Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi
Traditional rulers from the Ife North Local Government Area of Osun State have given the Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrasheed Akanbi, a 21-day deadline to retract a viral allegation accusing the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, of plotting his assassination.
The ultimatum was contained in a communiqué issued after a meeting of the royal council, held in Edunabon and read by the Salu of Edunabon, Oba Adesoji Oladepo, on Thursday.
In a controversial video posted to his official Facebook page, Oba Akanbi had accused the Ooni of “packaging” his former wife against him in an alleged assassination plot. The remarks sparked outrage among traditional rulers in the region, who have described them as both “insulting” and “disrespectful” to the revered throne of the Ooni.
“This is unbecoming of a descendant of Luwo Gbagida, the 24th Ooni of Ife. It is shocking that Oba Akanbi would behave so irrationally toward the Ooni,” the traditional rulers said in the communiqué.
The council believes the Oluwo’s public accusation is casting a shadow over the dignity of the Yoruba traditional institution, warning that such actions are dragging the royal heritage “into disrepute and ridicule.”
They have now challenged the Oluwo to formally petition the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Kayode Egbetokun, to investigate the matter—or file a lawsuit against the Ooni if he believes in the veracity of his claim.
Failure to do either within the 21-day window, they warned, will prompt them to take legal action against him.
The monarchs also recalled past instances where Oba Akanbi had clashed with other traditional rulers in the Iwo axis, including the Olu of Ile-Igbo, Olowu of Kuta, Olu of Songbe, and the Agbowu of Ogbaagba.
In one incident, they noted, the Oluwo was accused of physically attacking the Agbowu of Ogbaagba—an altercation that allegedly resulted in the latter’s hospitalisation and led to Oba Akanbi’s six-month suspension from the Osun State Council of Traditional Rulers.
Other monarchs present at the Edunabon meeting included Oba Mufutau Oyekanmi, Alasipa of Asipa; Oba Meshach Oyediran, Olulamokun of Yakooyo; and Oba Oluwabusola Oloyede, Alakinlalu of Akinlalu.
NAN
