The Ekiti State Government has warned the youths in Omuo Oke, Ekiti East Local Government Area of Ekiti State against actions that could trigger violence and denigrate the traditional stool of their monarch, Oba Adebayo Valentine Otitoju.
The government warned the youths, who had protested against Oba Otitoju over some happenings in the town, not to allow themselves to be goaded into taking actions that could desecrate Olomuo -Oke stool and infringe on the rights of other chiefs perceived as his core loyalists.
However, the state government charged the monarch to as leader makes swift rapprochements to the aggrieved chiefs and youths, who were enraged over some actions taken by his traditional council and make peace with them in the interest of unity and development.
The Ekiti State Deputy Governor, Chief (Mrs) Monisade Afuye, gave the warning in Ado Ekiti on Friday, while mediating in the chieftaincy tussle that has caused disaffection between Olomuo -Oke and some stakeholders at Isanlu Quarters of the town.
The trouble- shooting parley was convened following a petition written by Oba Otitoju, raising concerns over how youths have been harassing him and members of his council over their insistence that the occupant of Saaba traditional title remains the head of Isanlu quarters, and not Chief Michael Akomoleyin, who holds the title of Ahinda .
Presiding over the matter, Mrs Afuye, urged the rampaging youths to think more of how to develop the town , rather than allowing themselves to be used as agents of destabilisation.
“It is wrong for the youths to have protested in a community over some happenings they didn’t like and because of that start harassing the monarch and some chiefs or call them unprintable names. That was unacceptable.
“There was nothing wrong in them staging peaceful protest, but it has to be done with respect and civility. Peace and development are very key to Governor Biodun Oyebanji’s administration and nobody will be allowed to tamper with the relative peace we are currently enjoying in our dear state”.
Mrs Afuye appealed to all the chiefs and eminent personalities in the community to cooperate with the monarch in the running of Omuo Oke’s affairs, as they await the court’s verdict on the supremacy battle between Saaba and Ahinda traditional title holders over the control of Isanlu quarters.
She said inability to operate the major market in the town and pursue other development strides are effecting the community and robbing it of some of some economic and political benefits.
In the same way, the Deputy Governor tasked the monarch to fashion ways to smoothen all rough edges in the town through constructive engagements with the aggrieved youths and chiefs, saying he should refrain from alleged indiscriminate arrest of any of his subjects.
“Now, the case is in court, pending the time the issue will be resolved , the government doesn’t want to hear of any case of disruption or violent protest in Omuo- Oke. We don’t want any loss of life and property, let us focus on peace and development”.
Also addressing the stakeholders, the Commissioner for Chieftaincy and Home Affairs, Hon Ojo Atibioke, warned that the town may be plunged into endless crisis, if the contending forces don’t place high premium on peace and find a common front to broker truce and work together.
Substantiating the fact that Saaba, who is the second in command remains the traditional head of Isanlu quarters, Oba Otitoju maintained that such arrangement had existed in the town for ages, thereby refuting the accusation that he was trying to rewrite and pervert history.
Meanwhile, the trio of Chief Michael Akomoleyin, former Commissioner for Lands, Tayelolu Otitoju and an ex -member of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Hon Samuel Ajibola, clarified that going by history and tradition, Ahinda and not Saaba is the head of that quarters under contention.
They also denied the accusation that it was Chief Akomoleyin and his backers from Isanlu that were instigating the youths against Oba Otitoju, describing themselves as committed Patriots, who have contributed to the development of the town.
