The alleged victims are prominent protesters against the demolition carried out by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu-led state government in Oworonshoki.
The traditional ruler of Oworonshoki Community in the Kosofe Local Government Area of Lagos State, Oba Babatunde Saliu, has denied the allegation that he abducted one Mrs Ajanlekoko and some other victims of the recent demolition exercise in the community.
The alleged victims are prominent protesters against the demolition carried out by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu-led state government in Oworonshoki.
SaharaReporters had reported that Saliu was accused of abducting one Mrs Ajanlekoko, a victim of Oworonshoki demolition and a prominent protester against the demolition.
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A human rights and pro-democracy group, Take It Back Movement (TIB), which made the allegation on Tuesday in a statement on its X, formerly known as Twitter, said Mrs Ajanlekoko was being held captive in the monarch’s palace, and that there were concerns that she might be undergoing torture.
A press statement released on Wednesday by the Public Interest Law Bureau also accused the monarch of detaining and torturing some residents of Oworonshoki namely Lawal Akande Jamiu, Mrs Ajanlekoko, Leke Oluwalogbon, Shepherd Kuuton Batlomeu, and a woman identified as Iya Alagbo, after they protested at the state house of assembly.
The statement added that the traditional ruler detained and tortured the residents in order to intimidate them to back off from their request to the state government to investigate and suspend the demolition of houses in the community.
Public Interest Law Bureau urged the Acting Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun to immediately dispatch a special intervention squad to the community to arrest the monarch.
However, when contacted by SaharaReporters, the monarch denied the allegation, describing it as “fake”.
According to him, the houses of those protesting have not been demolished and the land in question belongs to the state government.
The traditional ruler alleged that the protesters were sponsored to destroy his personality, alleging that most of the protesters were criminals or those who haboured criminals in the community.
He said, “It is not true. Nobody abducted anybody. Those people are some of the people whose houses have not even been demolished, as I heard. Because the community came to me yesterday and said that they (the people allegedly abducted) were the ones causing chaos in the community, so they went to meet them so that they (the community) could hand them over to the police to do the needful
“But somebody else called me yesterday so I called the DPO that they should not arrest them, that they should leave them but he should caution them.”
“When people want to protest, there are many better ways to protest. You don't protest to soil that person's name, even if you are not happy with a particular situation. You are supposed to go to your monarch and ask him to help you fix whatever situation and not you calling your monarch names,” he told SaharaReporters on the phone.
Speaking further, the monarch said, “That land in question is the Oworonshoki land but has been acquired by the government for a long time and they have a project that they want to do on it, and the project will only bring about development, and that place has been where criminals hide.
“Although they have some other people who have good intentions living there because they are poor. They don't have money to rent a good house or cannot afford to pay good rent because of how expensive things are, but they cannot be against the government land and tell the government not to take possession of the land when they want to take possession of it.
“If it is a land that is not government-owned, why are they all building planks on it? Why are they not building something befitting on it?
“Now that they are saying that it is the Oba (monarch) who is trying to take the land, did they buy land from the Oba in the first place? They didn't buy any land from me and I didn't sell any land to them. They are squatters.
“I have been doing many things for them before now. I have been doing empowerment for them. Even some of the people I saw in the protest had been empowered; they won a million naira, five hundred thousand and different kinds of empowerment benefits.
“Why will they say it is Kabiesi (monarch) that wants to take land from them? Do they even own any land there in the first place? They can go to the Lagos State Ministry of Lands and verify if the land is in my personal name or in any of their names.
“I believe some people are sponsoring them just to put my name in the mud but they should not push themselves. They should consider the fact that the Oba has been very nice to them ever since I ascended the throne.”
He alleged that his character was being defamed, saying, “Putting some banners and red paints against me is defamation of character. I don't think there is anything bad for the police to intervene. They have been mentioning some names that don't even exist in my community. They have ulterior motives.
“But I won't allow that. If they continue, I will report them to the police. When the police do their job, they will not say the Oba is arresting some people. No, the Oba is not arresting anybody.
“If they believe they bought the land, they know where to go but because they don't have documents, that is why the noise is like that. Now they are turning from their houses being demolished to land grabbing. Did they see me go there and break the place myself?
“Most of the people doing that (protest) are criminals and people harbouring criminals in our community. It was yesterday that the indigenes said they would not allow it again and when I was informed about their arrest by the police, I called the DPO and asked him to release them and warn them that they should do the proper investigation.
“Nobody was abducted. It was all fake and not real.”
However, sources provided SaharaReporters with video footage and photos of Mrs Ajanlekoko and other victims of the demolition who were allegedly brutalised at the Oba’s palace by thugs on Tuesday.
“They were beaten blue-black by the thugs in the palace after taking an order from Olori Olubukola (wife of the monarch),” a source said.