- The family of the late Oba Gabriel Adekunle Aromolaran II accused members of the Owa-in-Council of extortion and undermining communal values during the funeral preparations
- Chief Bola Orolugbagbe, spokesperson for the Owa-in-Council, denies the extortion claims and challenges the family to name the chiefs involved in the alleged actions
- Despite allegations of coercion and division, the Aromolaran family expressed unity and vows to honour the late Oba with dignity and reject attempts to disrupt the ceremonies
The family of the late Owa Obokun of Ijesaland, Oba Gabriel Adekunle Aromolaran II, has accused members of the Owa-in-Council of engaging in extortion and actions that undermined the communal values upheld by the late monarch.
These allegations were made in a statement titled, “Response to Various Publications Concerning the Just Concluded Celebration of Life Events for His Imperial Majesty, Late Oba (Dr) Gabriel Adekunle Aromolaran II, CFR, LLD, the Owa Obokun Adimula of Ijesaland (Owa Aromolaran II),” released on Thursday, December 12, by Adebayo Adedeji on behalf of the Aromolaran family.
The family claimed that following the monarch’s passing, certain chiefs demanded "frivolous payments" for traditional burial rites and used threats to enforce these payments. The statement condemned this approach as coercive and claimed it placed an undue financial burden on the family during an already difficult time.
In response, Chief Bola Orolugbagbe, the spokesperson for the Owa-in-Council, denied the extortion accusations. He challenged the family to identify and name the specific chiefs involved in the alleged actions.
"Tell them to name the chiefs that are extorting them. That’s all. We are free, so they should just provide the names of those chiefs," Orolugbagbe stated.
The family further alleged that despite complying with the demands under duress, internal divisions within the council created additional complications for the burial process.
They accused the chiefs of attempting to disrupt the planned ceremonies, even after being informed about the family’s arrangements.
The family insisted that these actions were in stark contrast to the integrity and communal harmony that the late Oba Aromolaran had championed during his reign.
Despite these challenges, the family expressed their unity and commitment to honouring the late monarch’s memory with dignity.
“The Bepo-Aromolaran dynasty remains united in its purpose, standing as one, and we are grateful to everyone who has supported us in ensuring that Oba Aromolaran II’s memory is celebrated with the dignity and respect he richly deserves,” the family added.
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Many Nigerians, who thought the statue was quite unnecessary, took to social media to berate the First Lady and the monarch for their insensitivity to the plight of Nigerians in the present administration.
