Oluwo Of Iwo, Akanbi, Threatens To ‘Arrest’ Magistrate

The Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Adewale Abdul- Rasheed Akanbi, has threatened a chief magistrate, Olusola Aluko, with a “traditional arrest warrant ”.

Aluko, on Monday, ordered the arrest of Oba Akanbi for failing to appear in court.

Oba Akanbi denied receiving a bench warrant of arrest, saying he read about it in the papers.

Speaking with reporters in Osogbo, he cautioned those trying to denigrate the traditional institution, saying: “I too have a traditional arrest warrant I can invoke against the magistrate”.

The Oluwo-Oke of Iwo-Oke, Oba Kadiri Oba Adeoye, approached the Magistrates’ Court, accusing Oba Akanbi of concealing facts about his past to the government when he was installed monarch about a year ago.

Oba Akanbi described the court order as an insult against his throne, saying it was obvious the judge was out to intimidate and harass him for “reasons best known to him and his sponsors”.

The monarch, who insisted he had no case to answer, however, said he had great respect for the judiciary and the law, adding that he would answer any serious charge against him in any court.

Saying the court had no jurisdiction in the case, he accused Aluko of “playing the tune dictated by a piper”.

He said: “Because somebody or some people somewhere do not like my guts they are making use of an available tool to do their bidding.

“But I don’t care and I want them to know I cannot be intimidated and harassed by anybody.

“I’ve got so much to do for my people and I would not tolerate any distraction.

“They are certainly envious of my selfless service to the people of Iwo and its environs but that is their headache, not mine. They are desperate, using the idle hands and those without integrity to carry out their diabolical plans.

“I don’t have any skeleton in my cupboard. My detractors just want to drag the name of the Oluwo of Iwoland in the mud.

“I don’t even involve myself in land matters or sale of lands. I don’t even have a private house. My utmost priority is the well-being of my people.

“I toil day and night for the progress of my town. The magistrate and the oba in question are being paid and sponsored by my detractors and this is the price I’m paying for my success and fame.”

Oba Akanbi urged traditional rulers not to sit back and see the “insult” as only his predicament but to speak against it because of the implication.

Commissioner of Police Fimihan Adeoye said he was not aware of any bench warrant of arrest on the monarch.

Speaking in Osogbo, the police boss, who said he was not briefed about the development, warned that the police should not be dragged into any obaship tussle.

He said: “I have not been briefed about any bench warrant of arrest on the Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrasheed Akanbi.

“The police cannot be dragged into this because obaship tussle is a sensitive matter. We have our legal department in the police and we will act appropriately within the ambit of the law.”