Kinsmen Protest, Petition Governor over Murder of Ogun Monarch

James Sowole in Abeokuta

Residents of Agodo Community in Ewekoro Local Government Area of Ogun State and members of family of the late Alagodo of Agodo, Oba Olajide Odetola, who was murdered by suspected assailants along with two others on January, 24, 2022, have petitioned the Governor Dapo Abiodun demanding justice on the incident.

It was gathered that the assailants after killing the monarch and two others locked their remains inside a Toyota Sienna Vehicle marked Lagos APP-555-GF before setting it ablaze.

The community and family members, who submitted the petition amidst protest to the Ogun State Governor’s Office and the State House of Assembly, said justice must be done on the murder of the monarch and two others.
The protesters, who carried placards of various inscriptions condemning the dastardly act, also marched to the palace of the Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo, demanding prosecution of identified suspects.

Giving highlight of the petition Mr. Gbeminiyi Sotade, who led the protest, said some known hoodlums fully armed with cudgels, big planks, Iron rods and other dangerous objects attacked the monarch along with four members of his family, with objects, wet him with petrol, put him inside his Toyota Sienna Vehicle APP-555-GF which they drove to a distance nearby and set ablaze.

He stated that the remains of the late monarch, was later recovered by the Police.
While stating that some of the  persons that were attacked along with the oba, survived but now in critical condition, Sotade explained that they knew the attackers as  murderous gang in Agodo even before the latest attack.

Sotade, who listed the identified attackers, alleged that the same gang had earlier on 4th December, 2018, killed Odetola’s younger brother, Mr. Waidi Obidairo in a similar gory version in the same Agodo Village.
He however, regretted that the assailants, were shielded from prosecution by an identified brother of a strong politician in the state.

He said: “The sponsors of these hoodlum inciting them to murder and who are opponents of Oba Odetola on Agodo Obaship stool, claiming to be Baale in spite of the Government Gazette making Oba Odetola the monarch. “We hereby demand for justice to be done in this case as eminent personalities are putting pressures on the Police authority to stop investigations into the matter.

“We demand for an unhindered police investigations and we crave for your kind support in unraveling the murder case with the culprits charged to court.”

Addressing the protesters, the Director of Chieftaincy in the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy, Mr. Adewunmi Adewuyi, who received the petition, promised that government would look into the matter.

Also, at Ake Palace where the protesters  addressed Alake and Paramount ruler of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo, said he had been reassured by the Ogun State Police Command that a thorough and unbiased investigation, was being carried out by a cracked investigative officers with a view to unravelling the remote and immediate causes of the incident.

Oba Gbadebo also revealed that, he was very much aware that, the Ogun State Command of the Nigerian Police with the full knowledge of the Police Headquarters in Abuja was already making appreciable progress on the matter.

He advised the protesters to observe peace until the Police would make categorical statement on the matter and prosecute those found liable.

Earlier, protesters in their hundred, stormed the Ake Palace chanting “save our souls songs,” and calling for the Alake’s intervention and ensure justice in the killing of the Olu Agodo.
They told the Alake that they feared that some highly placed people in Egbaland were trying to truncate the course of justice on the Agodo incident.