Clement Adeyi, Osogbo
Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrosheed Akanbi, has denied the allegations that he punched Agbowu of Ogbaagba, Oba Dhikrulahi Akinropo during a peace meeting over land tussle in the office Bashir Makama, the Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of Zone IX, Police Headquarters, Abere, Osogbo, Osun State.
Recall that the Oluwo and traditional rulers in his domain had been invited for the peace meeting last Friday by the AIG and was alleged to have beaten up Oba Akinropo during an altercation between them.
But at a press conference on Tuesday in Osogbo, the Oluwo denied the allegation, noting: “I did not punch Agbowu of Ogbaagba, Oba Dhikrulahi Akinropo at any peace meeting. I don’t know how he got the scratch. I am not a trouble maker. I am a peaceful king. If I were to be a king that will fight we would have fought in Iwo and not at a peace meeting. That was why I called on the AIG to invite me and the traditional rulers to talk to them not to sell our lands for selfish interest because doing so means selling the future of their subjects. I’m fighting corruption in a traditional way,” he said.
I didn’t touch the Agbowu of Ogbaagba. Although he was aggressive and we almost had an altercation, that was later resolved,” he stressed.
Oba Akanbi, however, asked those peddling what he described as lies against him to apologise, insisting that there had never been a time he punched the Agbowu.
He noted that they only had an altercation which they were able to handle.
He told his critics to leave him to God and urged them against hasty judgement without the correct information about the altercation.
The monarch lamented that most critics were ignorant of the hardships that some monarchs in his domain had been inflicting on their impoverished subjects by grabbing and selling their lands for paltry sums of money.
Oba Akanbi revealed that the affected monarchs had lorded themselves over their subjects, taking family land and selling with impunity and imprisoning anyone who attempted to challenge them.
“I know how to develop my town because of my exposure. They are not happy because they know that I’m trying to liberate my people from these kings who have been gaining pleasure in selling their future.”
“I’m fighting corruption in a traditional way. They are selling a hectare of land at the rate of N60, 0000 which I’m kicking against.”