I am not after your life or that of anyone — Ewusi replies Oniraniken
Bankole Taiwo, Abeokuta
The Ewusi of Makun, Sagamu, Oba Timothy Akinsanya has said that it was all blatant lies and cheap blackmail the recent media reports where the Oniraniken of Iraniken, Sagamu, Oba Adewale Adeniji had alleged that he was after his life saying that the allegation was nothing but tissue of lies.
Oba Timothy Akinsanya who spoke through a statement signed by High Chief Emmanuel Mayungbo, the Secretary of Makun Traditional Council said that more than anything else, Oniraniken of Iraniken, Oba Adewale Adeniji had only resorted to peddling unfounded allegations of threat to his life just to serve as diversionary tactics to his illegal occupation of Makun vast land measuring over 4500 acres and which the people of Makun community had always protested.
It will be recalled that Oba Adewale Adeniji had recently alleged that his palace was attacked in the early hours of Thursday, April 8 by hoodlums who on getting to the palace were just shouting ‘where is Kabiyesi, where is Kabiyesi,’ afterwhich they descended on his wife, beat her blue black, dispossessed her of N400,000, took away his generator, collected phones of other people in the palace after which they bolted away.
Oba Adeniji had said that Ewusi of Makun, Oba Timothy Akinsanya remained the prime suspect because he had a week earlier led his people in a protest to the palace of Akarigbo of Remo land, Oba Babatunde Adewale Ajayi and had during the protest given him just a week ultimatum to either relinquish the ownership of the family farmland at Okerala via Simawa which an Ogun State High Court sitting in Sagamu had in 2018 and 2020 pronounced to be the property of his Osoedu family or face the consequences.
The traditional ruler had explained that the attack on his palace was on the very day of the expiration of seven days ultimatum given to him by the Ewusi and his people and thereby asking the government and security agencies to hold Ewusi responsible should anything evil befall him or his household.
High Chief Mayungbo said, “We however wondered when peaceful protest organised to bring to the hearing of the authorities concerned the landgrabbing activities of Oniraniken and the pitiable plight of our people in over 14 Makun communities such as Kanuyi, Okerala, Oko-Iwaju, Ipa among others, who were being chased away from their homesteads by some landgrabbers planted there by Oniraniken could now amount to threat to life.”
The traditional council said that the two peaceful protests to the palace of Akarigbo of Remo land, Oba Babatunde Adewale Ajayi was to seek for his support in finding lasting solution to the farmland under dispute and not for any other thing.
It disclosed that it was however unfortunate for Oba Adewale Adeniji to have resorted to such cheap blackmail of crying wolf where there was none as the Ewusi of Makun, Sagamu, Oba Timothy Akinsanya would not for whatever reason go after anybody’s life.
The traditional council said, “just two days ago, eight landgrabbers who were allegedly working for Oniraniken at Oko-Iwaju, Simawa area of Sagamu were arrested by police operatives from the Force headquarters, Abuja.”
The traditional council reiterated that the Ewusi, Oba Timothy Akinsanya remains a law abiding and peace loving Nigerian who holds Oniraniken family, especially his wives in very high esteem and would never do anything to harm them or any other people urging Oniraniken too, Oba Adeniji to desist from alleged landgrabbing activities in Makun villages.
Oniraniken while speaking with our Correspondent has however denied being a landgrabber insisting that he is a recognised traditional ruler in the country and that the farmland under dispute belongs to his Osoedu family as declared by the judgements of two Ogun State High Courts sitting in Sagamu in 2018 and January 2020.
Oba Adewale Adeniji said “rather than inciting people and causing crisis where there is none, once a court of competent jurisdiction gave a judgement on a matter, I think the right thing is to either abide by such judgement or seek for redress in a higher court.
“That’s what I expect those having interest over this family farmland should do and not to be heating up polity through unnecessary protest. I equally request that Gov Dapo Abiodun should set up Judicial panel of inquiry on this matter to get it resolved once and for all. The truth however remains that Makun people have no land whatsoever in all these communities.”
