ADERIBIGBE Family of Ileogbo has found it necessary to go public and set the record straight as the Olu of LIleogbo, HRM Oba Abeeb Adetoyese Agbaje. Arowo Okunjoye II, has been parading himself as the owner of several court judgements (obtained by our forefathers) in print and electronic media.
Following a recent release by the government of Osun State that banned the Olu of Ileogbo from further engagement in land transactions (as published in Leadership Newspaper, The Guardian Newspaper, The Sun Newspaper, all of July 27,2023), a directive that appears to have set a ripple effect, Oba Abeeb has been granting interviews claiming ownership of our judgements.
In many of his interviews, he made reference to a Supreme Cout judgement of Friday 30th October, 1964 as his judgement. He, sometimes, confuses that with another one by the Western region, delivered by Justice Fatai Williams of 1961.
He has been using it as evidence to claim lands in the area covered by the said judgements.
Oba Abeeb and his hangers-on have been appearing live on a radio program “E Bami Koya” Rave 91.7FM. Therein. they paraded the judgement, claiming it was obtained by the stool.
We understand that he is also making presentations at the Osun State boundary commission with some persons not authorized by our family as representatives of Aderbigbe family. The ongoing acts of misrepresentation should stop.
Rising from an emergency meeting presided over by Prince G.A. Aderbigbe (the head of the family) at his house in Ileogbo on Sunday. August 6. 2023, the Aderibigbe family mandated their Action Committee to put out this public notice. They decry this incessant misrepresentation by Oba Abeeb Adetoyese and his hangers-on at different fora.
They said that the judgements were exclusive asset of the Aderibigbe family of Ileogbo. That Oba Abeeb, the present Olu of Ileogbo, is not a member of our Royal family.
The legal tussle culminating in the said supreme court judgement was prosecuted between Aderibigbe family of Ileogbo and their recalcitrant tenant, a family from Oke Isaji of Iwo. The recalcitrant tenant appealed (to the Supreme court) previous judgements (from native court to that of Western Region) that granted the rights of full ownership to the descendants of Aderibigbe. The litigation, up to the Supreme Court, was solely prosecuted and financed by Aderibigbe family of Ileogbo.
It is an incontrovertible fact that Baale Aderibigbe (as titled then) died in 1954 and his descendants pursued the litigation started by him to the supreme court. That Ali Aderibigbe who was the plaintiff in the supreme court judgement of 1964 was not a king. He was acting in his capacity as the head of Aderibigbe family. The king (Baale) of Ileogbo as at that time, Daniel Jolaoye Akinrinoye (1960 – 1968), was from a different riling house and did not meddle with this exclusive aflair of Aderibigbe family.
Furthermore, the next two kings, Oba Ali Adeleye (1969 2002) of Akinmoyero ruling house, and Oba Musa Akintomide
(2004 – 2011) of Aroyehun ruling house never refer to the area covered by the litigation as stool land as repeatedly peddled, albeit ignorantly, by the present Olu of Ileogbo who was installed on December 9, 2011 and presented with staff of office on March 3. 2012.
The judgements are readable and certified copies can be obtained by anybody with interest. Learned lawyers should interpret the judgements properly for Olu of Ileogbo.
Journalists should, kindly, verify properly before crediting the judgement to Olu oflleogbo stool.
The Aderibigbes have utmost respect for the stool and have refrained from joining issues with the monarch. However, he needs to be reminded of this Yoruba adage, “Ki i je ti baba t’omo. k’o mo mi aala”. Learned lawyers close to him should strongly warn him before embroiling the Ileogbo stool in unnecessary legal tussles. Oba Abeeb may wish to look for a cover up elsewhere and stop parading our family land as his.
In Ileogbo, every ruling house has land allotted to them as shared by our forefathers. There are, also, lands allotted to other members of the town by our forefathers in pursuit of a united Ileogbo community. Ileogbo community has never witnessed this level of land related crises until recently. We, therefore, call on the goverment of Osun State, the law enforcement agencies and journalists to call the monarch to order. Oba Abeeb is not a member of Aderibigbe ruling house and parading the judgement, crediting it to the stool of the Olu of lleogbo is, essentially, to fuel communal crisis within and without Ileogbo community.
Should this passionate warning not be respected, we may have no choice than to institute legal actions against whoever continues to claim such false ownership and unauthorized family members aiding such claims.
Thanks.