Prominent royal families and princes from Iwo have come out strongly in defense of the Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrosheed Akanbi, in response to allegations accusing him of exhuming the remains of former monarchs following his ascension to the throne.
The rebuttal comes after a group of youths, who identified themselves as members of royal families and were led by one Adedoja Osunwo, accused the Oluwo of supervising the exhumation of past kings’ remains and discarding their bones.
The controversial claims have sparked widespread reactions, prompting the real royal stakeholders in the town to address the matter.
During a press briefing held at the Oluwo’s palace, the princes and compound heads of Iwo firmly dismissed the allegations, describing Osunwo and his group as impostors and disgruntled individuals with no legitimate ties or recognition within the royal structure of Iwo.
Speaking on behalf of the royal families, Prince Wasiu Modunle denounced the allegations as false and malicious. He clarified that the group had no mandate or authority to speak on behalf of Iwo royalty and were merely attempting to tarnish the image of the Oluwo.
“We are fully aware of the activities of a few self-acclaimed youths who claim to speak on behalf of the Iwo princes. Let it be known publicly that they lack the legitimacy or traditional recognition to do so.
“Their accusations against our monarch are baseless, fabricated, and part of a wider smear campaign intended to bring the revered Oba Akanbi into disrepute,” Modunle stated.
He went on to explain the actual events surrounding the graves of former Oluwos. According to him, when Oba Abdulrosheed Akanbi was installed as the Oluwo, he found that the gravesites of past kings were in poor condition, neglected, and overrun with fetish objects.
Out of respect for his predecessors and the tradition they represent, Oba Akanbi invited legitimate members of the royal families to help locate these burial sites.
“There were no visible or identifiable grave markers at the back of the old palace when Oba Akanbi assumed the throne. It was the king himself who summoned the princes to assist in tracing the locations of the past monarchs’ graves.
“The few that were discovered, including the most recent one belonging to Tadese, were in deplorable conditions and had no clear markings other than a few crumbling blocks,” he said.
He further emphasized that the graves were never tampered with or relocated. Instead, Oba Akanbi ensured they were renovated and tiled respectfully to preserve their dignity.
Modunle warned that the false narrative being circulated was a deliberate act of blackmail, intended to mislead the public and sow discord within the community.
To that end, the royal spokesperson issued a 48-hour ultimatum to Adedoja Osunwo, demanding that he produce concrete evidence to support his claims. Failure to do so, he warned, would result in legal action.
“We are giving Adedoja Osunwo 48 hours to provide evidence supporting his allegations that the remains of past kings were exhumed. If he fails to do so, we will not hesitate to pursue legal measures against him for defamation,” the statement concluded.