Posted by By AKEEB ALARAPE, Ibadan on
Crisis brewed in the sleepy town of Oyo on Wednesday night, when supporters of the embattled Alago of Ago-Oja, Baale Ganiyu Adeboye, clashed with palace aides of Alaafin of Oyo, His Royal Majesty, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi 111. One person was reportedly killed and another seriously injured in the crisis which occurred around 9pm.
…1 killed, another injured
Crisis brewed in the sleepy town of Oyo on Wednesday night, when supporters of the embattled Alago of Ago-Oja, Baale Ganiyu Adeboye, clashed with palace aides of Alaafin of Oyo, His Royal Majesty, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi 111. One person was reportedly killed and another seriously injured in the crisis which occurred around 9pm.
The incident, which came on the heel of the inauguration of an enlarged Council of Obas and Chiefs for the state by the state Governor, Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala, has led to the deployment of riot policemen to the ancient town of Oyo.
Although Daily Sun could not ascertain what actually led to the Wednesday clash, between supporters of Alago and those of Alaafin, police sources confided in Daily Sun that the clash was caused by the supporters of Alago.
It would be recalled that Alago of Ago-Oja title was resuscitated during the tenure of the immediate past governor of Oyo State, Senator Rasidi Ladoja when he re-classified the obaship council in the state to nip in the bud the perennial leadership crisis affecting the council.
While Ladoja reverted the title of Ashipa of Oyo to its original title of Baale Ago-Oja, he could not reinstate a new holder of the title before he was illegally impeached from office in 2006. It was Otunba Alao-Akala, who later presented the staff of office to Chief Ganiyu Adeboye as the new Baale Ago-Oja, an action that had been challenged in court by Alaafin.
Daily Sun learnt that the installation of Baale Ago-Oja has been causing ripples in the Alaafin's camp, especially with the full paraphernalia of a paramount ruler that the community leader adopted.
On Wednesday night the cold war reached a peak as the supporters of Alago clashed with supporters of Alaafin, leading to the death of one Saheed Ishola, a palace aide of Alaafin while another person from Alago's side, Mr. Semiu Akanji was said to have been critically injured in the violent clash.
Impeccable source from Oyo town told Daily Sun on condition of anonymity that guns and other dangerous weapons were freely used during the clash, which sent the neighbourhood into panic.
Speaking on behalf of his boss, who was on casual leave, Deputy Police Public Relations Officer (DPPRO) in the state, Mr. Abayomi Adeniji, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) confirmed the incident yesterday when contacted in his office. Adeniji disclosed that a unit of mobile policemen has since been deplored to the ancient town to forestall any reprisal attack or escalation of the crisis.
'Our men have been deplored to the town. Already, a unit of mobile policemen has been deplored to the town early this morning to compliment the activities of the regular police personnel in the town.
The place is now calm, that I can assure you," Adeniji stated. Also reacting to the violent clash, Special Adviser to Governor Alao-Akala on Public Communication, Prince Dotun Oyelade, stated that the state government was looking into the incident, saying 'government will not allow communal clash in any part of the state.
'The situation has been arrested and life is back to normal in Oyo town," Oyelade stated in a text message yesterday.
Several attempts to get either the Alaafin or Alago to react to the clash proved abortive yesterday as their mobile telephone lines could not be accessed.