At least three persons are reported to have lost their lives during a violence over who will ascend the kingship stool in Agosasa community, in the Ipokia Local Government Area of Ogun State.
The throne, it was gathered, became vacant following the death of the first Oja of Agosasa, Oba James Elegbede, sometime in February 2022.
Reports said after Elegbede’s death, the race to determine the person to ascend the throne had been causing tension in the community.
During the clash on Sunday, youths in the community were said to have staged a protest against the installation of a candidate as the next monarch.
A source in the community said the youths were against the steps taken by a politician to install the next king.
A resident, who simply identified himself as Yemi told Punch that a confrontation ensued during the protest, adding that the confrontation denigrated into the clash that allegedly killed the victims.
He also said no fewer than five persons were injured during the attack.
“It took the intervention of soldiers, policemen and traditionalists to quell the crisis on Sunday evening. I could not pass through the town while going home,” Dare said.
Punch gathered that the attack started again on Monday, and it led to the death of one Nafiu Amosun, who was said to be the closest ally to the candidate the youths in Agosasa community were supporting.
The youths said Amosun was allegedly shot dead near a river by the other faction and it triggered chaos in the community.
Another source said two more persons were killed during the clash, adding that the crisis had sent shivers down the spines of residents in the community.
The source said, “At the moment, Agosasa is like a ghost town with a heavy presence of soldiers and policemen. Residents are indoors and those who could flee are already abandoning their homes in the town. The situation is getting out of hand.”
Meanwhile, indigenes in Ipokia had taken to the social media to call for calm, and urged the state government to take urgent steps to restore peace in Agosasa.
“There is war in Agosasa. This is not a joke. They should stay action on Agosasa obaship issue for now,” an elder in the community, who refused to disclose his name for security reasons, said.
The state Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Ganiyu Hamzat, could not be reached as of the time of filing this report.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi, confirmed the incident, saying one person was shot dead during the clash.
He said, “The incident in Agosasa is an obaship tussle. Unfortunately, one person was shot. We learnt that some houses and vehicles were razed. But our men are on the ground.
“The operation is being led by the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Department of Operations. Normalcy has been restored and our men are on the ground to forestall further escalation of the crisis,” Oyeyemi said.
The police spokesman said some arrests had been made, but he refused to give further details about those arrested.
Oyeyemi cautioned residents against taking laws into their hands, adding that kingship ascension should be addressed legally.
He said, “We don’t need to shed blood because of obaship titles. If everyone in the town had been killed before the installation, who would emerge king to rule over the land? It isn’t worth it.
“Nobody’s ambition is worth the blood of anybody. We should learn how to address issues legally instead of toeing the path of violence. It doesn’t pay anybody,” he said.