The Ogun State High Court sitting in Ota, on Tuesday, nullified the installation of the Oniro of Iro, Oba Najeem Aromaye, ordering him to vacate the throne 13 years after his emergence.
The presiding judge, Justice O.O. Osunfisan, in a judgment delivered in Suit No: AB/292/2013, held that Aromaye’s nomination, appointment and installation were unlawful, illegal and contrary to the approved chieftaincy declaration guiding the stool.
The court subsequently set aside his appointment and awarded N1m as cost against the defendants.
PLATFORM TIMES reports that the suit was instituted by late Prince Adeleke Joseph Oniyide Adebari and Prince Kamoru Akindele Adebari on behalf of members of the Oleyo Ruling House of Iro Township.
The claimants through their counsel, Bar. Saliu Bakare, had challenged Aromaye’s emergence, insisting that he neither belonged to the Oleyo Ruling House nor to any of the recognised ruling houses entitled to produce a candidate for the stool.
PLATFORM TIMES further reports that Iro Township has three recognised ruling houses Oleyo, Apetu-Mata and Eribi—which are to produce candidates for the Oniro stool on a rotational basis.
Following the death of the last monarch from the Eribi Ruling House, Oba Gafar Ayinla Sanusi Ogunrinde-Oyero IV, in May 2012, it became the turn of the Oleyo Ruling House to nominate a successor.
However, evidence before the court showed that the Oleyo family, after deliberation, declined to present a candidate, citing the absence of a qualified nominee that met criteria set by the Iro Council of Chiefs, particularly in terms of education and influence.
The family thereafter formally ceded its turn to the Apetu-Mata Ruling House in the interest of peace and development of the community.
Despite this resolution, the Iro Council of Chiefs allegedly disregarded the decision and instead put forward Aromaye as a candidate, claiming he emerged from the Oleyo Ruling House.
The claimants told the court that the decision was vehemently opposed by members of Oleyo, who maintained that Aromaye was not a member of their lineage and had no connection to any of the recognised ruling houses.
Court documents further revealed that protests and petitions by the Oleyo family to relevant authorities, including the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, were ignored, paving the way for Aromaye’s eventual installation in 2014.
The claimants also established that the installation was carried out in defiance of a subsisting court order restraining the defendants from proceeding with the process pending the determination of the suit.
In his judgment, Justice Osunfisan upheld the arguments of the claimants, declaring that Aromaye was not entitled to occupy the stool.
The court affirmed that due process, as stipulated in the Oniro of Iro Chieftaincy Declaration of 1965 and the Chiefs Law of Ogun State, was breached in the selection process.
Justice Osunfisan consequently ordered Aromaye to vacate the throne forthwith and restrained him perpetually from parading himself as the Oniro of Iro.
The court also barred the Ogun State Government, the Iro Council of Chiefs and other defendants from recognising or according him any rights, privileges or entitlements as a traditional ruler.
The judgment brings to a close a protracted legal battle spanning over a decade, which has continued to generate tension within the Iro community.
'
'Do you want to share a story with us? Do you want to advertise with us? Do you need publicity for a product, service, or event? Contact us on WhatsApp +2348183319097 Email: platformtimes@gmail.com
We are committed to impactful investigative journalism for human interest and social justice. Your donation will help us tell more stories. Kindly donate any amount HERE
