Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi (Ojaja II), the Ooni of Ife and Oba Akintunde Akinyemi, the Eselu of Iseluland, Yewa North Local Government Arewa, Ogun State traded words which resulted into a hot verbal exchange over herdsmen reported attacks in Ogun state.
WITHIN NIGERIA had earlier reported that some residents in Ogun state have cried out over brutalization by soldiers who escorted some herdsmen into their communities. Residents, Obas, and some monarchs of Ketu-speaking villages in Yewa North Local Government Area, Ogun State have lamented that they were tortured by soldiers who escorted the Fulani herders into the state.
Hours after the report of the incident went viral, Oba Akinyemi granted BBC Pidgin an interview on the incident, wherein he expressed his support for Yoruba activist, Chief Sunday Adeyemo popularly known as Sunday Igboho, who recently visited the monarch’s domain and urged other Yoruba Obas in the Southwest not to compromise the security of their subjects.
Reacting to comments credited Oba Akinyemi during an interview with BBC, Ooni via a whatsapp message sent to Oba Akinyemi on Friday morning accused the royal father of directing his remarks in the said interview at him because of his visit to President Muhammadu Buhari, warning the Ogun monarch to be careful.
“Which other traditional rulers from our zone went to Abuja?” the Ooni queried.
“We all need to be careful not to be saying things that we are not there physically.
“The spirits of our ancestors and Oodua Land judge me if I went to Abuja to do otherwise to the cause of our land and also judge people that are saying things they don’t know…”
Expressing his disappointment over Ooni of Ife’s attack, Oba Akinyemi urged the imperial majesty to live up to expectations as the leading monarch in Yorubaland.
Oba Akinyemi said: “Good morning, Kabiyesi, your imperial majesty.
“Kabiyesi, I hold you in high esteem and God and our ancestors know that.
“I don’t expect you to attack me in this manner. My expectations are for you to sympathise with me as one of your Obas and also your people in Yorubaland that were killed like goats by the Fulani strangers in your land.
“Kabiyesi, there is nowhere in the aforementioned interview that I mentioned that you collected money from Abuja, but I put cautions to all traditional rulers in Yorubaland as a wake-up call to all of us, including your good self, sir.
“Kabiyesi, you occupy the cradle of Yorubaland and I expect you to extend hands of fellowship to all of us.
“In a nutshell, Kabiyesi, you need to do more, and you owe me a delegation to come to us so they can report back to you how your children are being treated like slaves in Iselu…”
Again, the Ooni of Ife replied, requesting Oba Akinyemi not to join others in spreading false information about his visit to Aso Rock.
Ooni revealed that his visit to Buhari had staved off some evil plans against Igboho, following the latter’s sacking of herdsmen from the Igangan area of Ibarapa, Oyo State.
Ooni of Ife further stated that “You cannot say you are more pained than me on all these matters as Arole Oduduwa.
“Our ancestors still live in spirit on this throne, and anybody that does negative things to the land will get the wrath of the spirit land (sic) of we Yorubas.
“You cannot be saying that (a) traditional ruler went to Abuja in the name of oil block to trade off his people.
“I am the ONLY one that went due to Covid-19 restrictions. Hear what you said now.
“Were you there when I discussed with Buhari? If I had not gone to speak the truth to power, do you have an idea of what was planned for Sunday (Igboho) and things that will happen afterward?
“Diplomacy is way better to resolve things than war, because even after the war that we all don’t pray for, you will still sit down to talk…
“Anyway, I hold my peace before you will turn it into something else again.
“Just to correct your wrong notion of going to solicit for oil block and co. It’s a lie.
“Please, I hold you in high esteem; don’t partake in false information. It’s not good spiritually.
The spirits of our ancestors are alive and will surely fight the Yoruba cause. Peace be unto you.”
Oba Akinyemi, however, fired back, noting that the Ooni had been too cold to the plight of Yoruba people being attacked and killed by herders.
He said: “Your imperial majesty (Ooni), as long as I don’t want to disobey my paramount ruler, Olu (of) Ilaro, who advised me not to join issues with you, I won’t.
“But let me bust your brain that the issues today in Yorubaland that you happen to be the leader of all monarchs, things (have) fallen apart right under your nose.
“We are now in a state of oligarchy, racism, and totalitarianism.
“Maybe you don’t know you are not the only Oba that goes to the President in our zones, and I might not know them all because I am not the chief of staff to the President.
“And the issue of oil block you accused me of is not a statement credited to you alone but all of us in the Southwest because we have nowhere to call our ancestral home apart from here.
“Kabiyesi, I insist you need to do more. You are too cold at this present situation in your (Yoruba) land.
“But just like I said earlier on, send your delegations to come and report back to you the situation of things now in our land, maybe because you always watch CNN. But I will post some pictures to you now to see how your people are being slaughtered like rams. You need to wake up, Kabiyesi, Kabiyesi, Kabiyesi.”
Responding to Oba Akinyemi’s charge that he had been too cold to the plight of Yoruba people being attacked by herders, Oba Ogunwusi said he has a different style and approach to things.
He recalled that Ife people had contained the herders in 2017 during a bloody confrontation, saying: “Seeing all the pictures/docs sent to me before and long before it has been in our archive of proof.
“I really wonder which issue you want to take up with me that Olu Ilaro advised you against or where you have the notion that I only watch CNN.
“If you say I’m cold, thank you for the compliments/or otherwise. We all have our different styles and approach to things. What is critical is the end will always justify the means… Regards.
Oba Akinyemi told the Ooni to consider the lives of other people in the Southwest as important, sarcastically urging him to release Ife warriors to assist other Yoruba towns to ward off herdsmen.
