Oba Jelili Olaiya of Ajeniju of Halleluyah Community in Osun State, was beaten in a violent attack at his palace by hoodlums last Friday.
According to the Monarch, at about 11:00 am on Friday, some youths stormed his palace in the presence of security operatives, beat him and did not spare his wife, a chief, and a senior cleric.
Speaking to journalists, Oba Olaiya the violence is traced to an allegation that he installed an Imam in his community without the consent of the Ido-Osun Chief Imam which is untrue, he said.
The traditional ruler, however called for calm and asked relevant authorities to address the ugly situation.
“The place where the Ajeniju installed an Imam is not on Ido-Osun land. It is in front of my palace. I didn’t install an Imam on Ido-Osun land. The installation was done in front of my place where we also observed the Jumat prayer that day.
“The newly installed Imam had already led one Jumat prayer for us. It was during the following Friday when we were preparing for the Jumat around 11:00 a.m. that the hoodlums came around. That day, some officers came to my palace before those thugs arrived.
“The officers said it was the Divisional Police Officer in Ido-Osun who sent them. Later, the DPO came around and told me he was hearing rumours that I installed an Imam and built a new mosque.
“I told him we didn’t build a new mosque and that we had our Jumat prayer in front of my palace. He said the Chief Imam of Ido-Osun complained that we ought to have come to him for approval, and I replied to the DPO that I was not on Ido-Osun’s land.
“The police were there when we were attacked. The police officers were from Ido-Osun and the state Anti-Kidnapping units, as well as officers from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, numbering about 18.” He recounts.
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