By; BAYO AKAMO, Ibadan.
Tension now mounts in Iseyin town, Oyo State over plans by a faction of the Oodua Peoples (OPC) faction to hold this year’s Oro festival in the town in defiance of a Court order.
Already, the OPC National Coordinating Council has asked security agencies in the state “to stop Otunba Gani Adams” from coming to Iseyin for the Oro festival slated for today and tomorrow (Thursday) in the ancient town.
OPC National Coordinating Council in a petition signed by its Oyo State Coordinator, Chief Adeagbo Adeola Musediq and made available to journalists in Ibadan declared that Otunba Adams visit to Iseyin for the Oro festival would cause “great mayhem that will result to loss of lives and properties”.
In the petition, copied the Nigeria Police, the State Security Services (SSS) and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, the OPC National Coordinating Council declared that “some youth in Iseyin who are apparently not happy with intransigencies of Gani Adams against the wish of the people of Iseyin are poised to challenge him and his boys any time they visit Iseyin on those dates mentioned above”.
“Defiance to the clear order of the High Court of Oyo State and clear directive of the National Coordinating Council, Gani Adams in collaboration with the second-in-command to the Aseyin and other OPC boys vowed to storm Iseyin for the Oro festival. However, some youth in Iseyin who are apparently not happy with intransigencies of Gani Adams against the wish of the people of Iseyin are poised to challenge him and his boys any time they visit Iseyin on those dates mentioned above” it said.
The OPC faction stated in the petition added that “the above scenario is similar to what happened in Owo town sometime in February 2002 when Gani Adams defied the order of the National Coordinating Council of the OPC and the people of Owo town which led to the monumental loss of lives and properties in the town“.
“Also, on the 15th of July 2015 during the ten years anniversary of the coronation of Oba Agbamu in Kwara State, Gani Adams clashed with the local vigilante of the Agbamu people with the attendant loss of lives and properties. It is against the above scenarios that I am calling on you sir to stop Gani Adams from using the peace loving natives of Iseyin town to cause great mayhem that will result to loss of lives and properties. The order of the court is sacrosanct on all the parties and the entire natives of Iseyin town and we will not fold our hands and allow an outsider to cause disaffection amongst the natives of Iseyin”.
The OPC faction then tasked security agencies in the state ‘to be on their toes so as not to allow for any mayhem that could result in loss of lives and property’ adding “It is clear that the primary duty of the Security agents is protection of lives and properties and this is a clear case of threat to the lives and properties of Iseyin people.”
It however recalled that a recent order of the High Court of Oyo State restrained the Oro worshipers from interfering with the rights of other citizens, especially as it affects the free movement of female citizens, following a legal suit instituted by the National Council of Muslim Youth Organisations (NACOMYO).
Reacting to the petition, Otunba Gani Adams declared that there was no court judgment restraining him and his group from participating in this year Oro-Ebedi festival, saying, “we are in touch with Aseyin and the good people of Iseyin. They are expecting us”.
Speaking through his spokesperson, Prince Segun Akanni, Otunba Gani Adams stressed “Adeola Adeagbo who wrote the said petition has been expelled from OPC since January this year, he’s a bad looser, he’s not recognized in Iseyin where he comes from”.
“The fifth edition of the festival is holding on Thursday as earlier planned, The Oyo State Commissioner of Police is aware of it. The festival has Aseyin’s blessing. Adeagbo Adeola is a bad looser he should be ignored”.
