Oba Ayinde Odetola, the traditional ruler of Agodo village in Ogun State’s Ewekoro local council, and four of his aides were reportedly killed by unknown gunmen who stormed his palace and set it on fire on Monday, January 24.
The monarch and his advisers were slain and burned as soon as they arrived in town about 11:00 a.m., according to sources. The attack is thought to be the outcome of a crisis in society over the choice of a ruler. The community’s crisis began when the late monarch, who was from the Ake dynasty, was chosen as the community’s traditional ruler, but the Owu people allegedly refused to accept someone from Ake as their king.
Confirming the incident, one of the late monarch’s sisters, Chief (Mrs) Adenike Akintade, lamented the heartless killing of the traditional ruler and his aides, adding that the same people recently killed a younger brother of the late monarch.
“I had just been discharged from hospital early this morning, only to start mourning the brutal assassination of my brother. Kabiesi called me on Saturday, urging me to reduce my activities, saying stress could contribute to my illness.
Oba Odetola lost his younger brother to this imbroglio some months ago; the young man was butchered by the so-called hoodlums. Today, Kabiyesi is no more, what a world,” she lamented
Confirming the incident, the police spokesperson in Ogun State, DSP Abimbola Oyeyemi, denied that four of the monarch’s aides were killed. He said after killing the traditional ruler, the perpetrators burnt the monarch with his car. He said the Commissioner of Police, Lanre Bankole, has visited the scene of the incident for an on-the-spot assessment of the situation.
He added that though no arrest has been made, the Commissioner of Police has directed that the matter be transferred to the homicide section of the State Investigation Department for a thorough investigation.
