Ekiti banana war: Community, merchant trade words over market
By BOLU-OLU ESHO, Ado-Ekiti
Saturday, February 23, 2008

•SECRETARY: Mr Omolade Joseph Photo: Toyin Anisulowo

Living index

The people of Okebedo quarters in Ilawe-Ekiti may have to tread with care as the peace of the community has been strained by the rancour between a family and banana sellers in the area.

One of the people involved in the problem, one Mrs Julianah Akanle, also known as "Orente" told Saturday Sun that some chiefs in the community were threatening her life due to the success she had achieved in her banana business.

She, however, called on security agencies to save her from being banished from the community as threatened by the community leaders.
In defence of the allegations levelled by Akanle, the Okebedo Peace and Development Committee said she was economical with her words as they described her as the troubler of the community due to her inordinate ambition to monopolise the banana market in the community.
They disclosed with evidence that Akanle with her daughters had on many occasions inflicted injuries on some other banana sellers in the market.

While explaining to newsmen in Ado-Ekiti her experiences with the community leaders, Akanle named ex-chairman of Ekiti South West Local Government as the one that masterminded the plot to banish her from the community, alleging that it was due to her defecting from chairman's political party.
She alleged that the chairman had promised to make life unbearable for her and that a plot has been hatched to exterminate her daughters - Titilayo, Bola and Temidayo - in the community.

Akanle has, however, petitioned the office of the Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Zone 8, Lokoja, through her lawyer, Mr. Tope Kolawole alleging vandalisation of her Mitsubishi Space Wagon and the stealing of N182,000 by hoodlums sponsored by her opponents.
Besides, she also alleged that her building at Ibedo was seriously damaged by people she tagged "blood-thirsty individuals" which forced her to take refuge at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) cell in Ado-Ekiti.

In her own explanation, Titilayo alleged that the battle had turned spiritual as their opponents had resorted to the use of juju when they were accused of having a hand in the fats of their brother-in-law, Kunle Adetoro, who is missing.

Titilayo said: "I see no reason why these people are after our lives when we had not wronged them in anyway. Their acts are borne out of jealousy and political vendetta, because my mother did not support the man who was leading the onslaught against us in her re-election bid coupled with the fact that we are making progress in our business.

"They thought we use fetish means to make profit, so they connived and sent thugs to destroy a full load of 911 lorry of banana we bought that was worth over N800,000 and my car, including some clothing materials and our building was damaged over offences that were mischievously levelled against us.
"In the past nine months now, we have been living in the bush and we were banned by a chief at Oke Ibedo in the town who had also conspired with them. We are really suffering that is why we have decided to cry to the public to save us.

"We had taken them to court and police stations several times, but for the fact that they are powerfully connected, they had always been coming out of those attempts unpunished. We have lost property worth over N4m to this struggle, being the property that were vandalized.".

They lied
The Secretary of Okebedo Peace and Development Committee, Mr. Joseph Owolade denied the banishment story but disclosed that Akanle and her daughters turned themselves to terrorists, saying they attacked anyone who dared not transact business with them.
According to Owolade: "Nobody actually banished her, she had been in the banana business for a long time. She always clashed with other buyers because of her inordinate ambition to dominate the market which had led to a lot of problems as the woman and her daughters are fond of causing trouble in the community.

"She is a troublemaker, she lacks respect for constituted authorities and because of her belligerent nature, she has not less than eleven cases in various courts."
Presenting hospital document obtained from General Hospital, Ilawe-Ekiti, it revealed the injuries suffered by one Mrs. Ajoke Oluwafemi (34) allegedly in the hands of Akanle and her daughters who waylaid her over business disagreement. They alleged that she suffered several bites from Akanle and her daughters.

On May 22, 2007, these acts prompted the committee to recommend a location along Ikere road at Okebedo for all banana buyers to go about their businesses as a lasting solution to the incessant fights.
According to Owolade, "A centre for banana business was inaugurated on June 18, 2007 and Orente (Akanle) was made the chairperson of banana buyers while her daughter, Titilayo who is marrried to a mobile policeman, was made the secretary. Yet they were not satisfied."

The committee disclosed that men of Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) invaded their community after being fed with wrong information by Akanle in which 80-year-old Chief Agbadaola and Bishop Gabriel Oloniyo were ruthlessly beaten by the SARS men for allegedly shunning their invitation.
Owolade revealed that the continuity of Akanle’s trouble with other banana buyers tempted them to drag her to the state police command where she signed an undertaking to desist from attacking other buyers in the market, a copy of which was presented to Saturday Sun.

No reconciliation
Owolade, the Vice Principal of CAC Senior Grammar School, Ilawe-Ekiti, disclosed that:
"An adhoc committee was set up to oversee the activities of banana buyers with Chief Maurice Agbadaola as chairman with Mr. Paul Alade as secretary while Mrs. Oisa Onigiobi is a member and just two weeks after the market was inaugurated, Orente and her daughters beat Ajoke Oluwafemi to a state of coma because her (Oluwafemi's) customers wanted to buy from her which enraged Orente and her daughters.

"One lady named Folake who testified against them before the Deputy Commissioner of Police was mercilessly beaten at the marketplace and these are just few of several instances where this woman and her daughters had constituted themselves as terror in our community and go about feeding people with lies.

"When all efforts failed, a petition dated July 23, 2007 was sent to the Commissioner of Police citing several allegations ranging from disturbance of the peace of the community to beating of co-buyers, aiding and abetting stealing of bananas, cursing and raining abuses on elderly people and the chiefs of the community.