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HomeArtsCultureOloota Stool: Prince Adelowo Adimula’s futile attempts at undermining Odo-owa heritage

Oloota Stool: Prince Adelowo Adimula’s futile attempts at undermining Odo-owa heritage

By Oba Joshua Adeyemi Adimula

My attention was recently drawn to a letter dated 16th January 2023 with the mischievous title, Open Letter to Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq on Dethronement of Oba Joshua Adeyemi Adimula as the Oloota of Odo-Owa.     

The letter under reference was purportedly written by Aafin Descendants Union (ADU), the so-called esteemed Council of Iwarefa (Kingmakers) and the good people of Odo-Owa in Oke-Ero Local Government of Kwara State. There is nothing further from the truth because this letter was written by a few disgruntled, envious and over ambitious elements who are keen at pulling me down at all cost for no justification whatsoever.

Aafin Descendants Union (ADU) is made up of all bona-fide and legitimate children including princes and princesses of Oloota of Odo-Owa. The writers of this petition are only made up of a few members led by Prince Adelowo Adimula who is the instigator, propagator, executor and tormentor-in-chief of consistent but futile efforts at dethroning me from the stool of Oloota of Odo-Owa.

Upon the demise of my predecessor, HRH Oba M.A. Adimula on February 14, 2014, the Odo-Owa community shortlisted and arrived at three names who were nominated for the appointment to the vacant stool of the Oloota of Odo-Owa.

These are their names: Prince Adelowo Adimula, Prince Oluwatoba Adeyemi Adimula and Prince (Prof.) Abiodun Adimula

Sequel to the above, a letter dated 21 April, 2015 was addressed to the Chairman, Oke-Ero Local Government Traditional Council by the Odo-Owa Kingmakers in accordance with recommendation of the suitability of the candidates as pronounced by the Ifa oracle. A copy of the same letter is marked as Annexure A.

Prince Adelowo Adimula being the first on the list was contacted to be appointed as the Oloota of Odo-Owa but by his letter of 28th July. 2014 marked as Annexure B, he declined the nomination and expressly turned down the offer made to him. He predicated his rejection on spiritual considerations that he had a revelation that it was not the will of God for him to be appointed as the Oloota of Odo-Owa and he informed the community that she was at liberty to choose any other suitable candidate either from the list presented or from any other source. He pledged his support and loyalty to whoever is picked for the stool.

Being the second on the list, I was appointed as the Oloota of Odo-Owa to the knowledge of Prince Adelowo Adimula, and upon my appointment, I offered a hand of friendship to him and made all spirited efforts to see him but he deliberately made himself unavailable and incommunicado. Little did I know that he was not happy with my appointment as he has carried out series of attacks, character assassination, wanton destruction of my personal and royal properties and sponsored series of press conferences, newspaper publications and adverts, all aimed at downgrading, denigrating and pulling me down from my exalted position as the Oloota of Odo-Owa. Some of these will be itemized in due course.

Prince Adelowo Adimula and his cohorts sponsored remote and open challenges and confrontation on my personality. Due to Odo-Owa Community’s decision to release a parcel of land for the construction of Orota Community High School which was established in 1983 of which I am a product. The school has long been handed over to Kwara State Government but has witnessed little development. In the year 2021 the Kwara State Government allocated a block of 3 classrooms to the school. As an Agent of progress and development, I did everything within my powers and ability to ensure the success of the project, but surprisingly, there were people that were trespassing on the land donated by the Community for the construction of the.  said school I had to confront and warn them to desist from their encroachment.

Prince Adelowo Adimula joined forces with the trespassers and they jointly abused, beat, insulted, harassed and intimidated me for supporting and encouraging siting of Kwara State Project in Odo-Owa. This is one of the reasons for calling for my dethronement.

When I reported the trespassers and the hoodlums being sponsored by prince Adelowo Adimula to the Police, he used his position and financial resources to ensure their release from the Police Headquarters without allowing them to face the wrath of the law.

In the letter of January 16th, 2023, Prince Adelowo Adimula and his caucus catalogued and listed some of their fictitious and fraudulent petitions dated 27th April, 2022, 23rd May 2022, and 21st september 2022 all praying for my dethronement because he now wants to assume and take over my position as the Oloota of Odo-Owa, a position which he had neglected and renounced over seven (7) years ago and he has expressed so much desperation and unbridled ambition. It is clear that two persons cannot be the Oloota at the same time.

Prince Adelowo Adimula is creating imaginary problems, promoting disaffection and constituting himself as an agent of disunity by sponsoring chaos, series of attack and actions capable of leading to breakdown of law and order in Odo-Owa and does not want to allow peace and amicable settlement because he perceives himself as the ultimate beneficiary of the problems.

The expectation of my detractors including the petitioners was that I will not last on the throne of the Oloota of Odo-Owa. They expected me to die after 3 days, 3 months or 3 years. I survived the targeted time by the grace of God, after the expiration of 3 years, they began the unwarranted attacks on my person and office so that I will lose focus and not be able to function as the Oba.

On the allegation of cornering and diverting the monthly stipends from Oke-Ero Traditional Council due to my high Chiefs to my pocket, this is a blatant lie and nothing can be farther from the truth. I am satisfied and content with the little I am earning as monthly stipends as I engage in active farming to support, supplement and enhance my income to be able to meet the needs and obligations of my family and make significant financial contributions to Odo-Owa Community.

Contrary to the allegations that i lied to my cronies that Iwarefa and prominent ADU members were humiliated at the meeting and made to apologize to me, these are all nonsensical and fraudulent allegations by these disgruntled elements aimed at calling me a bad name and projecting a bad image of me to the members of the public with a view of discrediting me and lowering my esteem in the eyes of my subjects.

I am a harbinger and lover of peace and I have never refused the advice of Ven. Dr Jacob Olasupo Osaji to call an all-inclusive peace meeting at the instance of the leadership of Odo-Owa Welfare Association. I never stayed away from the Palace meeting of Tuesday 13th September 2022 nor kept the entire Palace under firm lock and key as alleged. The allegation of deliberating absconding from the meeting, hiding somewhere and giving instructions to the alleged imaginary foot soldiers on how to disrupt peaceful meetings is at best contradictory in terms as i could not while keeping the Palace under lock and key at the same time organize foot soldiers to disrupt a peaceful meeting which venue had been sealed off. These are part of deliberate misinformation and mischievous actions of the petitioners against me.

On the allegation of accusing the apex associations’ leadership, Iwarefa and ADu or being behind the kidnapping of 2 residents of the community this is total falsehood.

The Odo-Owa Welfare Association and the kingmakers were never collectively or individually accused of any misdeed. There was a report against Bunmi Popoola, the Ojoko of Odo-Owa who was accused of raping a girl and cleaning her private part with a white handkerchief supposedly laden with charms and threatening the girl not to reveal the matter to anybody otherwise she would die within 7days, an act of creating fear and intimidation. The girl kept the matter to herself until her health deteriorated to the point of death and she reported the matter to her parents who came to report the chief to me and the affected chief was invited by me and directed to take care of the girl by taking her to hospital for medical treatment and I personally foot the medical bill.

The shameful action of the Chief Bunmi Popoola led to the recommendation by members of his compound for his suspension and he was suspended for 6 months. Upon resumption of the same chief from suspension, barely 2 months after, another case was brought against him of having carnal knowledge of another girl and threatened the girl with death if she revealed the secret and the said chief again was invited and cautioned and he confessed to the crime. Unfortunately, the affected girl died but her dying declaration was recorded. Prior to her death, the whole community decided that the said chief should take the affected girl for treatment and she died in the house of Bunmi Popoola 3 days after. This led to the affected chief to run away and the angry mob set his house ablaze.

The criminal actions of the said chief led to Police involvement in the matter and the said chief was arrested and later granted bail facilitated by the petitioners who are his godfathers. The petitioners were offended because of my stance of keeping the Odo-Owa community free from criminality, criminal elements, and perpetrators of evil and ridiculously, this is forming one of their bases of complaint against me.

Interestingly also, the same chief Bunmi Popoola who had got 2 criminal allegations against him was also involved in a case of kidnapping in the month of April 2021 alongside his partner in crime, a Fulani boy. The matter was also reported to the police and charged to court but the petitioners who are his supporters and interested in covering up his crimes secured his bail while his trial is ongoing in the court of law.       

It is pertinent, Your Excellency, to mention, that the chief involved in all these criminalities is a co-sponsor of different petitions against me because they are unhappy about my efforts and desire to sanitize Odo-Owa from all forms of crimes and criminals. The criminal chief again in partnership with the petitioners have been boasting of possessing charms and juju with which they intend to use to dethrone me. This is one of my offenses.

The petitioners do not care about the families and wellbeing of the defendants and relations of the victims of the criminal activities of Chief Bunmi Popoola and they have turned the case to be an allegation against Odo-Owa Welfare Association and kingmakers.

The allegation of having a stupendous appetite for land-grabbing is very spurious, ridiculous and unfounded. I am not a land-grabber. The land on which I built my personal house in Odo-Owa was bought several years before I was enthroned as the Oloota of Odo-Owa, I have never taken anybody’s land: I am only interested in preserving for posterity the communal land from trespassers and people who are determined to encroach on same who are being sponsored by the petitioners. 

There is no confession whatsoever made by me in the Alaroye Volume 62 of July 16th 2022 which was a mere reaction to the fraudulent allegations made against me by the petitioners and rebuttal of the same. I only reacted by denying their false and fraudulent allegations that people had rejected me when l knew that the opposite is the case and it is the petitioner who are disgruntled elements who are calling for my dethronement. My people have accepted, loved, cared and cherished me.

My reign has been peaceful, eventful and development-driven. Despite the strenuous but futile efforts of the petitioners, Odo-Owa has witnessed rapid infrastructural, socioeconomic, cultural and political development in my 7 years’ reign which is unparallel in the annals of its history. Some of these developments are enumerated as follows:

The Old police post of Odo-Owa was upgraded to a divisional police headquarters. I rallied-round my subjects for donations which was boycotted by the petitioners and I remain the highest donor in the said project.

Civil Defense office was established in Odo-Owa with donations from some good-hearted indigenes of the town without the involvement of the petitioners. I am also the highest donor to that project. Odo-Owa Road Safety Outpost was upgraded to a unit and the new structure is almost completed largely through my personal involvement and financial contributions

The construction of a block of 3 classrooms in Orota Commmunity High School. The petitioners and their collaborators did the unimaginable to frustrate the project by frequent encroachment and trespass which has formed the basis of some of their petitions against me. Petitioners are unhappy because of these catalogue of developments and projects that are springing up in Odo-Owa against their expectation.They are expecting disaster and failure.

As a progressive traditional ruler, I am a lover of peace and my reign is characterized by progress, development, peaceful coexistence, not riot, public violence and brigandage being sponsored by the petitioners. There is no brigade of hoodlums and rascal elements in my palace but people of shady characters are imported by the petitioners to disrupt the peace of Odo-Owa and protect them from being arrested by Law Enforcement Agents so as to cover up their tracks and evils they perpetrated.

My reign is also characterized and marked by good governance, utmost humility, conscious and deliberate efforts at forging cooperation and unity among all elements of the Odo-Owa community. but the petitioners are the agents of discord, division and polarization of the community who are hell-bent to scatter and destroy the same and hull the blame on me.

I am much admired, highly respected and held in highest esteem by all indigenes of Odo-Owa who are my subjects but the petitioners are making conscious efforts to ridicule, denigrate, debase and bastardize my throne by belittling me before my subjects. 

The allegation of the flogging of a high chief in person of one Jimoh Peter Omotosho, the Asalu of Odo-Owa is not true. It is part of a deliberate campaign of calumny sponsored against me recklessly by the petitioners.

Petitioners instigated my arrest from my Palace to Police headquarters and arranged a Kangaroo trial for me on trump-up allegations without any justifications. All in an attempt to ridicule. frustrate, harass, and embarrass me. They celebrated and rejoiced at their evil deed. I was remanded for 3 days at Mandala Correctional Centre in June 2022 due to the efforts of the petitioners for a baseless, manipulated and instigated charge. I have been vindicated by the ruling of the same court delivered on 21st November, 2022 whereby the complaint against me was terminated and I was discharged. The hope and aspiration of the petitioners to keep me perpetually in prison and become an ex-convict failed woefully and they were put to shame. A copy of the ruling is attached as Annexure C. Petitioners were unhappy for victory and vindication but I have all cause to praise the Lord and the God of my ancestors who rose up in my defense and put my enemies to shame.

On allegation of House arrest and several suspensions from the State Government and Oke-Ero Traditional Council, these are unfounded and shameless allegations. I have never occupied any political appointment or being a functionary in the Kwara State Government from where I was ever suspended. The petitioners have inundated Kwara State Government, Oke-Ero Local Government, Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Police headquarters in Ilorin, Area Commander Office in Omu-Aran, Police Divisional Office in Illofa and Odo-Owa with shameless, false and unfounded allegations aimed at giving a dog a bad name so as to hang it. They are looking for my downfall, death and dethronement so as to take over my position which they are desperate about. 

My prayers:

The petitioners are people with unbridled ambitions who are the minority and inconsequential few in my community inclusive of fellow contestants who did not succeed to occupy the throne of Oloota of Odo-Owa and they are desperately looking for my downfall through sponsored false allegations, unimaginable lies and instigation of my subjects. I urge your Excellency to ignore them and not allow them to mislead your administration which is people-oriented and have tremendous respect for traditional institutions.

The allegations of these Desperados are so ridiculous that they are making an allegation of my boasting that I have your government in my pocket. How big is my pocket? I am a man of modest means, who believes in the rule of law, and having greatest respect for constituted authorities. The allegation here is to incite and mislead your Excellency’s government and they should be ignored.

The Petitioners claim to represent the popular cry of the people whereas, they are few inconsequential, overambitious, co-contestants and losers who are orchestrating, manipulating and concocting all forms of lies and they should not be taken seriously.

My reign has witnessed the greatest and unparalleled infrastructural, socioeconomic, institutional and traditional development ever known or witnessed in the annals of Odo-Owa history which the petitioners are envious of and want to destroy by all means and they are desperate and determined to rubbish my legacies which they are not expecting.

The petitioners do not represent the Aafin Descendants’ Union (ADU) who are the collective Odo-Owa Princes and Princesses, the Iwarefa which is the Council of the Kingmakers and relevant stakeholders in Odo- Owa community, but they are minority elements being sponsored, spearheaded, promoted, Instigated by Prince Adelowo Adimula who was a co-contestant who claimed to have no interest but has suddenly rekindle his interest on the throne and is desperate to remove me at all cost.

Your Government is known for respecting traditional rulers, promoting traditional institutions, and meeting their welfare to which we are all grateful. Your Excellency should not allow these disgruntled elements to incite your administration against me without any justifiable cost.

I plead with your Excellency to protect me from constant harassment and trump up allegations by these set of petitioners before the Police, DSS, Civil Defence and other security agents. Invitation to me should be channelled through the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters to reduce the spate of unwarranted intimidation.

Finally, your Excellency, there is no community, town, even family without disagreements which ought to be settled amicably. The petitioners should be encouraged to embrace peace and have respect for my office and position which is greater than all of them and join hands together with me to move Odo-Owa forward.

Being the text of a letter written to His Excellency, Mallam Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq by His Royal Highness Oba JOSHUA OLUWATOBA ADEYEMI ADIMULA (The Oloota of Odo-Owa).
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