Osun monarch denies stripping Oyetola’s lawyer of chieftaincy title

The Timi of Ede, Oba Munirudeen Lawal, has dismissed claims that he stripped the Ibadan-based lawyer, Chief Yomi Alliyu (SAN), of the chieftaincy title of Jagunmolu of Ede, saying the allegation was to whip up sentiments.

The monarch in an interview with our correspondent on Friday night explained that he did not know Alliyu was given the title by his predecessor, and that the moment the legal practitioner contacted him to complain he was the holder of the title, he dropped the idea.

A statement by the planning committee for the 15th coronation of Timi, said Oba Lawal would confer the title of Jagunmolu of Ede on a former Minister of Interior, Lt.-Gen. Abdulrahaman Dambazau, as part of events lined up for the celebration.

Alliyu while reacting to the planned installation of Dambazau, through a statement, said he was installed as the Jagunmolu of Edeland, in March, 1999 by the immediate past Timi, Oba Tijanni Oyedokun.

Speaking on the issue, Lawal said, “I didn’t know he was given the title by my predecessor until when he contacted me and said he heard that I planned to bestow the title of Jagunmolu of Edeland on another person, asking me to check records, saying he was the Jagunmolu.

“I told him that I have been on the throne close to 16 years and I asked him if he ever presented himself to me as a Chief of Timi before. He asked me to reconsider my plan to install another person as Jagunmolu. Because of what he said, I decided there and then to give our friend the title of Are Jagunmolu instead of Jagunmolu that I initially told him about.

“When he (Alliyu) heard that I have changed the title, he called Prof Akanji and complained again that giving Are Jagunmolu to another person was like elevating the person above him. That got me annoyed. He was just whipping up sentiments, saying because he defended the ex-governor I wanted to remove him. That is not correct, and that has nothing to do with me. I am not involved in partisan politics.”

Efforts to get Chief Alliyu for comment did not succeed as of press time.