INVESTIGATION! Oluwa and Oyekan Have No Heritage or Authority in Igbologun; Cannot Impose Ruler Amidst Court Cases – 3 Lagos Baálès
By THECONSCIENCE NG
Crisis is unfolding in Lagos’ riverine towns of Amuwo Odofin Local Government as three historic communities accuse powerful monarchs of seeking to subvert centuries of indigenous rule by forcibly installing Baálès, despite multiple pending court cases, THECONSCIENCE NG reports.
The Baálès of Igbologun (Snake Island), Igbosu, and Igboeseyore, on Saturday declared that Oba Abdulmoroof Oluwa, the Olu of Iwa and Apapa, who is from Apapa, and Oba Mobadenle Oyekan, the Onilado of Ilado, have “no heritage, no shrines, no graves, no houses, no ancestral links” to their land, and therefore no legitimacy to intervene in their chieftaincy affairs.
The crisis nearly came to a head on Saturday, 6 September, when a parallel installation was allegedly scheduled in Igbologun.
Police Commissioner CP Jimoh Moshood swiftly stepped in, convening emergency meetings to prevent bloodshed.
But beneath the surface lies a 500-year-old story of identity, ownership, and resistance—one now colliding with Lagos’ modern politics.
Igbologun, known widely as Snake Island, traces its roots back to its founders, Akinyosi and Olomutere. Oral tradition recounts how Ologunkutere, after fathering twins with a Dahomey woman, fled Lagos due to the cultural stigma surrounding multiple births and resettled permanently in Igbologun.
His descendants still form part of the island’s ruling families today.
The community’s zig-zag shoreline gave rise to its name, while its role as a significant stop during the transatlantic slave trade cemented its place in West African history.
Residents say their indigenous political system has survived waves of colonial intrusion, state creation, and urban expansion. For centuries, Baálè titles rotated between families in the Okemedu and Adugbo Ègùn quarters, preserving unity.
Chief Imam Saka Oseni Olaribigbe, born in 1959, put it plainly:
“Our Baálèship has always rotated among our families. When Okemedu produces a Baálè, Adugbo Ègùn produces the Balogun, and vice versa. Families like Ile Opeifa, Ile Kushanu, Ile Oluwo, and the Olaleye line have all taken turns. It has kept us balanced. Outsiders cannot suddenly rewrite this system.”
Historical records and oral accounts sighted by THECONSCIENCE NG list past Baálès of Igbologun, including:
• Chief Opeifa (first Baálè)
• Chief Mustapha Gegeyawo
• Chief Kushanu
• Chief Jinadu Obele
• Chief Rufai Olaleye
• Chief Liasu Amusa
• Chief Mustapha Kekereogun
• Chief Amusa Kekereogun
• Chief Amisu Alao Gegelyawo (until 2020)
• Chief Lateef Adams Oluwo (installed 5 July 2020)
Across centuries, none was appointed by any external monarch.
The communities’ grievances are anchored in court. Two longstanding cases—Suit No. ID/2029/98 and Suit No. ID/984/2000—have dragged for decades, pitting the Oluwa family against local leaders.
Chief Saheed Ishola Kékeré Ogun explained:
“Since 1998, we have been in court with Oba Oluwa over land ownership claims. He has repeatedly failed to honour summons, delaying justice. Now, despite pending hearings fixed for 18 and 24 September this year, he wants to install Baálès by force. That is contempt of court.”
Chief Oluwo of Igbologun added:
“This is not just a land dispute. It is a question of identity. We have lived here for centuries, built shrines, farms, schools, and mosques. The Oluwa family cannot show a single burial ground, shrine, or ancestral home here. How can they suddenly become our overlords?”
The Baálès allege that the monarchs’ push is backed by political influence, particularly through figures like Rabiu Oluwa, described as a power broker in the Badagry Division.
Community leaders say petitions sent to local government officials often vanish without response, fuelling suspicion of elite interference.
Chief Idowu of Igbosu told THECONSCIENCE NG:
“This is not culture—it is politics. Oba Oluwa and Oba Oyekan are leveraging political ties to undermine us. They have no roots here. We are united as three communities, yet our voices are being suppressed.”
The dispute is not abstract—it cuts deep into daily life. Awulat Oseni, a widow, said her late husband spent years resisting the Oluwa family’s claims:
“He died waiting for justice. Our farms, our homes, our heritage are being claimed by outsiders. This is not only about land; it is about dignity. We will continue the fight he started.”
Mama Afsat Oseni Olaribigbe, an elder in her 80s, lamented the disruption to their peaceful way of life:
“Before, we lived in harmony. Our votes counted under Amuwo Odofin. We were not under Ilado or Apapa. But since these monarchs started interfering, there has been unrest. They must leave us alone.”
Religious leaders, women, and youths interviewed during THECONSCIENCE NG’s fact-finding mission echoed the same plea: respect for their history, and recognition of their right to self-govern.
Petitions seen by THECONSCIENCE NG and signed by Greystone Solicitors include:
• “An Urgent Plea for Intervention and Resolution on the Allegation of Conspiracy, Unlawful and Wrongful Installation of Baálè, Threat to Life, Impersonation and Invasion of Igbologun Community and Culture by Oba Alayeluwa Mobandele Oyekan.”
• A letter to the Assistant Inspector General of Police, Zone 2, dated 4 September, titled “Conspiracy, Threat to Life, Threatening Violence, Unlawful and Illegal Installation, Conduct Likely to Cause Breach of Peace and Flagrant Disobedience of Suit No. ID/984/2000.”
The three Baales gave a timeline of the events:
• Pre-1800s: Igbologun, Igbosu, and Igboeseyore founded by indigenous families.
• Slave trade era: Snake Island becomes a strategic stop in West Africa.
• 1998: First major court case filed against Oba Oluwa over land claims.
• 2000: Baálèship dispute case enters Lagos High Court.
• 2018: Chief Idowu installed as Baálè of Igbosu; Chief Kékeré Ogun installed as Baálè of Igboeseyore.
• 2020: Chief Oluwo installed as Baálè of Igbologun after Chief Amisu Alao Gegelyawo’s death.
• 2023: Oba Abdulmoroof Oluwa installed as new Olu of Iwa and Apapa.
• 6 September 2025: Attempted imposition of Baálè in Igbologun halted by police.
• 18 & 24 September 2025: Court hearings scheduled on land and Baálèship disputes.
In unison, the Baálès and their people are appealing for urgent intervention.
“We are calling on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun, the Lagos State Attorney General, and the Ministry of Chieftaincy Affairs to hear our cries,” Chief Oluwo said.
“This is about justice, not politics. We must not be silenced in our own land.”
As at press time, repeated efforts to obtain responses from Oba Oluwa and Oba Oyekan proved unsuccessful.
