BAALE BEAT UP KABIYESI IN OGU STATE

Pandemonium broke out in Ayetoro, the political headquarters of Yewa
North Local Government Area of Ogun State, when at least 10 village
heads allegedly beat the Alaye of Ayetoro, Oba Azeez Adelakun and
destroyed his traditional beads.
The fracas which occurred,weekend, shortly before the embattled
monarch installed a village head of Ago-Imala, Olayiwola Ajibola,
prompted the state Commissioner of Police, Mr Ikemefuna Okoye, to
personally supervise his men who stormed the place in four Hilux vans
to restore normalcy.
The installation was billed to take place at Isale-Agboro
multi-purpose hall before the crisis escalated.
On a visit to the place, there were eight bonfires in various places
which were reportedly made by the youths in the area in protest
against the assault on their monarch.
It was gathered that, there had been bad blood between the monarch and
the aggrieved village heads following the refusal of the monarch to
merge two village heads in Saala village.
An eyewitness said that some village heads had demanded to hold a
meeting with the monarch on the need to jettison the installation of
the new village head, and when the monarch entered the palace, the
aggrieved village heads refused to pay homage to him, saying they did
not recognise him.
Speaking on behalf of the monarch, Baale Ayobo-Ayetoro, Ezekiel
Ogundele said: "ThoseBaaleshave vowed to dethrone theKabiyesiand
they have been planning against him for long. They said until they
dethrone him they will not rest.
"They alleged that theKabiyesidisgraced them in Abeokuta and they
would retaliate by removing him as theobaof the town. They said the
two village heads in Saala should be merged, butKabiyesitold the
government not to allow them merge the two offices. This did not go
down well with the aggrievedBaaleswho vowed to deal with
theKabiyesiby removing him as Oba.
"This development led to the confusion to the extent that, these
aggrieved village heads wrote theKabiyesito meet them at his
palace, December 16.
"But, Kabiyesi wanted to install Baale Ago-Imala and when they got to
the palace they did not pay homage to him and when the monarch asked
them why they failed to pay the homage, they said theKabiyesihad been
removed as the Oba,
"They vowed that they will not remove their caps and shoes as the
culture demanded and they carried out the threat. They were about
10."
Confirming the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer in the
state, Muyiwa Adejobi, said 19 Baales were involved, adding that one
of theBaalesassaulted theobaby removing his traditional beads.