A traditional ruler, the Owa Ilogbo of Ilogbo Ekiti in Ido/Osi Local Government, Area of Ekiti State, Oba Oke Ajayi, has abandoned his palace for fear of being attacked over alleged aiding and abetting of cultists.

The was contained in a petition, dated 28 October, 2018, he wrote to Governor Kayode Fayemi, alleging indiscriminate arrest of his subjects by the police over what he called trumped-up allegation of being cultists.

Some youths had, on October 21, besieged the palace of the traditional ruler, vandalized the building and destroyed some vehicles as they alleged that some youths who fought in the community and suspected to be secret cultists were being harboured in the palace.

Oba Ajayi said he had since the day of the incident abandoned the community, pointing out that some persons had threatened to deal with him after vandalizing his palace and burning down a Toyota Previa parked within the premises on the day the crisis broke out.

The traditional ruler, in the petition which he personally signed, urged the governor to intervene in the crisis that broke out among some youths in his community, culminating in the death of a man identified as Bolu Adeleye.

He urged the governor to warn the police from Ido Ekiti Division of the Ekiti Command to stop clamping his subjects into detention over unfounded allegation of being cultists, saying over 15 youths were currently detained, even when there was no evidence linking them to cultism.

He also fingered the persons as being allegedly aiding the police to arrest more people under trumped-up charge of cultism, an allegation which he said the police have found to be untrue.

The traditional ruler, in the petition which was made available to Sunday Tribune stated: “I wish to inform you sir that the news going round the media and town about the crisis was purely cooked up lies.

•Sourced from Tribune report

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