Metro

Olubadan Crowns 116-year-old ‘Baale’ As 33 Others Elevated To Obaship Status

Published

2 years ago

September 1, 2023

It was a historic sight to behold on Friday at the ancient Oja’ba Olubadan Palace, as a 116-year-old Baale of Abanla in Ido Local Government, was elevated to the Obaship status of Oba Tiamiyu Olubiyi Oladipupo, the Alaba of Abanla by the Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Lekan Balogun.

Thirty-three other community chiefs (Baales) were also elevated and crowned by the Olubadan.

The event, which marked the first in the history of the ancient city, attracted dignitaries from different walks of life, who converged on the venue to rejoice with the newly-elevated chiefs, which led to a traffic logjam.

The pomp and pageantry that greeted the ceremony could not be hidden, as relatives, friends and well-wishers of the crowned chiefs, thronged the venue in different traditional attires.

But the Otun Olubadan, Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja, a former governor of the state, and a member of the Olubadan-in-Council, did not show up at the coronation, where other members of the traditional council were present.

Different traditional rites were observed during the event, among which were the paying of homage to the monarch and cultural display.

While speaking at the event, the state’s Commissioner for Local and Chieftaincy Matters, Mr Olusegun Olayiwola, said the Olubadan of Ibadan is crowning his Baales as Obas. It is not the government that is giving the Baales the crowns.

“The consenting authority today is the Olubadan and not the governor. I want to charge the newly elevated Baales on behalf of the governor to do good to their people. I thank all the people in Ibadanland,” he said.

In his remarks, the Olubadan, Oba Lekan Balogun expressed gratitude to the governor for approving the ceremony.

Oba Balogun, whose address was read on his behalf by his younger brother, Senator Kola Balogun, said: “We are here today to fulfil the promise made last month when a similar exercise was held at the ancient Mapo Hall over there for my members of Advisory Council that some of our Baales in Ibadanland would be elevated and crowned as Royal Highnesses.”

“We are here today for the elevation and crowning of 34 of them from our various communities in our six local government councils of Akinyele, Lagelu, Egbeda, Ona-Ara, Ido and Oluyole. The list of the beneficiaries is in the programme of the event.”

“The palace is aware of contentions in the domains of a few of today’s beneficiaries of the elevation and attempts to stop their elevation by the aggrieved parties acknowledged.”

“But, we decided to go ahead with the elevation of the affected few alongside others because they are not being newly installed as Baales and should they be denied, it is the affected communities that would suffer the loss.”

“So, we considered it more appropriate to go ahead with the elevation as planned while the aggrieved parties continue with the process of how to ‘right’ the acclaimed ‘wrong’ in installing the affected Baales in the first instance and I want to publicly assure all that as soon as it is evidentially established that a wrong was actually committed in installing somebody as a Baale, such stands removed without any pressure.”

“As recalled during our last exercise, we have a unique system in our traditional set-up in Ibadan which continues to evolve, responding to dynamics of demand as occasions may dictate and this has been confirming the agelong aphorism that the only thing that is permanent in life is change.”

“In our responses to the changes over the years, there had always been issues on forging consensuses as arguments for and against always ensue. Thankfully, the issue of some of our Baales wearing crowns has never been a subject of debate as there’s a consensus on it.”

“In short, whatever we are today in Ibadan as far as our traditional system is concerned are products of periodic changes we have passed through and there is no shying away from making this our own contribution to the system with the conviction that posterity will record us rightly.”

“By today’s exercise, we have completely changed the face of Ibadan traditional system and we can now rub shoulders with other places in the comity of towns and cities.”

“It is gratifying to note that the public opinion on the first leg of the exercise has been that of applause and commendation and we are convinced and happy that by the elevation exercises, including the one we are doing today, we are meeting the yearnings and expectations of our people.”

“Once again, the determination of our governor in the state, Engr. Makinde, FNSE in ensuring the making of this history cannot be over-emphasized.”

“We cannot gloss over the boldness and political will of his predecessor, late Sen. Isiaq Abiola Ajimobi who against all odds broke the jinx which had become a recurring decimal since the advent of the current democratic experience.”

“May his soul continue to peacefully rest. Whatever flaws noticed in the steps taken by the late former governor Ajimobi on the issue have been corrected by Engr. Makinde, giving us confidence that what we are doing has come to stay.”

“At this juncture, it needs be stressed that the liberalism being brought into the system should not be taken for granted. We all know that there’s hierarchy in our system and what we are doing does not give room for the traditional hierarchy to be eroded in any manner.”

“Honour must at all times be given to whom honour is due. I won’t go into repetition of the oath that will be administered on the new Obas after your crowning today, but, the oath must be your guide.”

“Your Excellencies, top government functionaries present, our invited Royal Fathers both from within and outside the state, my members of Advisory Council, eminent personalities, my good people of Ibadanland, gentlemen of the press, Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, I thank you all for creating time to be part of another historic event in our traditional system in Ibadanland with some of our Baales receiving crowns as Obas with the appellation of Royal Highnesses,” he stated.
VANGUARD

Metro

Man Stabs Friend To Death Over Woman In Ilorin

Published

2 days ago

October 23, 2025

Editor

The Kwara State Police Command has confirmed that a 21-year-old Gafar, on Tuesday evening, allegedly stabbed 25-year-old Usman Tunde to death during an argument over a choice of woman in Ilorin.

The state police spokesperson, SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, said the command received a distress call around 2:30 am on Wednesday and promptly dispatched officers to the scene.

She said the police team that went to the culprit couldn’t find him, as he and the entire extended family in the family compound had fled to an unknown destination.

The Guardian Newspaper reliably learnt that Gafar and Usman, from Ile Olowo in the same area, were close friends in the neighbourhood of Oja Gboro.

According to an eyewitness, the deceased and his alleged killer started the argument over a woman in the Oja Gboro at a sugarcane vendor stand.

A police source (names withheld) later informed that the light argument later degenerated to a violent confrontation with Gafar, allegedly stabbing Tunde in the chest with a knife.

“We heard that they were arguing over a girlfriend they were both interested in, and that before the passers-by could stop them, Gafar had allegedly brought out a knife and stabbed and killed his friend,” the police source added.

Meanwhile, the victim, a resident of Ile-Soro 2, in Oja Gboro, Ilorin, was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital, from where he was referred to the General Hospital, Ilorin, where he was confirmed dead on arrival.

Metro

Nigerian Military Kills 50 Jihadists During Army Base Raids

Published

2 days ago

October 23, 2025

Editor

Nigeria’s military said on Thursday it had killed 50 armed insurgents using drones to carry out multiple attacks on army bases in the volatile northeast.

The authorities in Africa’s most populous country and one of its powerhouses have been fighting the Boko Haram jihadist group and its Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) splinter for 16 years.

The groups are seeking to establish a caliphate in the northeast.

In the early hours of Thursday, troops aided by fighter jets engaged insurgents who had launched coordinated attacks on bases in the towns of Dikwa, Mafa, and Gajibo in Borno state, as well as in Katarko in neighbouring Yobe state, a military spokesman said in a statement.

The military did not say which faction was behind the attacks, but intelligence sources told AFP that ISWAP militants were responsible.
“The combined ground and air efforts resulted in the neutralisation of over 50 terrorists across all the locations,” Lieutenant Colonel Sani Uba, said in the statement.

Ground and aerial pursuits were still ongoing to track down “over 70 of the wounded” insurgents, Uba said.

Soldiers seized dozens of kalashnikovs, machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) from the militants, he said.

In a post on X, the army shared pictures showing soldiers standing over a row of several dead bodies said to be of jihadist fighters and their weapons at one of the targeted military bases.

Uba said several soldiers were wounded in the fighting, without giving numbers.

“Some vehicles and buildings were also gutted by fire from the terrorists’ armed drones and RPG fire during the battle, especially in Mafa and Dikwa, where a part of the defences were momentarily breached,” he said.

Armed insurgents are increasingly using drones, often commercial models modified to drop bombs or grenades.

A resident in Mafa showed AFP videos and pictures from the area showing the charred carcasses of several trucks and said the militants had set them ablaze during the attack.

Mafa locals said the trucks were mostly laden with cement heading to Chad, whose drivers had parked for the night for fear of militant attacks on the highway.

The conflict has killed more than 40,000 and displaced around two million people in northeastern Nigeria.

It has spilled over into neighbouring countries, prompting the creation of a regional military coalition to combat the Islamist groups.

Earlier this month, at least 14 soldiers were killed in two attacks in Borno state blamed on insurgents — one at an army base, the other when a military convoy was ambushed.

Since 2019, soldiers have shut down some smaller army bases and moved into larger, fortified garrisons known as “super camps” in an attempt to better resist militant attacks.

Metro

Nnamdi Kanu Protest: Court Fixes Oct 29 To Hear Police Suit Against Sowore, Others

Published

2 days ago

October 23, 2025

Editor

The Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed October 29 for the hearing of the suit filed by the police against Omoyele Sowore and other conveners of the #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest held on October 20.

The suit, originally scheduled for October 20 for the respondents in the ex parte motion to show cause why the interim order made by the court should be vacated, could not proceed.

The hearing was stalled as a result of the protest, which was held on the same day, crippling the court activities at the Federal High Court in Abuja.

Justice Mohammed Umar had issued an interim order restraining Sowore and others from protesting for the release of Nnamdi Kanu in some sensitive areas in Abuja.

Justice Umar barred the protesters from demonstrating around the Aso Rock Villa, National Assembly, Force Headquarters, Court of Appeal, Eagle Square and Shehu Shagari Way, pending the hearing of the motion on notice.

The judge also made an order of abridgement of time “within which the respondents will respond to the application on notice to cause the ex-parte order be set aside on Monday, the 20th of October, 2025 at 9.00am,” before adjourning until Oct. 20 for hearing of the motion on notice.

The order followed the ex parte motion moved by the police lawyer, Wisdom Madaki, on behalf of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (FRN), on Friday.

The Police Force, in the ex parte motion, marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/2202/2025, had sued Sowore, Sahara Reporters Ltd, and Sahara Reporters’ Media Foundation as 1st to 3rd respondents.

The force also joined the Take It Back Movement, TIB, for the Transformation of Nigeria, Or Any Form of Organization or Person (s) acting with Either Express or Implied Instruction, or Any Other Organization or group with a similar intention; and Unknown Persons as the 4th to 5th respondents, respectively.

In the affidavit supporting the ex parte motion, Bassey Ibithan, a police officer attached to the Directorate of Legal Services at Force Headquarters, Abuja, averred that if not granted, the protest might threaten national security.

DAILY POST reports that Sowore had planned to organise the protest for the release of Kanu, the detained leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB.

The 2019 and 2023 presidential candidate of African Action Congress, ACC, had mobilised for what he called a planned peaceful protest against Kanu’s detention on October 20.

A number of persons were reported to have been arrested during the protest, including Kanu’s special counsel, Aloy Ejimakor, who is billed for arraignment on October 24 at a Kuje Magistrate Court in Abuja.