Ogun – The traditional ruler of Iraye community in Sagamu LocalGovernment Area of Ogun State, Oba Mosudi Owodina, has been chased out of his palace by armed hoodlums.
Owodina told newsmen that he narrowly escaped being killed by the hoodlums who also ransacked the palace and stole his ancestral crown and traditional staff of office.
He explained that the incident happened last weekend.
The traditional ruler said policemen from the Force Headquarters in Abuja have helped him to recover the crown and the staff of office from some of the hoodlums.
Owodina said that the crown and staff of office were recovered from Saheed Olatuniji and Lukmon, saying that the two of them have since been arrested and taken to Abuja by policemen.
He appealed to the Ogun State government and the state police commissioner to save him and his subjects from a well known land grabber in Ikorodu, alleging that the land grabber had been chasing away residents of the community.
“Since I was crowned on August 27, 2016.
There has been crisis. These hoodlums were trying to stop the installation, but policemen were on ground to ensure the success of the installation.
“Anytime I visit the town, they pelted me with stones and sachet water.
“I had to run to Sagamu and only come to Iraye once in a while. One Habeeb invited the land grabber from Ikorodu to attack us.
“They vandalised my palace and turned the palace to kitchen where they kill stolen goats and chickens.
“People have escaped from the land. I cannot go into the town without first going to the police station to be given security details. These hoodlums are always armed.
“They have taken over the palace. Everybody is afraid of them. They vandalised the palace and riddled the whole place with bullets. They acted like terrorist, anytime they invaded the town.
“On September 3, 2021, I wanted to celebrate my fifth year coronation anniversary and we used the occasion to lay the foundation for the police station. I had to ensure heavy presence of policemen before the event was successfully held.
“About a month after the coronation anniversary, they invaded the town again and vandalised the proposed police station and destroyed the blocks and other materials that we wanted to use for the police station.
“There was a day I was almost killed. I had to run to the police at Ogijo Police Station, but instead the police at the police station wanted to detain me and accused us of causing trouble.
“It was through the intervention of an official of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) that I was released that day.
” The NNPC wanted to build a police station for us and I had gone to the town to collect the architectural drawing, when the hoodlums attempted to attack me.
“With the way things are now, there cannot be peace in Iraye unless the police and the government investigate the crisis in the town. I cannot rule my people with peace of mind. Almost all of them have escaped from the town,” the traditional ruler explained.
Also speaking on the matter, the Iraye community Youths Leader, Mr Ganiu Odugbesan said even the youths of the town have not been spared from the incessant attacks from land grabbers.
“We were having a youths meeting one fateful day when policemen came and arrested six of them. Since then hoodlums have been invading the village on daily basis.
“Since we have a new Oba, the hoodlums have not allowed him to rule in peace, whenever policemen come to make peace the hoodlums will chase them away and the police are trying to avoid confrontation with them.
“We have been chased out of our ancestral home to other parts of Ogun State,” he said. (vitalnews)
