The Olojudo stool was left vacant following the demise of Oba Aderemi Adedapo on May 17, 2024. He served as secretary of the Yoruba Council of Obas in Nigeria until his death.
Operatives of the Nigeria Police Force have arrested a kingmaker from Ido-Osun community in the Egbedore local government area of Osun State.
The kingmaker, Chief Rasheed Odeyemi, the Otun Balogun of Ido-Osun, was arrested by the police on the orders of the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to impose one of his officers, Superintendent Jokotola Yinka as the future king (Oba) of the town, according to community sources who spoke to SaharaReporters.
According to sources, Superintendent Jokotola is also vying to be chosen as the future Oba of Ido-Osun, and the police force has been intimidating all the kingmakers in the town to force them to unanimously select him as the most qualified candidate without due process.
The Olojudo stool was left vacant following the demise of Oba Aderemi Adedapo on May 17, 2024. He served as secretary of the Yoruba Council of Obas in Nigeria until his death.
“This was why they arrested Chief Rasheed yesterday (Thursday). They said it was an order from the IGP. And when we asked why he was arrested, they only told us a petition was written against him. We requested to see a copy of the said petition, but the police could not provide one,” one of the community sources told SaharaReporters.
The source added that the arrest by the police was clearly intended to influence the kingmakers' decision to support one of their senior officers, Jokotola, who is also vying for the crown.
“He (kingmaker) is currently being detained at Alagbon Police Station (Force Criminal Investigation Department, Alagbon) in Lagos State. What I learned was that Superintendent Jokotola is a close ally of the public relations officer of the Police Force, Muyiwa Adejobi and that he was the one who passed down the order of the police IG to arrest the chief,” another source said.
“The police have also threatened other kingmakers who insisted that due process must be followed in selecting the new king,” another source said.
A statement made available to SaharaReporters by Ido-Osun Youths under its forum, IYF, jointly signed by its President Prince (Comr.) Adeyeye Abass and General Secretary Mr Akano Kamorudeen, accused the police of unlawfully interfering in the ongoing monarchy dispute in the town.
The statement said: “The entire Ido-Osun Youths under its forum (I.Y.F.) leadership is deeply concerned about the recent arrest of a kingmaker from Ido-Osun over the ongoing kingship tussle in the town.
“We urge the Inspector General of Police IGP, Kayode Egbetokun, to immediately release the arrested individual and ensure that the rights of all parties involved are protected.
“We appeal to the Osun State Government to intervene in this matter and ensure that the police do not take sides or harass innocent individuals. The government must checkmate the police and prevent any actions that may escalate the tension or undermine the selection process.
“We want to warn clearly that whoever is nursing the idea of appointing a warrant chief in Ido-Osun should shelf such ideas immediately as Ido-Osun is an ancient kingdom that has a clear traditional procedure of selecting a king and as such the government of Osun state should not be involved in instigating any interference of the Olojudo Alayemore of Ido-Osun Kingdom selection process as this is a sole responsibility of the Ido-Osun kingmakers as enshrined in the1955 declaration of the kingdom.”
When contacted, the spokesperson for the police force, ACP Muyiwa Adejobi, asked our reporter to call him back. However, he did not answer subsequent calls nor reply to text messages sent to his mobile line.
Mayegun Aminat of the FCID Alagbon (Annex) assured SaharaReporters that she will conduct an investigation into the matter and provide an updatnce her findings are complete.