THE traditional ruler of Orile Ifo, Abdulsemiu Ogunjobi, has been remanded at the Ilaro Correctional Centre in Ogun State after failing to meet his bail conditions.
According to Yinka Odukoya, the correctional facility’s spokesperson, the monarch is being held in custody because he has not yet met the conditions for his bail, he told PUNCH on Wednesday, February 5.
The ICIR reported on Tuesday, February 4, that the embattled monarch was arraigned before a court in Ogun State on a three-count charge bordering on conspiracy, assault, and conduct likely to cause a breach of peace following his public assault on a 73-year-old man, Areola Abraham.
The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) said in a statement by its public relations officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, on Tuesday that the monarch was granted bail, and the case adjourned to March 6.
The attack, captured in a viral video, sparked outrage on social media. In the video, some men could be seen with Ogunjobi, said to be a former police officer, slapping Abraham and forcing him to kneel and prostrate.
Following the viral video and public outcry, the NPF, on Sunday, February 2, said the Ogun State Police Command had interrogated the accused and assured the public that the matter would be justly handled.
“The Oba has been invited and interrogated today by the command. The matter is being looked into for justice to prevail. Nobody can claim to be controlling the NPF. Justice must be served by all means, ”Adejobi said.
Meanwhile, in a statement on Tuesday, Adejobi stated that the “police will continue to uphold the rule of law and the core values of the noble profession.
The ICIR reports that Ogunjobi’s assault on Abraham, which reportedly took place on January 21, triggered a swift response from the Ogun State Government, which suspended the monarch for six months.
The suspension was announced on Monday, February 3, by the special adviser to the governor on communication and strategy, Kayode Akinmade.
The government’s decision, according to Akinmade, followed an interrogation by the commissioner for local government and chieftaincy affairs, Ganiyu Hamzat, who summoned both the monarch and the victim.
Akinmade stated that the suspension was necessary due to the monarch’s “reckless utterances and public misconduct,” which he said violated public expectation from a traditional ruler.
Meanwhile, speaking during a press conference by the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), the victim, Areola Abraham, recounted that he was on his way to buy food when the Olorile of Ifo called him over, only to slap him and order his men to attack him.
A reporter with the ICIR
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