised Oba Okanola as the traditional ruler of the land, since the state government had accepted his appointment. The Appeal court presided over by Justice Mojeed Adekunle Owoade, alongisde Mohammed Ambi-Usi Danjuma and James Sheu Ariyibi, delivered the judgment in favour of Oba Okanola on Wednesday, 25th March, 2015. Consequently, the state government promoted him to a part 2 Oba few months after the Appeal court judgment.
This action was said to have infuriated Prince Olawale the more as he dragged the monarch and the state government before Chief Justice Adepele Ojo of the state High court sitting in Osogbo.
Justice Ojo had, on July 29, delivered a judgment which allowed the promotion of Oba Okanola to part 2 Oba to stay.
Speaking with our correspondent, Prince Olawale who addressed himself as the Olokinni of Okinni, Oba Aminu Olawale, said he was appointed king by the Timi of Edeland on September 21, 2001.
He insisted that he was the authentic monarch of the town since he was appointed by a recognised prescribed authority.
Olawale, however, denied being responsible for the attack on Okanola’s palace, saying although he wanted his rival to vacate the stool, he never thought of achieving that through violence.
Explaining his side, he said, “We did not attack him (Oba Okanola). That day, when the returned from court, they were dancing and jubilating in the town to the extent that they attacked our relation, Muideen Salam. He was returning from an errand before he was beaten up by the supporters of Okanola.
“We are peaceful people and this land belongs to us. Okanola must vacate that stool but we are waiting for the outcome of the pending court case. Okanola and his people had attacked our house in October, 2004 and they spent 12 days in police custody for that. So, we know the law and we cannot abuse it.
“After leaving the High court on July 29, Okanola and his supporters attacked my son, Muideen Salam, at about 9pm while they were jubilating. I am the king because I was duly installed by the Timi of Ede on September 21, 2001, after which I embarked on a 7-day solitary confinement (Ipebi).
“He (Okanola) gate crashed to the palace and everyone knows that. Even the kingmakers are not in support of him. They dragged him to court on that.”
Meanwhile, the state police commissioner has invited the rival claimants to the Olokinni stool to his office and had cautioned them to allow peace 0reign in the kingdom.