Deji of Akure, Oba Adebiyi Adesida
Akure, the Ondo State capital, witnessed pockets of violence on Tuesday as rival quarters in the city engaged in fights following a directive close all shops and markets to mourn the late Deji of Akure, Oba Adebiyi Adesida, Afunbiowo II, who passed away on Sunday.
No fewer than 10 persons were said to have been injured during a free-for –all between youths of two quarters in the town.
Following the announcement of the death of the Deji of Akure on Sunday, all shops and markets were ordered to be closed for seven days to mourn the late monarch, in line with the tradition of the town.
Determined to enforce the order, Akure youths reportedly moved from one part of the town to the other, threatening to deal with any person that failed to comply with the directive.
It was learnt that crisis broke out when the youths got to the Isolo area of the city and met with some resistance. The Isolo quarters as well as the Isinkan quarters in the town had been at loggerheads with the Deji over claimed autonomy.
The Deji had claimed that all other areas are quarters under the Akure kingdom.
A subsisting judgment of the Court of Appeal had declared that the heads of Isinkan and Isolo, the Iralepo and Osolo, should stop parading themselves as autonomous rulers, though they had appealed to the Supreme Court.
Our correspondent learnt that the Regent of Isolo, Adebusola Oluwatuyi, had on Tuesday directed youths of the area to resist the extension of the order of the Deji-in-Council for the closure of business premises within the area, thus the violent clashes.
The regent was also said to have rejected the directive that the palace of Osolo be closed for seven days in order to mourn the late Deji.
However, the timely intervention of security agencies, including soldiers, men of the State Security Services and the mobile and regular policemen saved the crisis from escalating.
The youths of Isikan were said to have been calmed by elders of the area when Akure youths stormed the area to enforce the no-trade order.
While confirming the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer for the Ondo State Command, Mr. Wole Ogodo, said the police had moved in to restore order.
Ogodo, who said nobody was injured, said the command was on top of the situation and that normalcy had returned to the town.
CULLED FROM PUNCH