ABEOKUTA: Coalition of the Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in Ogun State on Tuesday, applauded the step taken by the Prince Dapo Abiodun-led in the state for placing the Oloorile of Orile – Ifo in Ifo Local Government Area, Oba Semiu Ogunjobi on a 6-months suspension for subjecting a septuagenarian, Chief Arinola Abraham Love to a public disgrace on an highway.
The CSOs also hailed the police for arraigning the embattled monarch on Tuesday on three – count charge of conspiracy, assault and conduct likely to lead to a breach of peace.
The Ogun CSOs in a statement issued Tuesday morning in Abeokuta, the state capital and signed by its chairman and activist lawyer, Comrade Solomon Bankole commended the state government and also urged that the matter should not be allowed to die at the preliminary stage in the interest of the life of the victim.
Bankole in the statement expressed disgust on the role played by Oba Ogunjobi wherein the monarch superintend the public humiliation the fragile-looking 73 – year – old man, whom he forced to kneel down for him on the highway, in addition to several physical assault he received in the hands of the palace aides.
Emphasising that Oba Ogunjobi’s display of hooliganism belittles the status and standard of any monarch in the “Káàrò, O ò Jí’re” land, the Ogun CSOs chairman stressed that the punishment should not be limited to his suspension only, but just must be done by ensuring that the power-drunk monarch is thoroughly prosecuted.
Noting that the personality of Chief Arinola has been ridiculed before the estimation of every right thinking citizens of this world, Bankole maintained that the only surest way through which government could be seen as being capable of protecting the rights of an average citizen is to ensure that justice is secured for the 73-year old Chief Arinola.
“It beats our imagination to behold the disturbing video of the humiliation carried out on the personality of that 73-year old Chief Arinola, where a supposed custodian of the Yoruba cultural beliefs and norms was seen ranting like someone bitten by a rabies infected dogs”.
“As a Yoruba man to start with, it is not in our culture; it is against our tradition and values to have children physically assaulting the elders, talk talkless of having a traditional rulers supervising such public humiliation of someone old enough to be his father”.
“I have watched and listened to that video which has now gone viral and I must say that it was too horrible and unacceptable in our society”.
“Watching that 73-year-old man helplessly on his kneels, facing a downpour of curses and absorbing a hot slap by a palace slave was a gory sight and a nightmare.
Chief Arinola was indeed, caught at the wrong side of the monarch’s law and so, he was dragged to the floor and dehumanised before the world.
We are indeed, grateful to the finger that recorded that scene and released the clean video, did us a big favour otherwise, the fragile looking Baba would have been successfully humiliated, probably killed and buried without any noise just as Oba Ogunjobi had boasted.
“Ogun CSOs is seriously in support of the steps so far taken by the state government by suspending the power-drunk monarch, the Olorile of Orile Ifo, Oba Abdul-Semiu Ogunjobi who publicly humiliated the septuagenarian, Chief Arinola”.
“It is on this premise that we are also demanding that the boy that slapped him shouldn’t be allowed to return to his wife and children.
Aside his six-month suspension, the king must produce the overzealous boy and other disposable chanting his panegyric while descending on that Baba”.
“We commend the media practitioners in the state for bringing such report to the fore for public discussion as well as other stakeholders who rose up to defend the old man who was publicly assaulted and dehumanised”.
“We are now calling on all the security agencies to make sure that Oba Ogunjobi is prosecuted as this will go a long way at setting the standard for what the traditional institution should be in Ogun State”.
