Police confirm assassination of Ogun traditional ruler
Police in Ogun State have confirmed the assassination of a traditional ruler, the Olu of Agodo, in Ewekoro Local Government Area, Oba Ayinde Odetola, Monday morning, by yet-to-be identified gunmen.
The traditional ruler was killed and his body burnt inside the car he was travelling in, around mid-morning of Monday.
Eyewitness account also claimed that the monarch was killed as he entered his community around 11am, Monday.
The killing of the traditional ruler has been traced to the succession crisis which has continued to engulf the community following the election of the late Oba from the Ake dynasty, a development the Owu people reportedly rejected, insisting that anybody from Ake cannot be their king.
Confirming the assassination, Tuesday, Ogun State Police Command’s spokesperson, Abimbola Oyeyemi, however, said it was only the traditional ruler that was killed, debunking claims that his aides or children were also killed in the incident.
Oyeyemi said the monarch was burnt in his car after he was murdered.
According to him, the state Commissioner of Police, Lanre Bankole, was at the scene of the incident on Monday to assess the situation.
He added that residents of Agodo have deserted the village after the incident.
“Yes, it is true. Only the Oba was killed. He was burnt in his car. The Commissioner of Police was there today. The place has been deserted as we speak. But we are trailing the perpetrators and we shall bring them to book,” Oyeyemi stated.
Meanwhile, state Governor, Dapo Abiodun, Tuesday condemned the violent killing of the traditional ruler of Agodo in Ewekoro Local Government Area of the state, Oba Ayinde Odetola.
This is also as he commiserated with the family of the late monarch and the residents of Agodo town, assuring them that killers would not go unpunished for carrying out that heinous act.
Reacting to the incident via a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Kunle Somorin, Governor Abiodun vowed to visit the full wrath of the law on the perpetrators of the monarch’s assassination and three of his aides.
The governor also directed the security agencies to immediately fish out the killers, declaring that his administration would not tolerate a breach of peace and harmony being currently enjoyed in the state.
“To those threatening the peace of our state, we will stop at nothing to fish them out, prosecute them and mete out the full wrath of the law on them,” the governor was quoted as saying.
“We have zero tolerance for these ignoble conducts. Politics, land, and chieftaincy disputes are no excuses for people to take laws into their hands. All hirelings, parents, and guardians should call their wards to order.
“OP-MESA, Joint Internal Security Task Force, Amotekun, vigilantes’ groups, DSS Police and NSCDC are not mere toothless bulldogs. They are armed and deployed to strike agent provocateurs.”
