Ekiti Traditional Ruler Accused Of Unlawful Property Demolition

 ...As Family Accuses Monarch Of Court  Contempt 

…. Petitions Police Commissioner, Seeks Arrest

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By Joseph Sunday 

A prominent Traditional Ruler in Ekiti State, the Alayetoro of Ayetoro Ekiti Kingdom, Oba Olufisan Ajayi has faulted the demolition of some properties by land grabbers after the palpable tension which enveloped Ayetoro Ekiti in the Ido / Osi Local Government Area of Ekiti State, describing the action as an assault. 

This is just as the family of Oluode in Odo – Odi area of the town, has also accused the Monarch of Court Contempt, by petitioning the Commissioner of Police in Ekiti State, CP Joseph Eribo, seeking for the arrests of the perpetrators. 

Some of the allegations leveled the Traditional Ruler of the community included stealing and malicious damage of properties by some thugs, allegedly hired and directed by the traditional ruler of the town.  

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The family, had through their Counsel, Barrister Wole Faola and Co in the petition to the police accused the traditional ruler of contempt of court, alleging that Oba Olufisan led about six hoodlums to a property belonging to the family of Oluode and carried out massive damages to the ongoing projects and also attacked the workers on site with cutlasses and other dangerous weapons, despite a court ruling that affirmed the Oluode’s family as the rightful owner of the land.

The traditional ruler, while speaking on the petition said that the land was acquired in 1982, 20 years before his assumption of the throne and lying fallow.

“But because the land belong to my mother side, the family approached me to make judicious use of the vast space of the land.

“Yes, the family won the case and were given judgement as the rightful owner of the clearly demarcated space of the land, but they trespassed and that was the bone of contention.

“I was not at home a couple of weeks ago, when some people called me from home that they could see building springing up on the land, outside their demarcated space, it was then I told them to go and chase them out and they went and carried out my order. 

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“It was true I ordered the demolition of the building, though it was at the foundation level, that was just the story,”the traditional ruler explained.

The petition, however, read: That Judgement was given in favour of our client with damages over a vast area of land between their family and Oba Alayetoro Ekiti with no: HAD/143/21 between Mr. P.A Olajide Akinola and ORS vs Oba  Samuel Olufisan Ajayi, the Alayetoro of Ayetoro Ekiti.

“That the said judgement was not appealed against by the defendant and that my client has been in lawful and actual possession of the land ever since.

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“The petitioners further explained that on the instructions of the king, Mr. Seyi Ajayi, Sunday Ajidese, Adereye Oponbola, Rotimi, Samuel A. and David stormed the site with guns and cutlasses, forcefully ejected the workers and destroyed  blocks, wasted bags of cements and also stole phones and cash belonging to the workers.”

However, the petitioners reported the matter immediately to Ido-Ekiti police station where two officers were detailed to arrest the suspects, but surprisingly, the suspects resisted arrests claiming the traditional ruler had already spoken to the DPO.

The Oluode family also accused the DPO of shielding the suspects through the influence of the traditional ruler and urged the Commissioner of Police to investigate the matter and possibly arrest the suspects, most especially the complicity of the DPO of Ido-Ekiti police station.

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The family also made available evidences of the destroyed buildings, recorded audios of the conversations of the suspects, while resisting the arrests.

It will also be recalled that Oba Samuel Olufisan the Alayetoro of Ayetoro-Ekiti was once enmeshed in alleged scandal of stealing transformers in the town.

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