Oloko of Oko: True Story Behind Remand of Oyo Monarch at Abolongo Prison by Isaac Abiodun
Editor's Note: In this piece, Dr. Isaac Abiodun lifted the lid on the facts behind the remand of Oyo monarch, Oloko of Oko.
It is no longer news that Oba Solomon Akinola, the Oloko of Oko and 14 others were remanded at Abolongo Correctional Centre Oyo on Tuesday, 21st November 2023, for offences of attempted murder, grievous bodily harm, robbery, land grabbing among others. He was later released on bail with others on Thursday, November 23, 2023.
The Oyo State High Court sitting at Ogbomoso earlier adjourned the ruling on their bail application to Monday 27th November 2023 but the ruling was delivered earlier.
Justice K. A. Adedokun granted their bail application with the condition that Oba Solomon Akinola signs an undertaking on his Royal letterheaded paper to be present in court and produce others during the trial.
Most absurdly, Oba Solomon Akinola in his characteristic manner of behaviour unbecoming of a king went about some media houses spreading lies and reprimanding the media houses that carried the news, claiming that it was fake news. The Nigerian Tribune of Thursday 23rd November 2023, The Nation of Friday 24th November 2023 and other online media houses carried the news. Oba Solomon Akinola who is the 2nd Defendant has been visiting media houses since then, telling all manners of lies that he was never remanded at any time, that the court rose late on Tuesday 21st November 2023, that’s why he got home late that day, boasting that he even attended a party on Friday.
He claimed that the court had reversed itself on the order for his remand in prison. This is an abuse of the privilege of royalty accorded to him by the Honourable Justice who has regard for traditional institution by moving the date of the ruling on the bail application from 27th November 2023 to 23rd November 2023, having also allowed him to go home on the 7th and 16th in the two previous proceedings.
The major concern of this opinion is to set the record straight and expose his lies having seen and heard my name (Dr. Isaac Abiodun) featured in virtually all his press statements. I will start with the criminal aspect and subsequently touch on the civil case he alluded to. Meanwhile, the criminal activities of Oloko and his cohorts are against Aagba community, a distinct community sharing boundary with Oko, which Oloko wants to annex to his own domain forcefully, and has installed rival chiefs already in some villages under Aagba. It is equally true that Oba Solomon Akinola is after my life and I escaped from his thugs on several occasions.
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This made me apply to the IGP for antiterrorism police protection at a huge cost to me. These are the policemen Oloko referred to as ‘Fake Police’ in his press statements. If they are fake policemen at all, he has the right to report to the IG for me to be prosecuted anyway.
THE TRUTH ABOUT THE CRIMINAL CASE
The Certified True Copies (CTC) of documents obtained from High Court 2 Ogbomoso on 28th and 29th November 2023 debunked all Oloko’s lies in very clear terms. Firstly, the Certified True Copies (CTC) of Remand Warrants of Oba Solomon Akinola & 14 others at Abolongo Correctional Oyo dated 21st November 2023 did not only confirm his temporary incarceration but also have written on them the items stripped off him and his chiefs before they entered the Prison, namely: Royal walking stick, Neck beads, hand beads, rings, Android phones and other materials. Secondly, the CTC of the Ruling on Bail Application dated 23rd November 2023 shows that all the Defendants were in custody as at the time of delivering the ruling.
Even the Honourable Justice in his Ruling at the last page admitted that Oloko (2nd Defendant) lied to the court having denied knowing one of his Chiefs (Oluwole Ogundeyi) at the resumed sitting on 16th November 2023. Oluwole Ogundeyi who is one of the culprits and came to court with him the previous sitting of 7th November 2023.
The Honourable Justice allowed them to go home but ordered that Oloko must produce all of them at the next adjourned date, but he failed to produce the said chief. Despite the fact that king was shown his own statement made to the police admitting that he is one of his chiefs and the name also features in the Fundamental Human Right suit he filed at Federal High Court Ibadan, he still denied in the open court.
The Judge said in the Ruling that since it's the same State that appointed him as king that is also prosecuting him, the option of what to do if he jumps bail is not difficult. Thirdly, the CTC of the court proceeding of Tuesday 21st November 2023 shows at the last page that the court ordered Oba Solomon Akinola (2nd Defendant) and other 14 Defendants to be remanded at Abolongo Correctional Centre at Oyo.
The criminal activities began with Oba Solomon Akinola’s thugs invading Aagba Community in Surulere Local Government Area in Oyo State on 7th, 8th, 10th and 27th of May 2021 and 3rd September 2021 and engaged in acts of terrorism including robbery, kidnapping, attempted murder, burglary/House breaking, inflicting various degrees of injuries on a number of residents, destruction of properties including the community water supply system, stealing the borehole water pump and generator and sacking the entire community for several weeks. All economic, educational, social and religious activities ceased, farmers could not attend to their farms, places of worship were empty and children could not go to school.
No single soul remained in the entire community, save few animals that escaped being stolen. Baale Alaagba, Chief Adesola Oyegbile Ajiboye spent 9 hours in busy before being rescued the following day. Despite the facts that undertakings were made each time at the police stations not to repeat the acts but they continued to perpetrate same evil. Some residents of Aagba were kidnapped from Aagba and taken to Oloko palace where he directed them to be macheted in his presence.
Residents were robbed of their belongings including Four Motorcycles. I bought one new Boxer Motorcycle at the cost of N393,000 (as at that time), as a replacement for one of them who earlier bought his own at hire purchase and was using it to do ‘okada’ to feed his family. One wonders why Land matter as Oloko termed it to be degenerated into full blown Armed robbery.
I, on behalf of my company Tropical Culture Limited and Prince Raimi Raji the Head of Aagba Chieftaincy Family wrote two separate petitions to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) dated 26th April, 2021 and 27th May, 2021 against Oba Solomon Akinola on the criminal activities and also reported the matter to the Divisional Police headquarters at Oko and the Area command at Ogbomoso.
Investigations started at Oko and progressed to Oyo State command where it suffered setback and grounded before the IGP ordered the case file to be transferred to Abuja.
The attack on Aagba of 3rdSeptember 2021 occurred after the Culprits including Oloko jumped Administrative bail and investigations were still ongoing. Since their surety no longer honours police invitation to produce them, the police came from Abuja to arrest them but Oloko and others fled the palace for several days, but only three were arrested and charged for Terrorism together with others at large including Oloko at Federal High Court Abuja in Charge No: FHC/ABJ/CR/458/2021.
Oloko subsequently petitioned the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and painted the same erroneous picture as canvassed in the press that it is a purely land matter, in a bid to have the ongoing criminal matter quashed or withdrawn, but the AGF disagreed with him, and instead was able to isolate criminal activities of the Oloko that deserve to be tried in the court of law.
The AGF subsequently transferred the case file to Attorney General of Oyo State for prosecution under the laws of Oyo State. Interestingly, the Current Attorney General of Oyo State had prior knowledge of the matter at Federal Ministry of Justice as a Special Assistant to the then AGF.
The Defendants that were released on bail by Oyo State High Court on 25th June 2023 unrepentantly attacked Aagba Community and Tropical Culture Farm again on 14th August 2023 and charged at Magistrate Court in Charge No 118c/2023. After painstaking review of the case file and legal advice, the Government of Oyo State instituted the present charge at High Court Orile-Igbon but sitting in Ogbomoso in Charge No. HOI/1c/2023.
Oba Solomon Akinola, after fleeing the palace to escape arrest, then went to file a Fundamental Human Right suit at Federal high Court Ibadan in Suit No. FHC/IB/CS/77/21 against IGP, myself and the DCP in charge of the investigation of the matter, claiming damages of N60 million, fabricating all kinds of lies similar to what he is carrying around currently.
When we filed our responses in court, he quickly withdrew the suit after we had joined issues and seeing the frivolities of his claims. The court dismissed the suit on 17th July 2023. In a flagrant abuse of court process, he filed a fresh one on the same issues similar to the one already dismissed.
THE TRUTH ABOUT THE CIVIL CASE
Now on the Civil case, the version painted by Oloko, targeting Dr Isaac Abiodun is entirely false. The land purchased from Aagba through my company is a tiny fraction of Aagba land. I did not buy 27 villages not even one village. Aagba Chieftaincy Family has 18 villages under it and has won all land cases against Oloko and other boundary men since 1932 till date. There are several court judgements affirming the title of Aagba Chieftaincy family to the land namely: Cooper’s Appeal court judgement of 1954 in the boundary dispute between Baale Aagba and Baale Aiyetoro obtained from National Archive and tendered in court.
The High Court of Oyo State sitting at Ogbomoso delivered judgment in 2008 in Suit HOG/35/2001 affirming the title of Aagba and dismissed the Counterclaim of Oloko, as well as the Appeal Court Judgement delivered in Ibadan on 4th of December 2020 in Appeal No: CA/IB/424/2018. The boundary dispute between Aagba and Oko was the subject matter of dispute in 1932 which the Colonial Masters dealt with. Both Oloko and Alaagba presented same document in court in the Civil case which is the District Officer’s Report in 1932 and titled Oko – Aagba Boundary Dispute, obtained from National Archive. It is against any rational thinking and legal reasoning that Oloko in the current case in Suit No. HOI/7/2015, is claiming the entire land of Aagba, that Aagba is his customary tenant and had paid ‘Isakole’ to him in time past – the same party he had boundary issue with in 1932.
He is now seeking forfeiture of the entire land of Aagba contrary to the above-mentioned Colonial master boundary dispute Report he tendered as Exhibit D3 in court. On this premise, both the trial Court and the Court of Appeal refused to grant title to the land and forfeiture sought by Oloko. The said document also affirms that both Oloko and Aagba have Aresapa as their Common grantor.
Hon. Justice Boade in his well considered judgment delivered in 2008 in suit HOG/35/2001 held at pages 45 and 48 that Exhibits 5 & 6 (District Officer’s Report in 1932) which both parties relied on showed that both parties have a common grantor (Aresapa) but had boundary dispute during the colonial era, and that the plaintiff (Aagba) is not a customary tenant of the defendant (Oloko) as presently claimed and thereby dismissed his Counterclaim.
The dismissal of his counter claim still subsists till date as the decision was not appealed against in the former Appeal No: CA/I/131/2009 which only struck out the Writ of summon for not being signed in the name of the legal practitioner but as business name (&Co), but did not set aside the dismissal of his Counterclaim. Similarly, Hon. Justice Ishola in his well considered judgment in the present Suit No. HOI/7/2015 at page 72 held that by the contents of Exhibit D3 (District Officer’s Report in 1932) which the defendant himself (Oloko) tendered, the Claimant (Aagba) is not a customary tenant of Oloko and thereby refused his title and forfeiture he sought. The Court of Appeal sitting in Ibadan in Appeal No: CA/IB/424/2018 (Coram: Bada, Tsammani and Ojo, JJCA) on 4th December 2020 equally affirmed the above findings in the instant appeal at page 34 that 2nd Appellant/Cross Respondent (Aagba) therein is not a customary tenant of the Respondent/Cross Appellant (Oloko).
The legal question then is, if he claims he won at the trial court, what then is the subject of his Cross Appeal? The truth is that the trial court did not give title to either of the parties, which made Aagba and Tropical Culture Ltd to appeal the case and Oloko also filed Cross appeal seeking declaration of title. Both Aagba and Tropical Culture Ltd were successful in the appeal but Oloko lost again.
It was after the attacks on Aagba on 7th 10th and 27th may 2021 that Oba Solomon Akinola rushed to the Supreme court to go and filed Motion for Stay of Execution on 1st July 2021 with aim of justifying the attacks. The Supreme Court on 27th September 2022 struct out his Motion for Stay of Execution for want of diligent prosecution.
By the enrolment of Order obtained from the Supreme court dated 27th September 2022, the High court of Oyo State officially Executed the judgement of the Court of Appeal aforementioned and gave Aagba Chieftaincy family possession of their entire land on 28th March 2023 by the Warrant for Possession dated 28th February 2023.
The execution is just a stamp of judicial authority to prevent further incursion by Oloko, as Aagba had always been in possession of their land from time immemorial. Oloko later filed a Motion to set aside the warrant of Possession and the Execution at Orile Igbon High Court on 6th April 2023, claiming that the Warrant of Possession was fake and was obtained by fraud.
Instead of him waiting for the court to decide on the motion, he wrote another petition to Assistant Inspector General of Police at Zone XI, Oshogbo claiming the execution is fraud. The police invited Alaagba, Chief Adesola Ajiboye and Mr Ojetunde Olugbenga, the Logistic manager of Tropical Culture Ltd to Oshogbo on 27th April 2023, detained and tortured them on the execution done by the court.
It is worthy of note that Oloko has lost claims to the land in all attempts to capture Aagba land and annex it to his own land. Alaagba has many villages under him as customary tenants with his own chiefs. Oloko is using acts of terrorism for political and economic gains to extend his territory forcefully and illegally by installing rival chiefs on Aagba land because his community has more numerical strength than the defenceless Aagba.
The previous deceased Obas of Oko did not attack Aagba in any way but merely engaged in acts of trespass by reaping fruits of Aagba’s cash crops. It is this present Oba Solomon Akinola, despite the fact that he lost the case in court, has resorted to act of terrorism against Aagba community.
I challenge Oba Solomon Akinola to produce the judgement of Native court he claimed Oloko won against Aagba in 1932, the Court of Appeal judgment he claimed he won in 2014 in Appeal No: CA/I/131/2009 and the Counterclaim he claimed he won in Suit No. HOI/7/2015. I hope he can mechanically manufacture any of them because they are non-existent. I challenge him to speak with evidence as I have done here. I have the Certified True Copies of all the documents I made reference to in this statement.
WE HOPE JUSTICE PREVAILS AT THE END
The foregoing demonstrates the criminal activities and unkinglike behaviour of Oba Solomon Akinola and we hope the law will take its full course. He boasted freely that he and his sponsors own Oyo State and that the case is already dead as soon as it was transferred to Oyo State. His effort in a making the matter to be transferred back to Oyo state is enormous as seen in his petitions to AGF and Chief Judge of Federal High Court in Abuja.
Truly, we saw the signs during the investigation, the matter was suppressed and investigation grounded at Oyo State police command before the matter was eventually transferred to Abuja, a neutral venue, at the instance of the IGP. Now that the case is back again to Oyo state, we are still keeping our hope alive that justice will be done.
The sole aim of this press statement is to educate the public on the evil tendencies and behaviour of Oba Solomon Akinola unbecoming of a Traditional ruler and to debunk all the lies he told the media houses in the matter, especially as it concerns his remand in prison. No one is above the law. Even as we speak currently, the Former Governor of the Central Bank, Godwin Emefiele is in custody at Kuje Correctional Centre Abuja while his trial is ongoing.
This opinion has nothing to do with the evidence already before the court which we believe will serve the course of justice in the matter on its merit if the law is allowed to take its course.
Dr. Isaac Abiodun writes from Aagba in Surulere local government area of Oyo state
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Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Legit.ng.
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