The January 29, 2024 murder of two traditional rulers and the kidnapping of school pupils and staff members in Ekiti State have spread fears and shock across the South West.
While the two traditional rulers, the Elesun of Esun Ekiti, Oba David Babatunde Ogunsakin and the Olumojo of Imojo-Ekiti, Oba Samuel Olatunde Olusola, were murdered by gunmen, the Alara of Ara (Ikole), Oba Sunday Adebayo Fatoba, escaped the murderous attack narrowly. The incident occurred around the Oke-Ako area of Ikole Local Government Area of the state. The same day, five school pupils, three teachers and driver were abducted by gunmen when they were returning home around Emure-Ekiti-Eporo-Ekiti Road. The victims are yet to be released as of press time on Friday.
The late Oba Olusola was an associate professor at the Quantity Surveying Department of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA). He was due to become a professor.
Other obas vow to defend their people
Speaking with Saturday Tribune, the secretary of Majority Obas of Ekiti Land (MOBEL) and Onikun of Ikun-Ekiti, Moba Local Government Area, Oba Olatunde David Olushola, condemned the killing of the monarchs. While declaring that obas are not cowards, he said every Yoruba king had the means to defend his people. He called for retrospection among the traditional institution in the state.
“We need to review our position as obas. The culture, tradition and mystery around the obaship is almost eroded by modernisation, religion, and even the method of emerging as a traditional ruler has been terribly politicised.
“All of us agreed that there is the need to go back to the basics. Though we know criminality has advanced with technology, we still believe traditional rulers must remain spiritual and almost untouchable,” Oba Olushola said.
Asked about the immediate solution to the incessant attacks, the traditional said: “We have offered our suggestion to the governor which is, among other things, to empower the traditional rulers; the empowerment is not by money or logistics alone but by some backings.
“Although modernisation has cut into it, many of us still believe in the traditional system and as a matter of fact, the obas should remain spiritual apart from being majestic and, of course, almost untouchable. But the situation of constitutionality and modernity, democracy and the like have really affected the fabrics of traditional institution and, therefore, the first law is to protect our lives.
“The government should empower the traditional institution and we have spoken with our governor, who is a listening governor, because we believe every oba can secure his environment. We are not cowards. The security votes should be deployed to the grassroots and traditional rulers because we spend a lot of money maintaining our structures and, therefore, when they empower us, no marauder will come near our communities because we will take the lead.
“You remember a few years ago when they turned my communities into a ransom-taking zone, we rallied round and today we defeated them. We know what we can do without necessarily depending on the official security system.”
On his part, the Onise of Odo-Oro Ekiti, Ikole Local Government Area, Oba Babatunde Adebayo Jemilehin, advocated the use of technology, especially drones, to monitor the forests across the state.
“We heard about the purchase of drone in the past but we did not see it. Maybe it was not approved by the authorities. But I believe we can get surveillance drones that can be used to identify those in the bush. We have resolved among ourselves to comb the forests in our area but the issue is, where are the personnel to use for these efforts? As a first step, we need to identify where the gunmen are.
“The issue of security rests on us and we should go back and use any means to secure our people. Whatever means that is lawful must be used now because that is the most important thing. Whether it is technology or traditional method, we must do something. Unfortunately, security focus has always been in the cities, leaving the rural areas vulnerable. These communities lack the presence of security agencies, even though we are aware of the personnel shortage,” Oba Jemilehin said.
According to the Onimesi of Imesi-Ekiti, Oba Olatunji Olatunde, the traditional institution has resolved to support the efforts of the government and the security agencies towards ensuring peace across communities in the state.
He warned the people to desist from equating religion with the culture and tradition.
Oba Olatunji said: “We have seen these people being organized and the situation has graduated from kidnapping to terrorism. In terrorism, you see strange things happening, and they do it in scattered form. I can assure you that in conjunction with the security agencies, the traditional rulers have taken far reaching decisions which I believe will help us address this ugly situation.
“We have to do more as a traditional ruler but the unfortunate thing is that by and large, our extremist position in religion has overtaken the importance attached to traditional processes and systems.
“People now equate the traditional system to paganism. China keeps to its language and culture,that is why they are making progress even in the face of western culture. But here, we are abandoning our traditional system.
“Let me tell you that Ifa is a computer system , when you consult Ifa, it will tell you what is going to happen. It is just like what we call predictable mathematics. People should stop equating traditional processes to paganism, it is not.”
Over the years, the Ikole Local Government Area of the state has been identified as hotbeds. A lot of residents, farmers and travelers have experienced attacks and kidnapping from suspected herdsmen and gunmen who are capitalising on the sprawling forests in the area and the porous borders. The council area shared boundaries with Kwara and Kogi states.
While residents, especially farmers have suffered repeatedly in the hands of the gunmen, the killing of the traditional rulers, being the custodian of people’s tradition and culture was seen as unprecedented in the state further suggesting the rising failure of security in the country.
Lawmaker weeps
The lawmaker representing the Oye/Ikole Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Akin Rotimi Jnr, who betrayed emotion and wept profusely at the floor of the House during the week over the murder of the two monarchs, revealed that the people in the area had suffered persistent attacks over the years with no respite.
The lawmaker said: “ This sad development follows a protracted security crisis in the area, including kidnapping, killings, and destruction of farmlands and property that our people have experienced over the past years. The whole community has been thrown into mourning because of how dear we hold the two traditional rulers who were forces for community development, peace and stability in their respective domains and the state as a whole.
“If our highly revered royal fathers could be so brutally cut down in our own land, what is the fate of our people? Enough is enough. We are calling on the security agencies to find sustainable solutions to the security challenges that have plagued our people for far too long, and negatively impacted lives and livelihoods.”
How the two monarchs were killed
Saturday Tribune gathered that the three traditional rulers were returning to their domains after a trip to a neighbouring community in Kogi State. They went on the trip as part of efforts at resolving the lingering security challenges in the axis.
The monarchs ran into a barricade mounted by the gunmen at a bad portion of the road between Oke-Ako and Irele-Ekiti at about 3pm on Monday. They were flagged down before gunshots were fired at them.
The chairman of the council area, Ajoni LCDA, Michael Ogungbemi, told Saturday Tribune the two traditional rulers did not die without putting up a fight with the gunmen but were overpowered. He added that the third monarch(Oba Ogunsakin, the Alara of Ara Ikole) managed to escape from the scene.
Ogungbemi, who gave account of the incident from his engagement with the escaped traditional ruler, said: “The three monarchs were travelling in the same car and with a driver and when they were ambushed by these people, they had to stop. It was Kabiyesi Alara that first came down from the vehicle and he told me they (bandits) were like seven.
“The first set of people that blocked the road did not carry arms but sticks and the Kabiyesi Alara struggled with them and collected a stick from the attackers. It was after he successfully retrieved it that those ones with Ak-47 rifles emerged from the bush.
“They started shooting at him repeatedly but it could not penetrate him and in the process, he managed to escape from the scene with his driver. While he was running and he looked back, he saw they had overpowered the two deceased monarchs.
“When we got to the scene of the incident that day, we saw used bullets on the ground, suggesting they were fired several times. When we carried their corpses, we saw stains of blood everywhere.
“It was the escaped traditional ruler who raised the alarm about the attack and when we got there, they had escaped. I led men of the security agencies to the scene to evacuate the corpses and release them to chiefs of the two affected communities in line with tradition.”
On how communities in the area were vulnerable to attacks, the council chairman said: “You know we have expansive and vast forests and these people have been hibernating in these places for years. When I got to office in 2021, we knew our border was porous both at the Kwara and Kogi states’ boundaries with Ekiti State, we organised the Ajoni local security network with our vigilantes and others as personnel.
“We were able to identify about 17 flashpoints within the farmstead, forests and borders and this really helped us a lot. But, let me tell you that there is no single police post in the entire ten communities in the LCDA; it is that bad.
“So, if we did not resort back to community policing , we would not be able to protect and defend the area and these people would completely engulf our land. These forests are so massive and the combing once in a while cannot entirely drive these marauders out of our land.”
Ogungbemi added: “We need our local security to be adequately funded by the state and federal government and provide them with equal if not more proportion of ammunition that those bandits use. Our local hunters and vigilantes have dane guns.
“We need to fully localise the issue of security to survive all the attacks. The police can provide training to the local security personnel, that is one of the ways we can get them empowered. Let me tell you that these people are in the forests, they are mobile syndicate, they move around the forest and it is only constant and consistent combing that can force them out of our area.
Community speaks of late monarchs
The second-in-command to the Onimojo, the Elejira of Imojo, Chief Ayodele Dada, said the late monarch was committed to the progress and development of the community.
He expressed regret that the dream of the late Oba Olusola of becoming a full professor at FUTA was cut short.
Dada said: “We will miss the late Kabiyesi. But in his memory, we appeal to the state government to complete the Imojo Palace project which he began so that we can name it after him to immortalise him.
“I don’t think it would be up to a year for Kabiyesi to become a professor.”
He urged the government to step up efforts to provide security for the state’s citizens, expressing regret over the recent spate of kidnapping incidents in the area.
A community leader in Esun-Ekiti, Joseph Olatunde alleged that the killing of their monarch, Oba Ogunsola might be an assassination, following the manner of the gruesome murder.
Urging the state government to ensure that justice is served in the case, he described the late Oba as a great lover of his people who prioritised the security and development of his subjects.
We’ll fortify our local security outfits —Gov
The state governor, Biodun Oyebanji, revealed that his administration would invest heavily in fortifying the local security outfits towards combating the activities of the rampaging criminal elements in the state.
He said the state would reinvigorate the local security outfits to work in synergy with conventional security networks to break the ranks of those perpetrating heinous crimes in the facets of kidnapping, banditry and killings in the state.
The governor appealed to the traditional rulers to be more united in defending themselves and their subjects, noting that “it is the time to invoke the spirit of Ekiti parapo to defend our people.”
Oyebanji said: “What makes the Ekiti situation a bit pathetic was the dimension it took. Among the Yoruba people, the traditional rulers are next to God. When you bring down two traditional rulers at once in such a gruesome manner, it sends a very dangerous signal to the entire race.
“As part of the effort to ensure this does not happen again, we will strengthen our support for the security agencies by further enhancing their capacity through the provision of high grade equipment.
“We will also strengthen our community-based security organisations and other relevant individuals to fashion out a sustainable and workable system to confront this evil monster once and for all. Be assured of your security, even, as we all should be vigilant and security conscious.
“Ekiti parapo is collaboration and unity among the communities to defend themselves. This is not the first time it is happening, during the Kiriji war , our royal fathers came together to secure this place.
“When we were fighting for state creation, they came together to fight and we got the state created . So, if our peace is threatened , they are the custodian of culture and tradition, and two of them have been murdered. There is a need to collaborate with security agencies to ensure that it does not happen again, that is the spirit.
“My word to the people of Ekiti is to remain calm and we are on top of the situation. I want to say that those that are responsible for this act, we are closing on them, they are going to be picked up and they will face justice.”
Police arrest suspects
The state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Sunday Abutu, said the command had activated all his tactical units and formations in the state in a bid to arrest the perpetrators of the heinous crimes and forestall future attacks on the citizens.
The PPRO noted that the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, had deployed more manpower and equipment to complement the efforts of the personnel on ground in securing the state.
He stated that no fewer than 13 suspects have been arrested in a joint operation with Amotekun corps and vigilantes across the forests in the state and that the suspects are helping the police in their investigations.
He called on the people of the state to remain peaceful and support the police with relevant information towards stamping out criminal elements from the communities.
