…..As 21 Soldiers, thugs set ancient palace ablaze
……Rights group petitions, Gov. Amosun, Police
Pandemonium engulfed the ancient Community of Ihunbo in Ipokia Local government area of Ogun State penultimate Saturday when the no fewer than twenty-one (21) Soldiers from 192 Battalion of Nigerian Army, Owode-Yewa and terror gangs loaded in 18 passengers buses were led by Titus Babajide(oppressor) and Fatai Isiaka stormed the Community with the aim of dealing ruthlessly with anybody that wanted to obstruct them in their mission in the town.
The unwanted visitors came to the town around 7.30 p.m. of Friday March 17th, 2017 with the mission of creating fear to the mind of the majority of the indigenes of the town which they believed that were disagreed with all their efforts since July 2014 to impose a kingship candidate from another ruling house in flagrance to the order of the rotation as stipulated in the Ihunbo Chieftaincy Declaration.
An eye witnesses, Mr. Kayode Adeogun, popularly known as “Apagunpote” and one of the complainants in the matter, disclosed that the soldiers and thugs led by Mr. Titus Babajide, popularly called “oppressor” and Mr. Fatai Isiaka, were shooting sporadically which made the indigenes of the town to be running helter-skelter for dear lives, because the leaders of the gang had been threatened that they have been licensed by all security agents in the area to kill and nothing would happen, claiming that they were backed by the Elder brother to the Ogun State governor, one Abidoye Amosun (aka-Alhaji Agba).
The source in the community explained that Titus Babajide (a.k.a. -oppressor) and Fatai Isiaka which their profession is bunkering and smuggling in the area, have been terrorizing the people of the community since 2014 after the demise of Late Oba J.A.S. Fase, when the people of the ommunity unanimously insisted that the next ruling house (AGBOTEJOYE) would produce the monarch of the town in accordance with Ihunbo Chieftaincy declaration of 1956 which began operation in
1957
Meanwhile, a reputable human rights organization in Nigeria, based in
Lagos, the Centre for Human Rights and Social Justice (CHRSJ) in its
Petition dated March 27th ,2017, signed by its Chairman, Comrade
Adeniyi, Alimi Sulaiman and forwarded to the Ogun State governor,
Senator Ibikunle Amosun, Inspector General of Police(IGP) and other
concern authorities with all the police formations in the State and
its environs, including; Special Criminal Investigation Bureau
(SCIB),Alagboon, Lagos, Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad(SARS),
Adeniji-Adele, Lagos and Commissioner of Police (CP),Eleweran,
Abeokuta,Ogun State.
It titled “ The Petition against Mr. Titus Babajide (aka-oppressor),
Mr. Fatai Isiaka & 46 ors and 21 soldiers of 192 Battalion of Nigeria
Army ,Owode-Yewa,Ogun State over threat to lives, attempted murder,
maiming and burning(arson) of ancient palace of Onihunbo of Ihunbo in
Ihunbo, Ipokia Local Government area of Ogun State,the act that is
against the criminal codes and 1999 constitution of the federal
Republic of Nigeria, as amended, calling for urgent unbiased
investigation, immediate arrest and possible prosecution/trial of the
culprits/perpetrators’.
CHRSJ, according to its investigation, discovered a lot of
revelations, maintaining that “on the fateful night of Friday March
17th,2017 at about 7.29 P.M., the team of Soldiers inside the OP MESA
Hilux with Number AA 387 belonging to 192 Battalion of the Nigeria
Army, Owode-Yewa,Ogun State came to the town and on their way coming
to the town met Mr. Sola Fadairo and Mr. Akeem Babatunde on the road
and one of the soldiers who could speak Yoruba fluently, in the first
Hilux of OP MESA asked from them, where was location of the Community
Palace? Which they pointed to the Soldier and the Soldier made the
call to somebody that they have known the location of the Palace.After
knowing the Location of the Palace, they now moved back to the
Ihunbo-Idiroko Federal road where they mounted the checking point.
“But to the community dismay, between 9.30 P.M. to 10 .00 P.M.,
another two (2) OP MESA Hilux joined the first OP MESA with a 18
Passenger buses carried members of the terror gang led by Titus
Babajide(a.k.a- Oppressor) and Fatai Isiaka arrived the town, which
they were shooting sporadically into the air to scare and create
tension in the mind of armless people of the community and the people
were running helter- skelter for dear life and this made majority of
the community members to desert the town and sleep inside the bush
till the following morning of Saturday March 18, 2017”.
The Petition Letter further read, “Sir, during their evil act, Titus
Babajide and Fatai Isiaka were ordering the 21 soldiers in the team of
the terror gang in contrary to section 217 of the 1999 Constitution of
the Federal Republic of Nigeria and their thugs to maim, beat and
kills anybody who wanted to block their activities for two days.
“The terror gangs including 21 soldiers later in the night of Friday
March 17,2017 descended on anybody remains in the community after
their shown of power. But, by 1.46 a.m. of Saturday March 18, 2017,
Babajide and Isiaka had instructed their terror gang to set ablaze the
ancient palace with the supervision of 21 soldiers in the team.
“Then, the soldiers beat no fewer than four youths seeing around at
the late night of Friday March 17th, 2017 blue black before taking
them to Idiroko Divisional Police Station where three of them were
handed over to Divisional Police Officer (DPO), CSP Ibrahim Yusuf with
phone number- 08033914737 and they were later transferred to the Area
Commander of Nigeria Police Force, Ilaro where one Inspector Peter was
the Investigative Police Officer (I.P.O.)”.
It added, “Although, the Police released the 3 arrested on bail on
Tuesday March 21st, 2017 for no case to answer and directed them to
return back to the Area Commander, Ilaro on Thursday March 23rd, 2017
and those arrested and released on bail were; Kayode Fadairo, Akande
Fadairo and Ademola Sunday while Adebowale Onifade was beaten to the
state of stupor.
“The investigation revealed that the terror gangs led by Titus
Babajide (a.k.a-oppressor) and Fatai Isiaka with the supervision of 21
soldiers from 192 Battalion, Owode-Yewa, Ogun State wet the palace
with petrol before they shoot gun at the palace, after which the
ancient palace catched fire”.
“We wish to inform your good office of another mindboggling discovery
in the course of our investigation into the matter that the ancient
burnt palace were part of the place where they buried the remains of
24 monarchs that had been crowned in the community and the two leading
thugs were not from the town.
“In addition, the terror gang also embarked on the burning of the
palace as a way to destroy all the instruments of office and spiritual
power of the traditional rights and symbol of the community so that
they could impose their own person as monarch of the town which they
did in connection with the Elder brother of the State governor, Mr.
Abidoye Amosun(aka-Alhaji Agba) on the directive of the State
governor, Mr. Ibikunle Amosun”, CHRSJ stated.