Police raise security in Offa ahead court ruling on monarch stool

As the July 1st date for Supreme Court judgement on the vacant stool of Offa monarch draws near, the state police command has pledged adequate security of lives and property before and after the court decision.

According to the spokesman of the command, ASP Ajayi Okasanmi yesterday in a chat with The Guardian in Ilorin, the Commissioner of Police, Sam Okaula, recently met with all stakeholders and traditional rulers of adjoining settlements on the matter and appealed to them to accept the final judgement without malice or rancour.

Okasanmi said: “We are firmly on ground for the judgement. It is not a media issue and therefore we will not divulge our strategies to you. However, we can only tell you of a recent meeting between the commissioner of police and all the stakeholders in the matter. The commissioner even extended the meeting to Obas of neighbouring towns and sued for peace irrespective of where the judgement goes.

“We want to assure all Offa people of our readiness to guarantee their safety. We, therefore, urge them to go about their lawful business without fear.”

The legal tussle for the throne is between the incumbent monarch, Oba Mufutau Gbadamosi and a contestant to the stool, Prince Abdulrahoof Keji. Gbadamosi is from the Anilelerin ruling house, while Keji hails from Olugbense ruling house.

Displeased with the government’s decision electing Oba Gbadamosi, the Olugbense ruling house filed a suit at the state High Court, Offa, seeking among others, the declaration of his enthronement as “illegal, and therefore null and void.”