According to PUNCH’s report, the monarch, narrowly escaped being lynched when the youths, armed with dangerous items, besieged the palace. The youths, it was learnt, damaged vehicles and decorations in the palace said to be worth millions of naira.
Some of the youths, who craved anonymity, told PUNCH on Monday that Adetona had been disrespecting the town’s traditions since he was installed as the monarch.
One of them said:
“Our king has not been respecting our traditions. He has refused to join the ‘Awo cult’. He has refused to marry another wife after he became the king; and he has consistently refused to approve the celebration of some traditional festivities”.
“He has flagrantly objected to all pleas for him to respect traditions and the culture of our people and has vowed that as a born-again Christian, he will never indulge in or encourage such traditional rites throughout his reign”.
It was learnt that the monarch allegedly travelled out of the state in order not to partake in the worship of the Ogun festival.
The youths, however, monitored his movement and stormed his new palace when he returned from his journey and destroyed everything on sight.
Other monarchs who were with him on the fateful day, saved the situation as the youths allegedly insisted on killing Adetona, it was learnt.
At the palace gate, the monarch pasted the membership emblem of the Redeemed Christian Church of God while there is a place where members of his church congregate every Sunday evening for fellowship.
The Ojumu of Ogbagi, Chief Richard Balogun, who is also the second-in-command to the monarch, said there were six monarchs in the palace to welcome Adetona back from his journey when the youth besieged the palace.
Balogun said:
“However, news flied around that Ogbagi was boiling, hence policemen were drafted from Ikare and when they arrived, they started shooting sporadically”.
“The youths were not happy. They thought that it was the monarch who brought in the security men to arrest and shoot them. They mobilised themselves after the policemen had gone, marched to the palace and carried out the wanton destruction.”
Balogun said the grouse of the youth was that the king was not around during the celebration of the festival.
He said, “Many important personalities including the Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuade, and other prominent political leaders, royal fathers and religious leaders had already intervened.
“The youth had agreed that the monarch should return to the palace. We are meeting everyday over the matter and I believe that it will be resolved before the end of this week.”
No comments:
Post a Comment