Olu crisis: Ologbotsere descendants raise alarm over alleged impending mayhem

The Ologbotsere Eyinmisan Descendants of Warri Kingdom have raised the alarm over a purported plan by some persons from the Olu of Warri palace to unleash mayhem on innocent Itsekiri indigenes who are averse to the throne come October 16.

But reacting swiftly to the allegation, the Egogo (spokesman) of Warri Kingdom, Chief Robinson Ariyo, said ousted Ologbotsere, Chief Ayirimi Emami, and a faction of the Ologbotsere Eyinmisan Descendants were the ones creating chaos in the kingdom over the coronation of Ogiame Atuwatse III.

Spokesman of the Ologbotsere Eyinmisan Descendants, Mr Alex Eyengho, in a statement on Wednesday, raised the alarm of the alleged impending mayhem on some Itsekiri especially members of the Ologbotsere family.

The petition was copied to the Inspector General of Police, Governor of Delta State, the Commissioner of Police, Delta Command and the Director-General of the State Security Service (DG-SSS).

He claimed that a letter from the Itsekiri National Youth Council (INYC) signed by Secretary-General, Comrade Appearance Afejuku, inviting all Itsekiri social media activists to an emergency meeting on Saturday, October 16, 2021, at 12 noon to halt all forms of media antagonism against the Olu Throne was nothing but a call for bloodletting in the kingdom.

Eyengho also alleged that the palace of the Olu of Warri has been on the neck of the Olori-Ebi of the Ologbotsere descendants, Pa. Jofotan Higson Oporokun to sign a letter “scripted from the Palace of the Olu of Warri, to make it seems as emanating from the Ologbotsere Eyinmisan Descendants.”

He said the letter, which claims that “All titles belong to His Majesty, Ogiame Atuwatse III – The Olu of Warri,” did not follow the extant tradition of the Itsekiri which requires correspondences by the Ologbotsere Eyinmisan Descendants to have “the imprimatur of a representative from at least 10 of the 12 stocks that make up the family.”

“Whilst we acknowledge that it is the Olu of Warri that confers Chieftaincy titles to deserving Itsekiri indigenes, and occasionally non-Itsekiris, it is laughable that the content of the criminally-worded letter which a particular Chief and other elements from the Palace, are intimidating Pa. Jofotan Higson Oporokun to sign (through phone calls pressures and person-to-person harassments since Friday, October 8, 2021).

“It is against this dire background that The Ologbotsere Eyinmisan Descendants Of Warri Kingdom are constrained to urgently draw your attention to a verifiable case of intimidation and harassment on the Olori-Ebi of the Ologbotsere Family, Pa. Jofotan Higson Oporokun to compel him to single-handedly sign a letter scripted from the Palace of the Olu of Warri, to make it seem as emanating from the Ologbotsere Eyinmisan Descendants.

“This development does not just have the lace of criminality and impersonation, but it smacks of desperation by an illegitimate authority, to rewrite an obnoxious pronouncement likened to a policy summersault.

“As you read this petition, it is important to alert the world of an impending plot to unleash mayhem on law-abiding Itsekiri indigenes, particularly Ologbotsere Eyinmisan Descendants (who hold a contrary view, regarding the current controversial traditional leadership) by elements from Palace of the Olu of Warri, anytime from Saturday, October 16,” Eyengho noted.

Meanwhile, Chief Ariyo, speaking on behalf of the palace, dismissed the claims of Eyengho as coming from a faction of the Ologbotsere Eyinmisan Descendants who have been against the coronation of Ogiame Atuwatse III from the outset.

“First of all, you would realise that throughout the tussle for the throne of the Olu of Warri, those who have been the aggressors have been a faction of the Ologbotsere family.

“Now go back to the meeting which they purportedly had, rejecting the disrobing of Ayirimi Emami, you will discover that the head and principal members of Ologbotsere family were not present.

“If there is anybody whom, by action, is trying to foment trouble, that should be Ayirimi Emami. I say this because there is nowhere in the world where you have the king who confers chieftaincy titles on persons who cannot strip that person of the chieftaincy title.

“So if there is anybody that has a reason to foment trouble, it’s the person who, from the circumstance of the case can be read to be aggrieved.

“The king, His Majesty wanted the throne, he has been crowned in a globally acknowledged ceremony, so why would he want to foment trouble?

“The Ologbotsere and its factional leader, one Alex Eyengho, are persons who wanted, by all means, to stop the crowning of the king.

“They have also gotten their men, boys and supporters to throw all sort of insults, through the social media, against the king.

“Some of these people don’t know that the use of social media is governed by certain laws that criminalise what they are doing.

“As we speak, a petition is before the Area Command, which has been approved against some of these persons. They are unguarded in their statements.

“Therefore, who should be the one trying to foment trouble? Who should be aggrieved? Under our customary law, where the head of a family is not part of a transaction, that transaction is void ab initio.

“So whatever they purport to be doing without the head and critical principal members of the family goes to nothing. It constitutes an insult to say that the king, the respected king, the gentleman you saw on coronation day that made that global impact, would be the one to foment trouble.

“The question, is does the Olori-Ebi not have a mouth to speak for himself? The Olori-Ebi is a human being that can speak for himself.

“Assuming but not conceding to what they are saying, a person is harassing somebody to sign a letter, that is a personal crime against that person.

“So why are you taking Panadol for another person’s headache. The man is there, he has a phone number, he can be reached. The time they called the meeting which they allegedly called, was the head of the family called for the meeting? Was it the head of the family that even called the meeting?” he noted.

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Olu crisis: Ologbotsere descendants raise alarm over alleged impending mayhem