Emmanuel Thomas l Tuesday, June 20, 2017
IKEJA, Lagos, Nigeria – Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu, the custodian of the history and culture of Lagos today told a Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja that he was not around when Akiolu was born and therefore not in position to known his exact birth position in the family lineage.
The Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu was concluding his testimony before Justice Adebowale Candide Johnson in Ikeja, Lagos.
He told the court that he didn’t work in a birth and death registry and was not around when Akiolu was born so he could not tell the exact birth position.
He made it known that his father was Alhaji Tajudeen Akiolu and that his brothers had opted to bear Akinolu at their own will but he was an Akiolu. He also stated that of all 21 past Obas before him, 6 had been installed before 90 days and one even had been installed a day after an Oba’s death.
The prosecuting counsel, Mr Ilori Abiodun (SAN), suggested to the court that Oba Akiolu could not clearly state the birth position of Akiolu in the Ologunkuntere’s household but was able to state the birth positions of Esilokun, Olusi and Akintoye. He also pointed to Exhibit 2 which was the letter written by the Akiolu Royal House to the King makers on the 21st April, 2003, where his people also failed to mention the exact birth position of Akiolu.
The Oba was earlier arraigned in court on the 9th of June, 2017 in a suit that had Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos, Prince Kola Akintoye and and Prince Kola Abayomi Balogun as defendants.
The kingship tussle began when Princes Sammy Adebiyi and Rasheed Modile contested Akiolu’s eligibility to contest kingship after the death of Oba Oyekan.
Their arguments bordered on claims that Oba Akiolu was not a descendant of the Akiolu Royal Family as his earlier documents read “Rilwan Akinolu” as opposed to Akiolu. They also stated that he flouted the rule which stated that 90 days must elapse between the death of an Oba and the installation of another.
Another major bone of contention was the capping of the Oba which the prosecutor deemed to have been clouded in irregularities. He pointed that “At the time of your capping in 2003, there was no Chief Eleto-Ejigbo as there was a matter in court at the time which involved the then chief.
The defense counsel, M.A. Bashiru clarified that the chief was not the only one who had the right to cap an Oba but any male member of the Chief’s household was conferred with the right to cap the Oba and so was the case in Akiolu’s capping.
The prosecutor went further to provide a book – “Cultural Perspectives of Lagos” in which a picture clearly shows that the controversial capping of one Oba Adeniji in 1949 by one Gafar Onimole was actually done by an Eleto-Ejigbo, to which the Oba replied that he wrote the book’s foreword where he stated that not everything depicted in that book was true.
The cross-examination continued but was interrupted by a shout of “Kabiyesi oo” by a white cap chief of the royal palace who was then shut down by an older woman before a mild exchange of swears and stares.
Oba Akiolu’s testimony ended and he was discharged as a witness as the matter was then adjourned till the 5th, 6th and 11th of July, 2017.
