One dies as hoodlums clash at Oba’s palace

The palace.

A member of the Oodua Peoples Congress, identified as Wasiu Loma, lost his life during a clash at the palace of the Oba of Igbobi Sabe in the Yaba area of Lagos State.

According to police authorities, the clash was between the supporters of Prince Lateef Salami and one Haruna Adeniyi who is a councillor at the Yaba Local Council Development Area.

Eyewitnesses told our correspondent that trouble started in the evening of April 7, 2014.

An eyewitness, Victor Balogun said, “I was getting ready to close my shop when I started hearing gunshots, so I ran for cover. It was a bit dark, so I could not see people’s faces, but a gang of thugs entered into the palace and started fighting.

“Some OPC guys who were protecting the palace were attacked and one of them was killed. It seemed the thugs wanted to take over the palace. In the pandemonium, some of the thugs went about robbing people.

“They also vandalised vehicles in the area. The whole thing was like a war. After some minutes, the police arrived.”

PUNCH report that prior to the killing, there had been a power tussle over who was the rightful heir to the throne following the death of the last king.

Our correspondent learnt that in August 2013, the Odofin of Igbobi-Sabe, Yaba, Lagos State, Chief Nosiru Shontan, led the community to appeal to the state Governor, Babatunde Fashola, to install its Oba-elect, Salami, to end the lingering crisis in the area.

Shontan, who also chairs the Igbobi-Sabe Council of Traditional Chiefs, had said the move was necessary because the community had been without a traditional ruler for years and thus, retarding its development.

He said Salami was unanimously elected during the 14th general meeting of Igbobi-Sabe community on March 7, 2010 as the people’s preferred candidate to fill the vacant throne.

He said Salami’s nomination and election were done in line with established customs, traditional and due process, adding that the authorities in charge of the chieftaincy matters at the local and state levels had been duly informed.

However, on November 30 a new monarch, Oba Owolabi Adeniyi, was installed with the support of the state government.

The move was said to have caused crisis in the community as some wondered why Adeniyi, who had been in the United States for many years was made the king.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Ngozi Braide, confirmed the clash and the death of the OPC member.

She added that arrests had been made over the incident.