Two men, identified as Saheed Olatunji and Lukmon, have been arrested for allegedly stealing the crown and staff of office of the traditional ruler, Oba Mosudi Owodina of Iraye community in the Sagamu Local Government Area of Ogun State.
According to PUNCH, the suspects and others at large invaded the palace on October 4, 2021, and stole the monarch’s crown and staff of office.
The police arrested and recovered the crown and staff from the hoodlums when they returned to the community to wreak more havoc.
44-year-old security guard, Temitope Ariyo, was said to have been killed by some hoodlums who invaded the community on January 19.
The gunmen stormed the community around 3pm on the orders of one Otunba, who was allegedly laying claim to the traditional stool of the community, PUNCH reports.
The hoodlums, who also injured three policemen, allegedly robbed residents of their valuables.
Oba Owodina, said the crisis in the community started after he was installed as a traditional ruler.
He said, “After I was crowned on August 27, 2016, the crisis started. The hoodlums tried to stop my installation, but policemen were on ground to ensure the success of the ceremony. Anytime I visited the town, they pelted me with stones and sachet water.
“I ran to Sagamu and visited Iraye once in a while. One Kalejaiye invited land grabbers from Ikorodu to attack us. They vandalised my palace and turned it into a kitchen, where they kill stolen goats and chickens, while residents fled.
“I cannot go into town without going to the police station first to get security escorts. The hoodlums are always armed and they have taken over the palace. They vandalised the palace and riddled the whole place with bullets.
“They act like terrorists anytime they invade the town. On September 3, 2021, when I wanted to celebrate my 5th coronation anniversary and use the occasion to lay the foundation for a police station, I had to ensure a heavy presence of policemen before the event was a success.
“A month after the anniversary, they invaded the town again and vandalised the proposed police station and broke the blocks and other materials that we wanted to use for the station. I narrowly escaped death from the armed hoodlums. That was when they stole the ancestral crown and my traditional staff of office.
“Policemen from Abuja arrested two of the hoodlums, who were in possession of the crown and staff of office and the suspects have been taken to Abuja for further investigation. With the way things are now, there cannot be peace in Iraye unless the police and the government investigate the crisis in the town. I cannot rule my people with peace of mind.”
The youth leader of the community, Ganiu Odugbesan, said the young people were also not spared from the incessant attacks on the community.
He said, “Since we had a new Oba, the hoodlums have not allowed him to rule in peace. Whenever the police come to make peace, the hoodlums will chase them away; the policemen are also trying to avoid confrontation with them. We have been chased out of our ancestral home to other parts of Ogun. I am appealing to the Ogun State Government to come to our aid.”
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