Traditional ruler laments hoodlums attacked him, his wife, and 2 others
A traditional ruler has lamented how hoodlums who laid siege to his palace at the weekend injured four people and vadalised the building without being restrained by 18 police officers standing by.
Jelili Olaiya, the Ajeniju of Halleluyah community in Osun, said he is still on admission in hospital over the injury he received from the attack by youths who accused him of installing an Imam in Ido-Osun community without the permission of the Chief Imam.
About 18 police officers and personnel of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) were at his palace when the hoodlums launched the attack, he told The PUNCH, adding that his wife and two other people were also injured.
He denied having appointed an Imam in Ido-Osun, saying he has not even built a mosque, and that his community is known as Halleluyah Area which is separate from Ido-Osun itself
“The place where the Ajeniju installed an Imam is not on Ido-Osun land. It is in front of my palace. I didn’t install an Imam on Ido-Osun land. The installation was done in front of my place where we also observed the Jumat prayer that day,” Olaiya said.
“The newly installed Imam had already led one Jumat prayer for us. It was during the following Friday (last Friday) when we were preparing for the Jumat around 11am that the hoodlums came around. That day, some [police] officers came to my palace before those thugs arrived.
“The officers said it was the Divisional Police Officer in Ido-Osun who sent them. Later, the DPO came around and told me he was hearing rumours that I installed an Imam and built a new mosque.
“I told him we didn’t build a new mosque and that we had our Jumat prayer in front of my palace. He said the Chief Imam of Ido-Osun complained that we ought to have come to him for approval, and I replied to the DPO that I was not on Ido-Osun’s land.
“The police were there when we were attacked. The police officers were from Ido-Osun and the state Anti-Kidnapping units, as well as officers from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, numbering about 18.”
Olaiya sought reinforcement of security in the area to prevent further breakdown of peace and appealed for calm to allow the government find a solution to the issue that led to the crisis.
“I was not the only person that those thugs attacked. My wife, one of my chiefs, Mayowa George, as well as, one of our most senior clerics called Alfa Agba, were seriously injured,” he added.
At the time of publication, both the Osun Police Command and NSCDC could not be reached by phone for comment and they did not respond to text messages sent to them.
– The PUNCH.
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