Two Kings At Loggerhead In Ogun

Chief Joseph Ogunrinde, the Village head of Alagbe, was beaten allegedly to coma and his official car destroyed at Ilara in Imeko-Afon Local Government Area of Ogun State.

At the palace of the Oloola of Ilara, Oba Samuel Adeluyi, who is in authority of the Alagbe allegedly master-minded the people of Ilara.

It was gathered that the incident was the result of a crisis that erupted between the two traditional rulers of the towns, following the controversy trailing the upgrade of village head to coronet and then to Oba’s position.

Narrating his ordeal, the village head of Alagbe alleged that the wife and one of the children of the Oloola harassed him in the palace for his alleged disrespect of their monarch.

He said his Honda Accord car, with number plate, Lagos JJJ 597 AP, was vandalised beyond repair and later set on fire, with some documents he kept in the car.

He said: “Around 5pm, Kabiyesi, Oba Samuel Adeluyi called me to his palace and gave me the letter from paramount ruler of Yewaland, the Olu of Ilaro, which I read. I told the Kabiyesi that I want to make photo copy so that I will take it to my community to show it to them at Alagbe.

“As I came down from upstairs, he called me back to bring back the letter and as climbed up to return the letter, his junior wife held me by my neck and asked if I could not run to Kabiyesi when he called me.

‘’Immediately, Kabiyesi’son, (names withheld), came out from a room, snatched the letter and started beating me till I became unconscious.

“Some youths also joined them in the beating and when my driver came in to rescue me, they beat him and attempted to throw me down from upstairs but I was rescued by policemen from Ilara. They later destroyed my car.”

But, in a swift reaction, the Oloola of Ilara, who spoke with Vanguard on phone, described the allegation against his wife and son as a lie.

Oba Adeluyi, who confirmed the incident and destruction of the car, however, said, it was the other way round as he was the one that received the beating from the village head of Alagbe.

He said: “He told a lie. He came to my house to beat me. I have never seen this, that Baale would beat a monarch. People saw him when he was beating me and wanted to beat him. I did not allow the people to beat him.

“In fact, it was a mechanic who came to repair my car that separated the two of us at the veranda. Many people wanted to beat him. Because they may beat him to death, that was why I stopped them and the Police took him away.

“I was hospitalised for three days. I only saw a vehicle that was destroyed which they said belonged to him. I was not in the house when they destroyed the car. I did not know he brought a car and none of my children beat him.

“The Police have taken a statement from me. He was the one that harassed my wife. He rough handled her cloth. In fact, he has committed an offence by harassing the ‘Olori’. If I had allowed the people to beat him, he would have died.”