Awo Chieftaincy Matter: Jogunade is an accused person, never a King in Awo Town, says Saka Adegboye

A witnessed, Prince Saka Adegboye, 80, during the cross examination at the ongoing sitting of Osun State Commission of Inquiry into the Chieftaincy Matter of ancient town Awo, headed by Honourable Justice Abdulrasaq Abdulkareem, declared that one Late Mr. Jogunade was an accused person who shoot former Alawo of Awo, Oba Adediji Ajani while contesting to become the monarch of the town and as a result of this criminal act, led Jogunade to be banned from the ancient town.

There was melodrama on Wednesday before Justice Abdulkareem’s Commission of Inquiry when Prince Adegboye also disclosed that Jogunade was never a king in the town and some of the story of the town being concocted by Oba Musa Olatunbosun,his counsel,Mr. M.M. Nworie, Jogunade’s family counsel,Mr. A.O.Sanusi were saying rubbish and distorting history to favour Jogunade illegally, claiming that the Counsel representing his Abioye ruling house, Barrister Taofeeq Ibikunle before the Commission, was not saying rubbish but facts of the matter.

The representative of the Abioye ruling family, insisted that Jogunade was an accused person who was banished from the town for committing an heinous crime which was against the tradition of the ancient town, insisting that all what Jogunade family and Oba Adebayo counsels were saying, just put in their mouth by those who employed them and it was just bunch of lies that was not included in the history of ancient Awo.

Adegboye further stated that Jogunade was not a brother to Oba Abioye in the town, claiming that Oba Abioye was father of Olanimo where their lineage praises were “Olanimo atidi ofi wajoye”, recalling that all the memorandum of Jogunade represented by one Mr. Isiaka Oloyede before the Justice Akin Apara Commission of Inquiry, were dismissed for wanton of evidence and prove, adding that Jagun of Awoland performed the traditional rite of putting Akoko leave on the head of current Oba Musa Olatunbosun Adebayo, the Alawo of Awoland.

His words; “I have sworn with Holy Quran before this Commission that I would not lie and you should allow me to say the truth contained in the history and memorandum before the Commission. If you do not want me to talk, it means you want me to be lying here which against my wish. During the Akin Apara Panel of Inquiry of 1976 on Awo Chieftaincy Matter, Justice Apara with member of his Commission visited all the compound of the ruling houses in the town and being shown the grave of the past Alawo but to their surprise, nobody could show the grave of Jogunade to the member of the Commission then”.

Abioye ruling house submitted in their memorandum that ;“I want to inform this Commission that we can confirm automatically through historical facts under Abioye ruling house, two kings have reigned and they were Abioye and Olanimo. That Abioye died as Oba (i.e. Alawo of Awo) and buried at Awo accordingly. The tomb of Abioye is still at Awo till today protected and preserved at Abioye’s compound. In fact, one Saka Adegboye who testified at Akin Apara Commission of Inquiry actually took the chairman and members of the Commission to the site where Abioye was buried. This was upon the express request of the panel to visit the site.

“Now, if this panel of inquiry is prepared to visit the site, we are ready to take them to the site at Abioye’s Compound, Awo again and again. Olanimo, the son of Abioye who reigned as Alawo of Awo was also buried at Abioye’s Compound in Awo. No ruling house is known and called Yebokun/Abioye ruling house in Awo till today. Again, we state that Abioye was a direct son of Awojobi through Odere, the second wife. We urge the panel to reject the request of the applicant (Jogunade) therein as it concerns Abioye ruling house. Also, the order of rotation as suggested by the applicant (Jogunade) which removed Abioye ruling house from the approved existing declaration be rejected.

“The Bola Babalakin Commission of Inquiry also rejected the story of Jogunade /Yebokun family as a ruling house in Awo. We humbly also referred to the Letters with Reference Number: T.107/119 dated 2nd November, 1978 from the then Ede Local Government which conveyed the Letter with reference Number CB.141/33/8/507 dated 26th October,1978 to the head of Abioye ruling house”.

Adegboye therefore stressed that every ruling houses in Awo had other names attached to their houses by stating as follows; Akinsilo ruling house was calling Olosi’s compound, Awojobi ruling house called Agbakin’s Compound, Okunji ruling house is called Areago’s Compound, while the Abioye’s ruling house was calling Ikolaba.Compound.

Comrade Adeniyi, Alimi Sulaiman,
Abioye Ruling House, Awo, Osun State