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General News of Friday, 8 January 2021

Source: punchng.com

Ondo monarch petitions IG over killing, palace destruction

Mohammed Adamu, the Inspector-General of Police Mohammed Adamu, the Inspector-General of Police

The traditional ruler of Ode community in the Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State, Oba Adewale Boboye, has petitioned the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, over the alleged murder of three of his subjects and wanton destruction of property by assailants, who invaded his palace in December.

They allegedly attacked the palace of the monarch, killed three persons and set the palace ablaze last month.

It was gathered that a land dispute between the Ode community and the neighbouring Isinigbo might be responsible for the attack.

The monarch alleged that some individuals from the Isinigbo community masterminded the havoc wreaked on his community, adding that his antagonists supervised the burning of his palace on December 10, 2020.

In the petition written by a lawyer, Mr Abiodun Amole, on behalf of the traditional ruler, it was alleged that 17 individuals were behind the destruction of the palace and the killing of the three persons.

According to the petition, the three murdered by the hoodlums were the younger brother of the monarch, Adebayo Boboye; the monarch driver’s, Sunday Owoeye; and one Sola Osokute.

The petition read in part, “They (hoodlums) had earlier on December 3, 2020, burnt our client’s palace and cars to ashes and furthermore carted away valuables such as plasma television sets, a power generating set and deep freezers in the process.

“They in fact attempted to murder our client, who was only lucky to escape assassination having missed death by whiskers. Our client now lives in apprehension as the gory incident had caused him untold psychological, mental and emotional trauma and has also prevented him from carrying out his day-to-day function as the traditional ruler of his community, the Ode community.

“Our client had caused a complaint to be made to the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Ondo State when the assailants first invaded his palace on 3rd December 2020 but nothing was however done by the attorney- general until the 10th of December, 2020 when the assailants again invaded the palace and murdered the aforementioned victims of their criminal attack in cold blood.

“The incident of the 10th of December, 2020 would no doubt have been nipped in the bud if the Hon. The Attorney=General, as the chief law officer of Ondo State, had been proactive enough and had put measures in place to forestall the same. The assailants are no doubt being sponsored by powerful and highly placed individuals and have been moving about freely after the commission of the heinous crime in a society with constituted authority!

“The development indeed leaves much to be desired and calls for urgent intervention of the relevant authorities at the Force Headquarters. The assailants ought to be arrested and prosecuted without further delay by the police in order to serve as a deterrent to other would-be criminals who might be thinking of taking the same path.”

The traditional ruler called on the IG to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter and ensure the arrest and prosecution of the assailants without further delay in order to preserve peace and order in the community.