A group of Ikirun indigenes under the auspices of the Concerned Ikirun Indigenes has faulted claims by a faceless group, the Ikirun Elders Forum that thugs are being sponsored by some prominent indigenes of the town and that Oba Yinusa Akadiri is unfit for the stool of Akinrun of Ikirun, describing the allegations as baseless and unfounded.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the group noted that the efforts of the so called Ikirun Elders who unfortunately are behaving like toddlers were aimed at causing disaffection in the town, which is known for peace, unity and serenity.
The Ikirun Elders Forum had in a statement signed by its chairman, Prof. Yakubu Fabiyi and secretary, Hon Rasheed Omoloye raised false alarm on some issues in the town.
However, the Ikirun Concerned Indigenes, an umbrella body of indigenes of the town within and outside the country chastised the leadership of the so called Ikirun Elders Forum, saying the group is political and bias in all its activities.
It was alleged that the Ikirun Elders Forum is being run by faceless individuals who are determined to truncate the peace and unity of the town because of their own selfish interests.
Besides, it was obvious that Prof. Fabiyi who signed the statement issued by the Elders Forum used to have a cordial relationship with Oba Yinusa Akadiri and he supported him in his desire to rule Ikirun, hence the group expressed concern on his sudden change.
The group hinted that Prof Fabiyi relates closely with Oba Yinusa Akadiri and he can attest to the fact that the monarch is a man of peace who loves his people and relates well with everyone harmoniously.
Contrary to allegation that the monarch is unfit for the stool, the group noted that Oba Akadiri is a business man of international standard who has good reputation , having traveled to Europe and America and his company also handled different contracts executed by the presidency and other agencies of government.
“The monarch runs a company called Total finishing Works in Abuja with a lot of contacts with the presidency, such as office of the Special Adviser to the President on Diaspora, Special Adviser to the President on Legal Documentations, Special Adviser to the President on Disability. His company also handled sick bay for the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and installation of hall of fame for Nigeria Army at Jajiin, Kaduna State which was commissioned by former President Mohammadu Buhari,” the group said.
Also, it was noted that Oba Akadiri did not influence any politician in any way before his selection and subsequent appointment as the Akinrun of Ikirun, adding that an Osun State High Court directed his ruling house to produce the Akinrun of Ikirun and he was subsequently presented to the kingmakers, having been endorsed by his family.
The statement reads “it is disheartening to read the statement of a faceless group of people operating under the pseudo name Ikirun Elders Forum with erroneous claims which are capable of further truncating the peace and serenity of our dear town, Ikirun
“The group is made up of unknown people who operates from unknown location as the so called Elders are not known to the people of Ikirun. Infact, those who signed the statement must have done so without knowledge of the contents of the statement as many of the fallacies contained in the statement are far from the truth.
“Prof. Fabiyi who was one of the signatories to the statement is already in his 90s and it’s likely that the old man is suffering from old age ailments which could make him not to be aware of what he was made to sign. Besides, he lost his wife recently and it is possible that the loss of his dear wife contributed to his unbalanced psyche which made him to sign the documents without fact-check.
“It is important that we place it on record that Ikirun is home to many politicians who are free to exercise their freedom of association as enshrined in the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended). The people of the town are in different political parties and they have the right to do so.
“We also need to inform the public against the disillusionment in their statement regarding the sponsorship of thugs in the town which is a false claim without any iota of truth in it. We have taken our time to do proper findings about the allegation and it was discovered that no indigene of the town sponsors thuggery or promote same either in the town or elsewhere.
“In the light of the unconfirmed messages circulating about the recruitment of thuggery to disrupt Ikirun’s peace, we urge those responsible for these letters to come forward with specific names and evidence if they truly believe in their claims. Spreading unsubstantiated rumours only serves to incite fear and mistrust within our community.
“The said allegation is therefore an attempt to score cheap political goal and further ruin the hitherto peace being experienced in the town. The sponsorship of the so called thugs only exist in the annals of the minds of the authors of the statement and we hereby call on the law enforcement agencies to investigate them,” the statement added.
The group called on the police and other security agencies to interrogate the authors of the statement for them to provide more details regarding the allegation made on the sponsorship of thugs.
Also, the authors were advised to desist from acts that will further divide the town, rather than unite it and be prepared to be made responsible for whatever happens to the peace of the town as they are promoters of violence and crisis.
The group expressed gratitude to Governor Ademola Adeleke for the laudable projects being executed by his administration and the appointments so far given to some indigenes of Ikirun.
