ONE person was reportedly shot and many others were injured as the celebration of Olosunta and Odun Oba festivals in the community turned violence on Friday night and early Saturday morning.
Members of the community stated that the coincidence of the two Festivals (Olosunta), celebrated by the Olukere of Ikere and Odun Oba Festival celebrated by the Ogoga, Oba Samuel Adejimi Adu, both on Saturday, might not be unconnected with the violence that rocked the town.
The climax of the Odun Oba, on Saturday, was marked with the paying of homage to the Ogoga of Ikere and the celebration of new yam by the traditional ruler.
On the other hand, Saturday also marked the commencement of the weeklong Olosunta Festival, celebrated by Olukere, Ganiyu Ayodele Obasoyin.
Olukere and Ogoga are, however, trading accusations on who or what led to the violence which was said to have started on Friday night and continued till the early hours of Saturday.
Reacting to the development, Oba Adejimi Adu alleged that Olukere’s thugs attacked the Ogoga’s palace queens during a traditional dance to some locations in the town, on Friday, and had allegedly injured some of them.
But the Olukere alleged that it was security men working for the Ogoga that invaded his (Olukere’s) palace at about 1.00 am on Saturday, shooting sporadically.
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Obasoyin also alleged that the billboard mounted in Odo Oja area to advertise the Olosunta Festival was vandalised allegedly by the Ogoga’s loyalists.
He said: “Ogoga’s security men shot one of my boys, Oladimeji Aluko, he was rushed to the hospital for treatment.
“We found eight to ten pellets on the ground from their gunshots and we have informed the Commissioner of Police.
But Ogoga Adejimi Adu in response said: “There is a thug who called himself Olukere, Ganiyu Obasoyin. He is an impostor because he was not approved by the prescribed authority, the Ogoga.
“Yesterday (Friday), all the oloris danced from the palace to the Post Office area, the land belongs to the Aladeselu family.
“Obasoyin and his thugs attacked the women there shooting guns on the day ‘Opekele Ayaba.’ His thugs seized their two cameras, destroyed their drums and some old women fainted, the local trumpeter was attacked.
“Ikere has only one Oba, the Ogoga. Odo Oja is headed by Ologotun. Obasoyin has been constituting himself as a nuisance in this town.
“He is on bail on a murder charge and there is a law in Ekiti State that anybody that calls himself an Oba without the authority of the government is three years imprisonment without any option of fine.
“I want peace in Ikere, my kingdom because how can we be celebrating our festival with so many police and security men around when we are not in a state of war.
“Nobody can be a chief in this town without my approval. Who owns this town? Can you divide my town for me? We are waiting for the current Police regime to do their job.”
Soldiers, riot policemen and men of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence to prevent a reoccurrence of violence in the town.
Police Public Relations Officer, Caleb Ikechukwu, Deputy Superintendent of Police, could not be reached for comments at press time as his phone was switched off.
blame Peter i mean the Rock