Fola Odidiomo’s palace attack: arrest &
interrogation follow
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| Oba Afolabi Odidiomo |
No fewer than 10 hoodlums, armed
with guns, machetes and other dangerous weapons, invaded the Palace of Olu of
Igbokoda, Oba Afolabi Odidiomo in Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State and
brought down the palace on Saturday.
DailyPost gathered that the invasion
of the palace was a reprisal by the hoodlums, who wanted to revenge the death
of one of them.
According to a source, some of the
thugs had earlier invaded Ilaje High School in the town, where an inter school
quiz and sport competition was disrupted on Friday.
DailyPost had learnt that two of the
hoodlums were arrested and taken to the palace, where they were handed over to
the police.
Oba Odidiomo alleged that the attack
on his palace was masterminded by a prominent Monarch in the area.
He traced the genesis of the attack
to some few months after his installation, when Amepetu of Mahin installed two
people within Igbokoda as Baale and Oloja.
The monarch explained that he
frowned at the development since the two chiefs lived within his domain.
He claimed that Amapetu allegedly
ordered some boys, known as ‘Mahin Task Force’, to provide security for the two
chiefs.
He said, “I reported the development
to Olugbo of Igboland, Oba Obateru Akinruntan, who promised to wade in the
matter.
“There was also a parcel of land
within Igbokoda, which was sold to the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs at about
N64m without my knowledge.
“I sent a
petition to the ministry on the issue. A group of boys shot into my room
through the window last year in an attempt to eliminate me.”
The Amapetu
could not be reached for comments but one of his chiefs in the kingdom, Chief
Francis Mesagan, described the attack on Olu’s palace as unfortunate.
The Chief
said, “Oba Omowole of Mahin kingdom single-handedly installed Odidiomo as the
Monarch of Igbokoda and will not be party to destroying the
house he built.
house he built.
Mesagan
alleged that the discovery of a boy’s corpse in a river around the community,
ignited the attack on Olu of Igbokoda’s palace by the people of the community
and not from external forces, as claimed by the Odidiomo.
But Oba
Odidiomo maintained that the plot was hatched outside Igbokoda.
He said,
“This is part of a sustained activities to rubbish me. Last November, they shot
at me right in my bedroom.”
However the
Public Relations Officer of the state command, Mr. Wole Ogodo confirmed the
attack on the Olu of Igbokoda and the destruction of his palace.
Ogodo said,
apart from three people, who were arrested on Saturday, additional five people
were picked up on Sunday.
Police quiz Ondo monarch for ‘murder’
The police in Ondo State yesterday interrogated the Olu
of Igbokoda, Oba Afolabi Odidiomo, over his alleged involvement in the killing
of Prince Titiola Lebi.
Oba Odidiomo was invited following a petition sent to the
Police Commissioner by the deceased’s lawyer, Chief Juwon Shemudara, who
accused the monarch of complicity in Lebi’s murder.
The police had earlier arrested eight subjects of the
monarch.
Sources said Oba Odidiomo arrived at the Police
Headquarters on Igbatoro road, Akure, around 12:15pm.
He was brought in a black Siena bus.
Oba Odidiomo, dressed in white native attire, was
reportedly led to the office of the Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge
of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), where he was quizzed for
several hours.
The monarch was still being interrogated as at press
time.
A senior police officer, who spoke in confidence, said:
“I do not think the man would be allowed to go home today (yesterday) because
the allegation against him is serious.
“We have to do our job properly and ensure that justice
is done. We are not saying the monarch is guilty or not. His interrogation will
throw more light on the issue.”
The late Lebi and three of his friends, according to
Shemudara, were allegedly seized by some palace boys at Igbokoda on March 13
and taken to Odidiomo’s palace, where they were brutalised.
Shemudara said he reported the matter to the police at
Igbokoda, who stormed the palace to rescue the boys. He said only two of them
boy’s were rescued and the late Lebi was nowhere to be found.
Lebi’s body was found floating on the Igbokoda river
three days later.
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