The Ogun State governor, Dapo Abiodun, has condemned the assault and dehumanisation of a 73-year-old man, Chief Abraham Areola, by the traditional ruler of Orile Ifo, Oba Semiu Ogunjobi.
A horrifying video appeared online showing Areola being ridiculed and abused by the traditional ruler of Orile Ifo in Ogun State, Oba Semiu Ogunjobi.
The two-minute video shows one of the monarch’s aides grabbing the elderly man’s cap as he knelt, while another strikes him from behind, despite his polite attempts to ask what he had done wrong.
The traditional king was heard criticising and throwing abuses at the elderly guy, accusing him of violating his rulership.
The traditional ruler said, “You are a conspirator and a betrayer. Your children will not succeed. It will never be well with you, your wife, and your children. You will continue to live in abject poverty. You will die, and you will turn blind. Whoever thinks he is courageous enough should come out to face me. The entire Ifo land belongs to me.”
“I will send you to prison. I own the entire Nigeria Police Force. I will send you to prison. Even if you die, we shall bury you, and nothing will happen, and nobody will even know,” the traditional ruler threatened.
In an interview with The PUNCH, the victim claimed that the traditional ruler threatened him with death despite being uninformed of his purported transgression.
In a separate interview with PUNCH Metro on Sunday, the monarch denied that he was the one shown demeaning the old man.
Reacting to the video, the state governor condemned the incident and has ordered a probe to unravel the circumstances that led to the incident.
Sources within the community, the victim, and Emmanuel Ojo, the Senior Special Assistant on New Media to the State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, confirmed the monarch’s identity in a post condemning the video.
Ojo also condemned the incident in a post shared on his various social media handles.
He said the incident stemmed from a kingship supremacy dispute.
The governor’s aide wrote, “I came across a disturbing video online showing Chief Arinola Abraham Love (JP) being subjected to public humiliation and physical assault.
“In the video, he was seen kneeling on the road while being slapped and verbally abused by someone identified as Ọba Semiu Olawale Ogunjobi, the Oloorile of Orile Ifo.
“This incident reportedly stemmed from a kingship supremacy dispute.
“The king allegedly took offence at Chief Arinola Abraham Love’s perceived support for a coronet Oba named Wasiu (as mentioned in the video). In response, he confronted the elderly man in his area and treated him in a manner unbefitting of a traditional ruler.
“Such an act is highly condemnable and completely unjustifiable, regardless of the underlying issues.
“There are more dignified and lawful ways to address disputes, especially among traditional leaders. Resorting to force, assault, and public humiliation is unacceptable and must be strongly denounced.”
