The Lagos State Government has deposed Yusuf Ogundare, the suspended Baale of Shangisha, Magodo, for faking his abduction, which allegedly took place on July 5 along Centre for Management Development (CMD) Road in Ikosi-Isheri Local Council Development Area (LCDA) of the State.

Akinwunmi Ambode, Governor of the state, first suspended the traditional ruler on Thursday after he confessed to colluding with Mohammed Adams, his brother, to feign his own kidnap.

However, Muslim Folami, Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, issued a statement on Sunday to reveal that the Governor had ordered Ogundare to henceforth desist from parading himself as the Baale of Shangisha or discharge any duties attached to chieftaincy matters in the state.

“This is to inform the general public that His Excellency, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode has authorized the DEPOSITION AND PROSECUTION by police of Chief Yusuf Mutiu Ogundare, Baale of Shangisha with immediate effect,” read the statement.

“This is in accordance with Section 38, subsection 1 of the Obas and Chiefs Laws of Lagos State inter-alia “The Governor may suspend or depose any Oba or Chief whether appointed before or after commencement of this law, if he is satisfied that such suspension or deposition is required according to customary law or is necessary in the interest of peace or good government.

“Furthermore, he (Ogundare) is to stop parading himself, purports to exercise or discharge any of the duties attached to Chieftaincy Matters with immediate effect.”

Folami said the deposition follows the formal confession of the Baale to security services that he staged his own kidnap to blackmail the state government.

Speaking while parading the two suspects last week, Fatai Owoseni, Commissioner of Police, had said the Command received the report of Ogundare’s alleged kidnap on July 5, and immediately swung into action in collaboration with other security agencies, especially the Department of State Service (DSS).

However, luck ran out on Ogundare when he was apprehended by men of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) in Alausa area of the State on July 11 after he was dropped in a suspicious manner by a car which sped off immediately.

“On July 11 at about 10pm, a team of RRS patrol officers working around Alausa had sighted a vehicle drop a male adult in a suspicious manner close by Shoprite along the Secretariat road. The speed with which that car drove off attracted them to that spot and fortunately before they got to the spot, the car had taken off and a quick enquiry revealed that it was the Baale that was allegedly kidnapped,” Owoseni said.

“Immediately after, while Ogundare was being debriefed, he sold a dummy that the kidnappers dropped him off but unknowingly to him, it had been found out that on the 5th of July, the day he was allegedly kidnapped in Lagos, investigation had revealed that he was driving around in Ibadan around Ashi; he went to Ilorin, he went to Iwo, he was just on a frolic.

“And unknowingly to him as well that because of information that had gotten to security services that his younger brother and his wife were being questioned and were actually in custody because of some discrepancies that were noticed in the interaction they had with security agencies, and in furtherance of the synergy existing between the Police and DSS, we jointly compared notes and our findings were such that the act of the chief was despicable and amounted to crying wolf where there is none.”

Owoseni added that after the suspects were confronted with the indisputable facts, they had no choice than to admit to faking the kidnap.