The Olumegbon Chieftancy Family of Ajah and Okuyn-Ajah kingdom has cried out over what they termed an unwarranted incursion of a dark gurgle wearing Lagos monarch who was an ex- policeman in the family affairs.
The General Secretary of the family, who claimed he had held the post for the past thirty-six years, elder Alhaji Machado Adesina, who addressed the press yesterday, said the Lagoss monarch and ex- police officer had been terrorising the entire family, including selling their ancestral land using his police clout.
He noted that he had even placed a Caveat emptor on the vast land simply because he assisted their forebears financially while in court with their customary tenants,s even though he had been adequately compensated.
According to the seventy-seven-year-old man, he was recently arrested by the Lagos monarch and detained at the Force Criminal Investigation Department FCID Annex Alagbon Ikoyi Lagos State for no offence for thirtý- two days without bail just because he challenged him that what he was doing in the family where he was adopted was illegal and unjust.
While in detention, he said he lost his memory, fell ill and was rushed to the police hospital,l Iko, Yi, during which the police contacted the Lagos monarch that he might die in the hospital if not released. He added that his lawyers later challenged his continued detention without trial at the Lagos High Court, and he was quickly arraigned on trumped-up charges of criminal conspiracy and acts capable of causing breach of peace.
He said it was the court that granted him bail, adding that the matter was still subsisting in court. This ordeal he went through, according to him, was because he challenged the Lagos monarch of forcefully and illegally appointing one Alhaji Abdulateef Kolawole Lawal Olumegbon as the Oba- Elect of Ajah and Okun-Ajah kingdom contrary to the family’s choice of Pastor Emmanuel Olusegun Olumegbon.
He stressed that while being detained at the police custody, the dark gurgle wearing monarch sent some disgruntled member of his family to him with a document to sign in support of Alhaji Abdulateef Kolawole Lawal Olumegbon as the Oba-elect adding that he declined such gesture.
Alhaji Adedina added that upon gaining his freedom, he discovered that a meeting of the family was held, which he ‘attended and signed’ in support of the choice of Alhaji Abdulateef Kolawole Lawal Olumegbon as the Oba-elect of Ajah and Okun-Ajah kingdom.
Coronary, he said he petitioned the forensic unit of the Force Criminal Investigation Department FCID to verify if the signature was actually his. He said the result of the forensic was that his signature was forged, saying he was prepared to contest the forgery, which brought about the installation of Alhaji Abdulateef Kolawole Lawal Olumegbon as the Oba of Olumegbon.
According to him, he had already petitioned the Lagos government, the police and the Eti-Osa local government over the forgery maintaining that caused discontentment between the state government which gave its nod in the installation and the police which failed to investigate the forgery until a petition was sent to the forensic unit.
He added, “Oba Riliwanu Aremu Akiolu is not and will never be a member of the Olumegbon royal family, never. It happened that chief Lamidi Kalefo, the predecessor of chief Fatai Lawal Olumegbon, the late Olumegbon of Lagos, Ajah, happened too that chief Lamidi Kelefo, the predecessor of chief Lamidi Fatai Olumegbon of Ajah land and Okun-Ajah kingdom, happened to be a member of the Onisiwo chieftaincy family. It was in the year 1954 that he was installed as Olumegbon of Lagos, and being of the Onisiwo chieftancy family, Oba Riliwanu Akiolu was just a young boy.
Chief Kalefo became the Olumegbon of Lagos. He then took young Riliwanu Akiolu to his Palace for adoption. Now the eldest son of chief Lamidi Kalefo Olumegbon was a tailor who sew for the Nigerian Armed. Then, it was at the Olumegbon family house that the now Oba Riliwanu Akiolu started primary school up to secondary school level.
Therefore he got employed with the Nigerian Railway Corporation at the completion of his secondary school. He worked there for a few years and resigned and joined the Lagos State internal revenue service when the state was created in 196, alongside other states in Nigeria by the administration of General Yakubu Gowon.
He later enlisted into the Nigeria Police Force. It happened that Oba Adeyinka Oyekan of Lagos was given a slot of who was to be Commissioner of Lagos State by the Head of State then, and he chose Alhaji Femi Okunu, and so he was made the Federal Commissioner for Works and Housing.
It was Lamidi Kalefo who handed over the now Oba Riliwanu Akiolu to Oba Oyekan as a young police office. The IGP then was Louise Edet from the present-day Cross River State. It was Theophilus Fagbola the the DIG that Mr. Femi Okunu handed young Riliwanu Aremu Akiolu to. This was around 1960, as a young police officer.
Continuing, elder Machado added, “Young Akiolu was very nice to whoever came his way including Alhaji Lateef Jakanded and in a show of gratitude, Riliwanu Akiolu was given a plot of land at Becklin Street, Obalende Lagos. He didn’t sell the plot of land instead there was a Lebanes who he assisted in the course of being a policeman and it was this Lebanese that took him to the now defunct International bank for credit and commerce to raise fund with he built a gigantic structure on the land and Algaji Lateef Jakande the then governor of Lagos State gave him the certificate of occupancy.”
He maintained that “The Olumegbon Royal family owned the vast land in Ajah and Okun-Ajah kingdom from time immemorial. It was Governor Lateef Jakande who constructed a road from Maroko to Epe; the Olumegbon family had a judgment on the land as far back as 1896 up to the Supreme Court level. Reason being that with road construction, Ajah became open up and the customary tenants became wealthy because they were selling our land and denied us access to what is rightfully ours.
“Then, we took them to court. Don’t forget that by this time, we, the members of Ajah and Okun-Ajah kingdom, om were confined to Lagometropolisli,s and that gave our tenants the leverage to start selling our lands and use the proceeds to fight us.
“And remember again, from the gigantic structure which Riliwanu Akiolu built on the given plot of land, he became very rich, and by time Olumegbon were in court with their customary tenants, they had no money,y and it was Oba Riliwanu Akiolu who financed the whole court process in the year 2002. The Supreme Court finally ruled that the entire land of Ajah and Okun-Ajah belongs to the Olumegbon chieftancy family.
“Our fathers then started holding meetings with Riliwanu Akiolu as though he was a member of the family, but unfortunately, these elders died one after the other. Riliwanu Akiolu then saw it as an opportunity to usurp what originally belonged to us, using his police clout and started selling our land at Oloko-nla, Ajiweh and Alasia and the Monastery and derailed police Mopol to constantly remain on our land.”
Speaking further, the elder statesman added that, “While I was in police custody, they brought a document for me to sign as condition for my freedom to support the choice of Alhaji Abdulateef Kolawole Lawal Olumegbon as the Oba-elect of Ajah and Okun-Ajah kingdom and said over my dead body.
“The high letter asked for my release, which was how I discovered that a meeting of the four branches of the family was held with me in attendance, and my signature was forged. I petitioned the forensic unit of the FCID Annex Alagbon, Ikoyi, Lagos, and the result was that my signature was forged. We are therefore seeking justice from relevant and concerned authorities, even though we are prepared to challenge the illegal installation of Abdulateef Kolawole Lawal Olumegbon in court.”
