Group Petitions EFCC, ICPC over N700m Allegedly Stolen Osun Fund

By our reporter

A human rights organization, the Center for Human Rights and Social Justice (CHRSJ) has written a Petition Letter to the nations’ anti-graft bodies over an alleged collection of sum of Seven Hundred Million Naira (N700, 000,000) find from the meager resources of Osun State illegally by the purported occupier “Akesin-Ora”, one Mr. Samuel Idowu Oladoye, after September 1st, 1995 Supreme Court judgment which declared the title stool of Akesin-Ora as null, void, illegal and unknown to the existing Ora-Igbomina Chieftaincy Laws.

Specifically, The Supreme Court gave an order by declaring on the Ora-Igbomina Chieftaincy matter that Akesin should not be recognized as Oba and not to talk of wearing beaded crown under the Chiefs Law of Osun State in September 1st, 1995 and it also awarded cost of N1, 000 against “Akesin Ora” then, for wasting the precious time of the Courts on frivolous
application.

It would be recalled that Ora-Igbomina Obaship saga vis a vis disobedience
to the Supreme Court Judgments, has been in the news for a while now where the Apex Court also declared in its ruling that Akesin was one of the Chiefs of Oba Asaaoni and it could not change himself into wearing beaded crown monarch overnight.

Meanwhile, a monarch in Osun State, the Owaloja of Kajola-Ajaba in Ila Local government area of the State, His Royal Majesty,Oba (Dr.) Taiwo Adesoji Ayeni,has challenged the State government, Ila Local
Government and Ila Traditional Council which comprises of monarchs from Ila and Ifedayo local government areas of the State,over continuous illegal payment of five percent allocation to “Akesin-Ora” after the Supreme Court had nullified the Chieftaincy title since September 1, 1995.

Oba (Dr.) Ayeni who claimed this through an application with a suit No: HLR/2/19, filled in Ila –Orangun Division of the State High court that the illegal allocation to “Akesi-Ora” has drastically reduced the original amount to be allocated to the authentic monarchs in the area.

According to CHRSJ in a Petition Letter dated February 3rd, 2020 and signed
by its Executive Chairman, Comrade Adeniyi, Alimi Sulaiman, which was forwarded to the authorities of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC) and Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC),calling for thorough and credible investigation of alleged illegal collection of sum of N700,000,000 by the purported claimant of “Akesin-Ora”, Mr. Samuel Idowu Oladoye since September 1st,1995.

The group accused the occupier of illegal stool of Akesin-Ora, Mr. Samuel Idowu Oladoye of obtaining sum through fraudulent means and urging the anti-graft agencies to retrieve the illegal funds back to the pursue of the State government for immediate sharing among the authentic monarchs of the two local government areas of the State.

The Petition read in part, “We are compelled to write this Petition Letter to the authorities of the anti-graft agencies in line with Section 15 sub-section 5 and 24(1e) of the Constitution and Freedom of Information Act 2011 and National Human rights Commission Act 2010(amendment) where freedom of speech and expression are highlighted.

“Shortly before the handing over of power to the civilian government in 1979 in Oyo State (now- Osun State), the  Military Governor, Col. Paul Tarfa discretionally granted wearing of beaded crown to Isaiah Olanipekun as Akesin-Ora, making him another Oba when in actual fact, a full-time
fledged and crowned Oba, Asaooni of Ora-Igbomina was in place. The situation then led to riot and unrest.

“On the arrival of Late Chief Bola Ige’s Government, a Judicial Commission
of Inquiry headed by Late Justice V.O.A. Aboderin was set up to investigate
into the matter. The report of the inquiry was made known to the public by declaring the wearing of beaded crown by the Akesin of Ora as illegal and negated the old traditional norms.

“Akesin-Ora challenged the then Oyo (now Osun) State Government in the High Court. The matter went to Ibadan Court of Appeal and ultimately ended in the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court delivered its judgment in favour of Asaooni on the 1st day of September, 1995, thereby upholding the Report of Aboderin Judicial Commission of Inquiry which declared Asaoni as the only recognized and beaded crown Oba of Ora-Igbomina kingdom”.

The Petition further read:”The Constitution is Supreme, not only when
another law seeks to compete with it in an area already covered by the
Constitution.The Governor of Osun State or any Government at all is not
given power to do a thing or act that is inconsistent with and violently in
contradiction to the express words of the Constitution.

“The law is settled that the parties as well as the Court are bound by the
Provision of the Constitution. The law is that when an act is void, it is
void altogether and nothing can be placed on it. Thus, the continuous stay
of the deposed “Akesin of Ora-Igbomina as he then was, is not only an
affront against the Supremacy of the Supreme Court itself for almost 25
years now but also against the Section 235 & 287 of the 1999
Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).