SCORES of residents of Ibeju-Lekki area of Lagos State, on Thursday, staged a peaceful protest to the state House of Assembly, over the alleged imposition of Baale (local chief) on the community by the Onibeju of Ibeju Lekki, Oba Olusegun Salami.
The protesters carried placards with various inscriptions.
Prince Alade Ogunlana, who led the protesters to the assembly comple, alleged in an interview with journalists that one Mufutau Olamiji in Okegun Odofin proclaimed himself as the Baale of ‘phantom’ community called Okegun-Ladeseso community.
“We gathered that the Onibeju of Ibeju-Lekki, Oba Olusegun Salami, had submitted his name before the governor of Lagos State and other relevant chieftaincy bodies in the state for approval and absorption as the Baale of an alleged Okegun-Ladeseso community,” he said.
He then condemned the alleged purported and or appointment by the monarch.
According to him, the actions had unnecessarily startled the Aladeseso descendant families of the Aladeseso Ruling House of Ibeju-Lekki “and made us bitter and enraged about the affront impersonation.”
While disassociating the family from the action, Prince Ogunlana added that there was no place in the entire Ibeju-Lekki Kingdom called Okegun-Ladeseso, adding that it would be a direct affront on the family for someone to “impersonate and use our family name to commit fraud, hence, we are saying that he is not qualified.”
Responding, speaker of the assembly, Honourable Mudashiru Obasa, promised that the matter would be investigated, adding that the assembly committee on public petitions would handle it appropriately.
He advised the protesters to continue to be peaceful, adding that the state governor had just inaugurated a committee on land grabbing matters.
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