Connect with us

News

Yoruba Elders Wade In As Alaafin, Ooni Feud Escalates

Published

on

Prominent Yoruba elders and leaders on Tuesday called for restraint and intervention of cultural and political figures following the reopening of hostilities between the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Akeem Owoade, and the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi.

The fresh row began on Monday after the Alaafin faulted the Ooni’s decision to confer the title of Okanlomo of Yorubaland on a businessman, Chief Dotun Sanusi.

The Ooni had bestowed the title on Sanusi during the unveiling of 2geda, an indigenous social media and business networking platform, at Ilaji Hotel, Ibadan, over the weekend.

Advertisement

In a statement signed by his media aide, Bode Durojaiye, the Alaafin declared that no traditional ruler other than him has the authority to confer a title covering the entire Yorubaland. He issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the Ooni to revoke the title or “face the consequences.”

But reacting, the Ooni’s spokesperson, Moses Olafare, said the monarch had directed him to ignore the Alaafin’s outburst and leave the matter “in the court of public opinion.”

We can not dignify the ‘undignifyable’ with an official response. We leave the matter to be handled in the public court of opinion, as it is already being treated.

Advertisement

“Let’s rather focus on narratives that unite us rather than the ones capable of dividing us. No press release, please. 48 hours my foot!” he wrote.

Monday’s exchange was the latest in a series of public disagreements between the two foremost monarchs.

READ ALSO:Ooni-Alaafin Feud: Ooni’s Palace Reacts To Viral Video

Advertisement

In May, a clip from an event hosted by First Lady Oluremi Tinubu showed the Alaafin remaining seated while other monarchs stood to greet the Ooni.

Another viral video in June depicted both monarchs shunning greetings at the West African Economic Summit in Abuja.

Though both palaces denied any rift, the repeated public spats have deepened concerns.

Advertisement

Speaking on the latest rift, the Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, Iba Gani Adams, on Tuesday, said he had reached out to Yoruba leaders to mediate in the crisis.

He said the intervention of cultural and political leaders alike is being sought to quell the lingering crisis.

Recalling history, Adams said he would also intervene to avert the opening of old wounds in the interest of unity in Yoruba land.

Advertisement

Adams said, “It is an issue between two fathers. I have been calling Yoruba leaders to look for a way to resolve it. We don’t want the unity of the Yoruba land to be tampered with now.

“I will be in touch with the two fathers.

“I will talk to them, but I have talked to some of the Yoruba leaders that we should weigh in on the issue. Before I became Aare Onakakanfo, I had been very, very close to the palace of Ooni. At the same time, I was very close to the late Alaafin.

Advertisement

“So I see them as two fathers. Anything that happens between your two fathers, you must look for a way to resolve it amicably. We don’t want to open our old wounds in public.”

Acknowledging the resolution of the crisis is long overdue, Iba Adams said it was expedient for the leaders to intervene to ensure that all issues between the Obas are amicably resolved.

READ ALSO:Why I’m Yet To Visit Ooni Of Ife — Alaafin Of Oyo

Advertisement

Rallying the need for intervention of all relevant Yoruba leaders, Adams expressed optimism that the impasse between the two monarchs would be resolved in no distant time.

Adams said, “It’s an issue that will be resolved by the Yoruba leaders soon. Our political figures have a role to play, too.

“Apart from the individual leaders in social culture, our political leaders have a role to play, and our real fathers have a role to play. We know that the issue has been lingering for a long time. But in the long run, I believe it will be resolved soon.”

Advertisement

The Yoruba Council of Elders urged restraint from the royal fathers to avert further action contrary to the Omoluabi ethos.

Secretary-General, YCE, Oladipo Oyewole, who spoke with The PUNCH, also tasked the governments of Osun and Oyo States to urgently intervene to prevent aberration by the two monarchs.

Oyewole noted the need for a serious dive into history to ensure that the royal fathers uphold culture in a proper perspective.

Advertisement

Oyewole said, “The Yoruba Council of Elders has been inundated with inquiries on the unfortunate incident in which our royal father, Kabiyesi Ooni of Ife and the Alaafin of Oyo are in a serious disagreement over the rites of their offices and/or responsibilities as torch bearers for our culture.

READ ALSO:Why I’m Yet To Visit Ooni Of Ife — Alaafin Of Oyo

“History has to be understood to sort out the issue in a proper perspective. Pending when that will be done, there is no gainsaying that any action that goes beyond the ‘Omoluwabi ethos’ must be avoided by the royal fathers.

Advertisement

“In this case, the government of both Osun and Oyo states ought to swiftly come to the aid of our motherland by putting measures in place to contain any aberration by the royal fathers. This is an urgent situation.”

Similarly, world-renowned Ifa scholar and Awise Agbaye, Prof. Wande Abimbola, appealed for calm in the growing tension between the two prominent Yoruba monarchs.

Speaking in a telephone interview with The PUNCH on Tuesday, Abimbola, a former Vice-Chancellor of Obafemi Awolowo University and ex-Senate Majority Leader, declined to take sides publicly but hinted at quiet efforts to broker peace behind the scenes.

Advertisement

“I won’t assign blame in the media—elders don’t do that,” he said. “There’s no need for conflict. Often, it’s third parties—those who stand to gain—who stoke these misunderstandings. Awon alagbata ni won so oja di owon (It is the middlemen who make goods expensive).”

Shedding light on his next steps, Abimbola revealed that plans are underway to convene a high-level meeting of Yoruba traditional rulers and elders to resolve the impasse.

“We, the Yoruba elders, will collectively deliberate and resolve the matter,” he explained. “We’ll ensure participation from each of the six Yoruba-speaking states, as well as Kwara. We will pick an oba from each of these states. I’ll personally attend the meeting with a lawyer. Together, we’ll examine the issue and seek an amicable resolution. Our obas are fathers to us all, they must not be seen quarrelling.”

Advertisement

READ ALSO:Why Cameroonian Authorities Detained Five Nigerian Pastors – Sources

Meanwhile, the President of Ibadan Mogajis, Asimiyu Ariori, and Coordinator of the Ibadan Compound Peace Initiative, Nurudeen Akinade, berated Alaafin over his 48-hour ultimatum to the Ooni.

The Ibadan Mogajis described the Alaafin’s action as “irrational and divisive, as they called on Yoruba elders and leaders to intervene in the simmering feud and stem further escalation.”

Advertisement

They stated: “The kind of Alaafin we have now may end up being an embarrassment to Yorubaland. He has started provoking Ibadan people by targeting a foremost Olubadan chief, philanthropist, and respected personality, Dotun Sanusi. Ibadan will resist any attack on its pride,” they held.

The Mogajis further alleged that the Alaafin had, during a recent visit to Ibadan, spoken disrespectfully to the Ooni of Ife, warning that such conduct was unbecoming of a custodian of Yoruba culture.

Meanwhile, the pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, backed the Ooni as head of all kings in Yoruba land.

Advertisement

Organising Secretary of the group, Abagun Omololu, on Tuesday, blamed the British for the confusion after dividing the Yoruba land into several provinces to facilitate administration.

Omololu said, “During the colonial period, the British deliberately divided Yorubaland into several provinces to facilitate administration, grouping different divisions or districts. By the 1920s, 1940s, the principal provinces comprised:

Oyo Province – encompassing Ibadan, Oyo, Ogbomoso, Iseyin, Osogbo, Ede, Iwo, and Ilesa; Ondo Province – including Ondo, Owo, and the Ekiti districts (Ado, Ijero, Ikere, Ise/Emure, Ikole), as well as Akoko. Ijebu Province – covering Ijebu Ode, Remo, and Egbado (later Yewa); Abeokuta Province – comprising the Egba towns of Abeokuta, Ibara, Ake, Owu, and others; Colony Province (Lagos) – Lagos and surrounding settlements such as Epe, Ikorodu, and Badagry.”

Advertisement

READ ALSO:Ooni: Suspended Benin Palace Functionaries Banished

According to Abagun, the Alaafin’s authority was confined to Oyo province and constituent towns, while the Ooni’s supremacy transcended provincial boundaries.

He claimed that the evidence of the Ooni’s supremacy is epitomised in the fact that all Yoruba lineages trace their origin to Ile-Ife.

Advertisement

Abagun stressed, “It is, therefore, historically evident that the Alaafin’s power was largely confined to Oyo Province and its constituent towns. While the Alaafin exercised temporal and political authority within this domain, he never held control over all Yoruba towns. By contrast, the Ooni of Ife’s supremacy transcended provincial boundaries, resting on spiritual, ancestral, and cultural legitimacy. All Yoruba lineages trace their origin to Ile-Ife, recognising the Ooni as the primordial custodian of their heritage.

“Thus, whereas the defunct Oyo Empire’s political dominion was geographically limited, the Ooni’s authority as ‘first among equals’ endured across Yorubaland, encompassing every Yoruba town, including Oyo itself. The distinction is clear: temporal might does not equate to spiritual or cultural primacy, and colonial records consistently reinforced this hierarchy.”

READ ALSO:Igbo Migrated From Ife —Ooni

Advertisement

He further claimed that the Ooni was revered by all Yoruba kings, including the Alaafin, as the spiritual head of the race.

While the Alaafin of Oyo retained historic prestige as a symbol of the Oyo Empire’s political might, the Ooni of Ife was superior in colonial recognition as the spiritual head of the entire Yoruba nation. This was not a power imposed by the British, but rather one they acknowledged, codified, and used in their provincial administration,” Abagun said.

Backing the Afenifere, a legal practitioner, Pelumi Olajengbesi, said the Ooni was within his powers as custodian of Yoruba identity to confer the Okanlomo title on Sanusi.

Advertisement

Olajengbesi further held that “no Supreme Court judgment or constitutional instrument vests exclusive pan-Yoruba jurisdiction in the Alaafin.”

He added, “With the greatest respect, the oft-cited Supreme Court decision that purportedly vested Alaafin authority now exaggerated must be properly confined to its facts. Judicial pronouncements are case-specific, and no ratio decidendi of that court has ever declared the Alaafin the sole custodian of Yoruba legitimacy. No statute in any Yoruba-speaking state vests exclusive authority in the Alaafin to confer titles of pan-Yoruba significance, and the court cannot by judicial fiat extend such jurisdiction.

“The law is clear, history is unambiguous, and jurisprudence is settled. The Ooni of Ife has not usurped power; he has exercised it intra vires—lawfully, historically, and culturally. He remains the ancestral father of the Yoruba nation, and his competence to confer honours symbolic of unity is beyond reproach.”

Advertisement

The legal practitioner asked that the Alaafin should be properly advised, as he argued that Ile-Ife is acknowledged as the cradle of the existence of the Yoruba people.

Every student of Yoruba history knows, tradition and scholarship unanimously affirm Ile-Ife as the cradle of existence of the Yoruba people, the primordial seat where Oduduwa, progenitor of the race, laid the foundation of legitimacy from which all kingdoms, including Oyo, derived their authority.

“As a lawyer, I find no legal, historical, or moral defect in the Ooni’s conferment of the title Okanlomo of Oodua on Chief Dotun Sanusi, an illustrious Yoruba son. On the contrary, it is a timely reminder that while empires rise and fall, the foundation of Yoruba identity, the Ile-Ife and the Ooni, remain timeless, indivisible, and unimpeachable. The Alaafin of Oyo should be properly advised,” Olajengbesi added.

Advertisement

Meanwhile, several monarchs contacted by The PUNCH on Tuesday declined to comment on the matter.
(PUNCH)

 

Advertisement

News

Why Sowore Was Taken To Prison After Bail – Police

Published

on

The court granted bail to Sowore with N500,000 and two sureties, which his legal team was working to perfect at the time of the police action.

Speaking to newsmen in Abuja shortly after the incident, human rights activist, Deji Adeyanju, accused the police of violently attacking and removing Sowore moments after his bail was granted.

Adeyanju alleged that more than 50 armed officers stormed the court premises, descended on Sowore, and took him away by force while refusing to present a valid remand order.

Advertisement

“Sowore had just been granted bail, and while we were conferring with him here, the police suddenly launched an attack. More than 50 officers violently descended on him and took him away by force. We don’t even know where they have taken him,” he said.

READ ALSO:Why We Arrested Sowore – Police

He said the officer who led the operation briefly displayed what he claimed was a remand order but refused to allow Sowore’s lawyers to inspect it.

Advertisement

Adeyanju said, “The officer flashed the document, and when we insisted on reviewing it, he pocketed it and ordered that they must go.

“When we asked where they were taking him, he said Kuje Prison. We demanded to see the remand order as endorsed by the court, but he refused.”

He further alleged that during the scuffle, the police accused Sowore of insulting the Inspector General of Police, saying, “Because Sowore called the IG useless, they must deal with him.”

Advertisement

READ ALSO:JUST IN: Police Arrest Sowore

The lawyer said the officers tore Sowore’s shirt during the confrontation and dragged him away even as his legal team was still perfecting his bail conditions.

However, while responding to Sowore’s re-arrest via X (formerly Twitter), the Force Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, said the police acted within the law, adding that officers were empowered to use commensurate force to carry out their duties.

Advertisement

Hundeyin, who attached a remand warrant to his post, wrote, “Except we want to be mischievous, we all know that once court grants a suspect bail, it comes with the caveat that until the bail conditions are met, the suspect remains in custody.

“Where it is clearly spelt out on the remand warrant that the suspect be remanded in a correctional facility, not police custody, it is the duty of the police to hand over the suspect to the Nigeria Correctional Service, who would then process his bail conditions.

“This has always been the practice. Why should this be different? Also, as law enforcement officers, we are empowered by law to employ commensurate force to get our mandate achieved.”

Advertisement
Continue Reading

News

FIFA’s Use Of Kebbi Stadium In Banner Sparks Outrage, Funding Row

Published

on

Global football body FIFA has stirred a storm of reactions across Nigeria after showcasing the Birnin Kebbi Stadium project in Kebbi State — a facility co-funded with the Nigeria Football Federation — on its official social media pages.

FIFA on Saturday used an image of the project, dating back to 2023, as the new profile banner on its official X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook accounts.

The image, showing a half-furnished stadium in Birnin Kebbi, quickly went viral.

Advertisement

Built under the FIFA Forward Programme, the stadium was meant to symbolise progress in grassroots football. But as the photo circulated online, fans flooded social media with outrage and speculation.

Some netizens interpreted FIFA’s post as a subtle jab at the NFF, following recent allegations of fund mismanagement.

The uproar comes just days after football critic Chinedu Mobike, via his official Instagram handle #c_mobike, on October 23, 2025, accused the NFF of squandering millions of dollars meant for infrastructure projects, including its twin project in Delta State.

Advertisement

READ ALSO:JUST-IN: NFF Pulls Out Super Eagles From AFCON Qualifier After Libya Airport Nightmare

Mobike, in his viral video, claimed that FIFA gave the NFF “1.2 million dollars for two stadiums” — one in Kebbi and another in Ugborodo, Delta State — which, he alleged, “till today did not see daylight.”

Comparing Nigeria’s FIFA-funded projects with those of other nations, Mobike alleged that while “other countries used the funds to truly develop football, Nigeria produced nothing to show.

Advertisement

“The NFF should sit up…There are no active projects promoting football or sports in Nigeria,” Mobike said.

According to The PUNCH, the next day, Friday, October 24, 2025, the NFF issued an official statement, which it described as a “fresh clarification to misinformation” by some social media users (names not mentioned) who claimed the NFF “collects millions of dollars from FIFA annually to misappropriate.”

The statement, retrieved from the NFF website, was titled: “NFF: Monies received from FIFA & CAF are for specific purposes, and audited in every cycle.”

Advertisement

While Mobike’s video reignited calls for reform, the hashtag #SaveNigerianFootball has been trending on X, as users express frustration and hope that collective pressure might finally bring transparency to Nigerian football governance.

READ ALSO:SWAN Orders Nationwide Boycott Of NFF Activities

In its October 24 statement, the NFF firmly denied any wrongdoing, explaining that every dollar received from FIFA or CAF is tied to a specific purpose and audited annually.

Advertisement

“The monies meant for development purposes are tied to specific projects.

“FIFA Forward funds are properly specified and under strict adherence to financial regulations, compliance, monitoring, and auditing at every stage,” the NFF said.

The Federation cited ongoing FIFA Forward projects such as the NFF/FIFA Players’ Hostel and new training pitches at the MKO Abiola National Stadium, stressing that every phase is verified before funds are released directly to FIFA-approved consultants.

Advertisement

Dismissing the viral reports as “fictitious figures,” the NFF added that those spreading misinformation “would find no reason to seek clout if they had any idea how much it costs to organise a single match of any of the national teams.”

But the clarification failed to calm the storm.

READ ALSO:JUST IN: NFF Appoints New Super Eagles Coach

Advertisement

Instead, FIFA’s quiet profile update on Saturday reignited debate, with many Nigerians reading it as a silent but deliberate signal.

Many questioned how long it would take to fully complete a mini-stadium project that came to light in May 2023, after the groundbreaking event in September 2020 by the former Kebbi governor, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu.

In December 2023, it was reported that Kebbi State Governor Nasir Idris unveiled the FIFA/NFF-backed stadium project, saying it was designed to “boost the morale of youths in the state.”

Advertisement

He noted that the project cost $1,183,000, with the state government donating four hectares of land and paying ₦19 million in compensation to landowners.

Earlier, in May 2023, FIFA described the Kebbi project as part of its commitment to grassroots football, writing on its website InsideFIFA: “It is no surprise, then, that Birnin Kebbi, the capital of Kebbi, was chosen back in 2020 as the site for the construction of an artificial football pitch now available for young boys and girls to use.

READ ALSO:JUST IN: NFF Appoints New Super Eagles Coach

Advertisement

Meanwhile, a second pitch is under construction in Ugborodo… these two ambitious projects have received around USD 2 million in funding from FIFA through its Forward Programme.”

Online Reactions
Social media erupted with interpretations and comparisons.

Some users viewed FIFA’s action as subtle recognition rather than mockery. One X user, @Poka741997, wrote: “FIFA updating their header is symbolic. It’s recognition for Nigeria, even if the stadium’s budget is modest by international standards.”

Advertisement

Others saw it as a global embarrassment.

User #_AsiwajuLerry commented: “FIFA changed their Twitter header to the $1.2m stadium built by the NFF. Global shame.”

READ ALSO:Joy As NFF Gifts Super Eagles Coach, Finidi George Car Worth N125m

Advertisement

Echoing that sentiment, #OyokunyiOkon added: “This is embarrassing. The NFF should be ashamed that FIFA is showcasing a $1.2 million ‘stadium’ in Kebbi that clearly reflects misplaced priorities and poor accountability.”

Comparing Nigeria’s project to Senegal’s 50,000-seat Stade Abdoulaye Wade, user #FemiOguntayo2 remarked: “Nigerians want to build a world-class stadium with $1.2m… Haba! We know NFF is corrupt but haba na…

“This is Stade Blaise Sené (also known as Stade du Sénégal or Abdoulaye Wade National Stadium) in Diamniadio, Senegal. Its total construction cost was $270 million, funded largely by the Senegalese government and built by Turkey’s Summa Construction Company. FIFA’s way of mocking the NFF. How did they spend $1.2m on that stadium? Exposing the kwaruption in the NFF?”

Advertisement

Another user, #mario99amr29, suggested FIFA’s post was deliberate: “We know what’s at play.

If FIFA can display this at the expense of other successful projects, maybe it’s a subtle callout. Nigeria vs Kenya: A case study.”

As of press time, FIFA had yet to issue any official comment explaining the use of the Kebbi stadium image on its banner. PUNCH

Advertisement
Continue Reading

News

Police Arrests Principal Supplier Of Weapons To Bandits In Delta

Published

on

The Special Assignment Team of the Delta state Police Command has arrested a key supplier of weapons to bandit groups in the northern part of Nigeria

The suspect, one Ahmed Ibrahim (31) male, resident of Ekpan in Uvwie local government area, has long been on the command’s watch list for his alleged role in several high-profile kidnapping and armed-robbery operations.

The Commands Police Public Relations Officer, (PPRO), Bright Edafe, in a statement disclosed that acting on credible intelligence from the Force Technical Intelligence Unit (TIU), Abuja, operatives of the CP Special Assignment Team (CP-SAT), led by ASP Julius Robinson, arrested a female suspects, one Jamila Abubakar, at Conoil Filling Station, Warri–Patani Road, Effurun.

Advertisement

READ ALSO:Police Arrest Murder Suspect, Recover Corpse In Delta

The statement revealed that upon her arrest, officers discovered the cash sum of ₦550,000 neatly concealed beneath her bag and suspected to be proceeds from illicit transactions.

According to DAILY POST her apprehension provided a crucial lead that set off a well-coordinated follow-up operation.

Advertisement

Buildin on that intelligence, the operatives stormed Niger-Cat area of Warri, where they successfully arrested a notorious arms peddler, one Ahmed Ibrahim (31) male, resident of Ekpan in Uvwie Local Government Area, at about 0725 hrs on 22nd October 2025.

“A search led to the recovery of a bag containing one hundred and fifteen rounds 115 rounds of 7.63mm AK-47 live ammunition, 220 rounds of SMG rifle ammunition, and 32 live cartridges”.

READ ALSO:Police Arrest Murder Suspect, Recover Corpse In Delta

Advertisement

Edafe further noted, that preliminary investigations revealed that, the suspect is a key supplier of weapons to bandit groups in the north and has long been on the Command’s watch list for his alleged role in several high-profile kidnapping and armed-robbery operations.

According to the statement, Ahmed Ibrahim, is also linked to the kidnap and murder of one Ogheneovo Onemu (female), who was abducted on May 27, 2024 at Edjekota community in Ughelli North LGA, and later murdered after a ransom payment of ₦4,000,000.

Commissioner of Police, Olufemi Abaniwonda, described the breakthrough as another testament to the Command’s unwavering commitment to stemming the flow of illegal arms, dismantling criminal syndicates, and bringing offenders to justice.

Advertisement

The CP urged residents to remain vigilant and continue supporting the Police with timely and credible information to aid the fight against crime, assuring the public that the Command will sustain its momentum against criminal elements and remain resolute in protecting the lives and property of all law-abiding citizens.

Continue Reading

Trending