A traditional ruler in Ondo state, Oba Akinfesola Adewola of Igburowo community, Odigbo Local Government, was on Sunday chased out of his palace by protesting youths.
The youths marched to the palace early in the morning, barricaded roads leading to the community and forced the monarch to trek several kilometers’ to a village on the Ondo-Ore highway where they left him.
According to the Youth Leader of the community, Mr. Samuel Adeyemi, “the protest was carried out to show our dissatisfaction with the leadership style of the monarch.”
The protesters carried placards that read ‘Enough is enough, 16 years of No Development,’ ‘No to backwardness, Igburowo says no to Akinfesola’ ‘Go, Akinfesola, Go,’ ‘Igburowo community rejects you Pius Adewola’ and ‘Adewola is a wife snatcher, Igburowo, rejects you’.
Mr. Adeyemi alleged that the traditional ruler was accused of engaging in fraud, forcible acquisition of land belonging to his subjects, frivolous litigation over subject’s property, non-performance of traditional rites and assaulting his chiefs and subjects.
Reacting to the allegations, the embattled King said the claims were “false, unfounded and meant to damage his reputation.”
The second-in-command to the monarch, Chief Festus Ogunsesin, described the incident as “highly unfortunate and embarrassing”.
A senior police officer at the Ore Divisional Police Station, Mr. Adeleye Abayomi, who led some policemen to the area, pleaded with the protesters and monarch to go with him for a meeting with the DPO of the station, Mr. Adekimi Ojo, over the matter.
