By Glory Benjamen
The Executive Chairman of Lekki Local Council Development Area(LCDA) Rasaki Bamidele Kasali has been urged to reject the request allegedly being made by the Sangodeyi, Bakare & Adenuga Families for the creation of Obaship stool in Imedu Village as such request should naturally emanate from the Olumade family.
In a petition dated September 25, 2024, by Adeyemi Adegbite, from Aiel Law firm, Lagos, on behalf of the Olumade royal family of Epe, Lagos state, the family has asked the chairman to discreetly inquire into the contentious issue of Obaship at Imedu Village with a view to forestalling any untoward breach of peace of the people of Imedu Village as any usage of the title of the Oloja of Imedu without the consent or authority of the Oloja Olumade royal family would be actionable breach of trust.
According to the petition (a copy of which is made available to us),”a group of individuals under the aegis of Sangodeyi, Bakare & Adenuga Royal Families at Imedu Town has made a request for the creation of Obaship Stool of Imedu Village without the consent or input of the Oloja Olumade Royal family.
“It is expedient to intimate all relevant authorities that the proponents of this request are not entitled to make such attempt whatsoever. This group is only attempting to invent a false and/or fraudulent history by turning the truth on its head.”
Giving a historical narrative of the Oloja Olumade royalty, the petitioners said that,”the founding of Imedu Town in Lekki LCDA stems from Oba Olumade, the Oloja of Epe, who ruled from 1825 to 1893. Oba Olumade was born by Iramepe, who hailed from Idi-Ewon in Ijebu Ode and who was the son of the 5th Awujale of Ijebu-Ode. Iramepe was said to have left Ijebu Ode with his wife and three children who were Shagbarafa, Onasokun and Olumade.
“His three children settled in different parts of Epe but Olumade being the youngest stayed with their father at the Ita Oloja Quarters, Epe. Shagbarafa the eldest child was crowned the first Oloja because their father was too old to rule, this was around 1760. By 1825 Olumade ascended the throne as the Oloja of Epe. During this period, around 1850, there was a crisis between Epe and Makun which severely impacted trade and forcing the Makun to appeal to the court of the Awujale in Ijebu Ode.
“The royal court convened a meeting of the parties which later turned bloody. Awujale had to send an expeditionary force against Epe. However, before the arrival of this army, the Oloja Olumade led his subjects into self-exile. His exit reportedly created a vacuum in the town but opened a new chapter in the history of Ode-Omi.”
The petitioners went further to say that,”Oloja Olumade came with a retinue of aids and children which settled at the Itun-Oloja in the present-day Ode-omi Kingdom. Traditions however forbid two beaded rulers from living in one socio-political space together. Thus, the king of Ode-Omi, the Lenuwa, in deference to Oloja Olumade’s pedigree and status, requested him to found a new community close-by.
“Accordingly, Oloja Olumade moved a few Kilometers into the hinterland and founded Igbo-Oloja in Imedu Village. For over the centuries the family of Oloja Olumade has been developing and thriving at this community of Igbo-Oloja and the entire Imedu Village till date. Whilst at Epe, and before the forced exile, there was a fisherman named Otedeko whose closeness to the Oloja Olumade was very renowned, and who often presented fish to the Oloja as a form of tribute.
“He was the ancestor of the Otedeko Family. Upon the self-exile of the Oloja Olumade to Ode-omi, attempts were made to apprehend Otedeko in other to lead the invading army to where the Oloja fled to. And fearing for his life, Otedeko also left to Imedu to stay with Oloja Olumade. He and his family thereafter began to live with the family of the Oloja.
“With the passage of time, Oloja Olumade returned to his domain at Epe leaving behind his descendents as well as the descendants of the Otedeko.Without mincing words, Oba Olumade the Oloja of Epe founded the Imedu Village, the Igbo Oro Oloja at Imedu, Orile Imedu both by the Lagoon and the Sea.”
“The deliberate attempt to distort the history of this great king could be attributed to a fundamental problem of historical scholarship. The descendants of the Otedeko family in Imedu village had over the years paid homage to the descendants of the Oba Olumade the Oloja of Epe in the form of tributes by dividing their entire harvest into two and giving a part to the Olumade Royal family. This practice had prevailed until sometimes in 2007 when the descendants of Otedeko family reneged, claiming that they could not continue to be subservient to the Olumade family forever.”
The petitioners further asserted that, “in the year 2007, there was a pact between the Olumade Royal family and the Otedeko family leading to a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)and a power of attorney. This pact divided the Imedu land into two equal parts between the Royal family of Oba Olumade and the family of Otedeko. There was no agreement or compromise on the traditional stool of Imedu town between the Oba Olumade family and anyone not even the Otedeko family which has no royal lineage whatsoever in Imedu village.
“Ironically, they are even seeking to use the appellation of the Oloja of Imedu without the consent of the Oloja Royal Family. The purported meeting which they claimed was held on the 14th July, 2024 contained names of some persons which are known by the Oloja Royal family to have been dead some six to seven years ago.”
Clarifying further, the petitioners said “traditional rulership is by virtue of ancestry occupation of the throne or stool of an area in accordance with the custom, traditions and usages of the area. They pointed out that whilst leaving Imedu, the descendants of the Oloja Olumade had reportedly expressed some fears like this that someday some persons might challenge their ownership to Imedu village to which Oba Olumade then made a proclamation that whosoever would challenge his descendants should be made to drink from the water of Imedu placed into his royal sword.
“There is a sword known as Ida Oriite which was usually placed under the throne of Oba Olumade. This sword is present with the descendants of the Oloja Olumade.”
The Olumade family through their lawyers have implored the relevant authorities to compel these individuals who dare to challenge the founding of Imedu to first come forward to swear by “this Ida Oriite.”
According to them, a person is appointed to a recognized chieftaincy and the Commissioner of Chieftaincy Affairs may by an order, designate a local government council as the competent committee in respect of that chieftaincy title.
“Such committee of a competent council may and shall, if so, required by the commissioner make a declaration in writing stating the customary law which will regulate the selection of a person to be the holder of the recognized chieftaincy.”
Ruling house on the other hand, they posited, “comprises the descendants of a lineal Ancestor who are entitled in accordance with customary law to provide from amongst their own number for an appointment. Also, a ruling house is a branch of the local dynasty. We make haste to state that the Otedeko family has no royal lineage in it and certainly not from Imedu.
“It is thus surprising that there is a suggestion of Sangodeyi, Bakare & Adenuga Royal Families of Imedu Town for the stool of Obaship of Imedu with the appellation of the Oloja of Imedu Kingdom.”
According to the Olumade Family, “It is absurd, an aberration and a misnomer. Declaration as a legally binding written statement or document embodies the customary laws and procedures of selecting a person to a traditional stool in order to minimize or prevent incessant and endless litigations on chieftaincy matters. It is clear that there are certain procedures precedents to the making of a declaration.”
The petitioners noted that “Ibrahim Adebowale Olayinka Saliu who is being tipped as eligible candidate is the direct son of Wasiu Oluwakemi Sadiq Otedeko, their Olori Ebi and they have no royal blood running in them, at least not known to Imedu Village. The Oloja Olumade family rejects in its entirety an attempt to usurp the rulership of Imedu village by any individual or group of individuals outside of their express consent from the Olumade Royal family of Epe and Imedu land” they argued.
Meanwhile, sequel to the resolution of the Oloja Olumade Royal Family in a general meeting held on November 17, 2024, Prince Shittu Aliu Adeyemi Olumade has been named the Oba-elect for the stool of Oloja of Imedu land in Lekki Local Council Development Area.