From Bamigbola Gbolagunte, Akure
For days recently, Ugbo community in Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State was engulfed in a major chieftaincy tussle. A life was lost while scores were injured as members of the two warring camps battled one another.
Although some peace has returned to the town, it is believed that the fight has been taken to the farms where renewed battles are said to be taking place.
The reporter learnt that many residents of the town are engaged in serious clashes in the farms, a situation that has affected economic and commercial activities in the community. Already, many of the people can no longer go to their farms or fish in the river where they earn their livelihood.
Penultimate week, the community was engulfed in violence. A renewed communal battle triggered by a long chieftaincy controversy led to the death of one man, while many others sustained injuries. Scores of houses and farms were destroyed by protesters in the town.
The intervention of the police and the state government prevented the escalation of the crisis. Even now, the people of the town seem not totally satisfied with the government’s intervention. Many of the fighters are said to have relocated to the farms and adjoining villages to continue the hostilities.
The crisis, it was learnt, was caused by the intention of the dethroned traditional ruler of the town, Prince Adebanjo Mafimisebi, to retake the throne.
Mafimisebi was dethroned in 2006, following a judgment of the Supreme Court, which declared his selection and appointment as the Olugbo of Ugbo Kingdom illegal. The court ruled that Mafimisebi should vacate the throne.
According to sources in the town, there had been peace in the community since the Supreme Court ruling, and Oba Federick Akinruntan had been piloting the affairs of the town peacefully for 11 years. But recently, supporters of the dethroned monarch, who is described as a strong supporter of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), made attempts to challenge the continuous reign of Oba Akinruntan. Mafimisebi’s supporters were also said to have attempted to take over the palace.
The attempts by Mafimisebi supporters came at a time when Oba Akinruntan was in the United States of America on vacation, but the monarch’s loyalists resisted the attempts, a situation which caused serious melee in the town.
Deputy Governor of the state, Mr. Agboola Ajayi, promptly intervened in the crisis on the orders of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, but his efforts could not return calm to the town until the police were invited.
Until his dethronement, Mafimisebi had occupied the throne of Olugbo for 25 years, and he had since the assumption of office of Governor Akeredolu been making moves to get his way back to the palace, it was gathered. The reporter learnt that the governor had been resisting such moves. It was also gathered that Oba Akinruntan enjoyed the support of the majority of the town’s indigenes.
After the exit of Mafimisebi, Daily Sun gathered that the Ojadele Ruling House, headed by Prince Robert Nana, unanimously selected and subsequently presented Akinruntan as the candidate for the vacant stool and he was eventually appointed by the state government.
A resident of the town, who identified himself simply as Ayo because of the sensitive nature of the matter, told the reporter: “You know till now, Prince Mafimisebi doesn’t really see the Olugbo of Ugbo as a king. Mafimisebi believes he was booted out of the palace unjustly. Since this new government came on board, Prince Mafimisebi has been warming his way to the governor, to use the instrument of government to regain the throne.
“This was what irked the supporters and relatives of Akinruntan, who resisted attempts to ridicule Oba Akinruntan when Mafimisebi boys were moving round the town, having known that Kabiyesi was out of the country on vacation in the United States. They burnt houses and injured innocent people of the town,” he said.
Oba Akinruntan, who spoke from the United States of America said: “I am not the one who removed Mafimisebi from the throne. It was the Supreme Court that declared his ascension to the throne illegal. I was not instrumental to his travails in any way. It was after he had been removed that my family presented my name and the state government approved it, hence my ascension to the throne of Olugbo, which is the oldest throne in Yorubaland.”
Describing attempts made by Mafimisebi to return to the throne as a child’s play, Oba Akinruntan said: “The highest court in the land ruled on the matter. For a case to have gone to the Supreme Court, it means it had gone through different courts and the apex court in the country finally decided on the matter.
“I was not in any way instrumental to his travail. I was only presented as the candidate for the stool of Olugbo, when the stool became vacant, following the removal of the former occupant by the Supreme Court. I ascended the throne and ever since then I have been enjoying the tremendous support and loyalty of all my subjects, both within and outside my domain. There are 250 communities under my authority and all these communities are very supportive,” he stressed.
Oba Akinruntan, who went down memory lane, recalled: “When Oduduwa arrived in Ile-Ife, he met Oba Makin Osangangan, who was my great-great grandfather in Ile Ero. It was my ancestor that received Oduduwa in Ile-Ife. The Yoruba history has been distorted for a very long time and it would take time before the record can be set straight. I am bold to say it that the Ugbo are the owners of Yoruba land and that is to set the record of the Yoruba history straight.”
The Olugbo, who said he had every right to the throne, noted that it was on the strength of his right that he became the traditional ruler of the town, adding that he had spent his personal money for the development of the town since he ascended the throne.
He noted that all the intra-community roads in Ugbo, which were constructed with interlocking stones, were done by him, adding that he had brought unprecedented industrial development to the town with the establishment of various industries.
Efforts to get the reaction of Mafimisebi proved abortive, as he was said to have vacated the town many years ago. Also, none of his supporters or relatives was willing to comment on the matter.
In his reaction, the state deputy governor, Mr. Agboola Ajayi, appealed to the people of the town to allow peace reign. He said the present administration in the state would not allow anything to tamper with the peace of any community in the state.
Ajayi said the state government had held meetings with the two warring factions with a view to resolving the crisis, saying that a bold step had also been taken to put an end to such crisis in the state. He warned the youths against taking the law into their hands.