Oluwo of Iwo dragged to court over exhumation of past kings

Three ruling houses in Iwo, Osun State, have dragged the Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abudulroshed Akanbi, before the State High Court, seeking his removal over alleged exhumation of remains of past kings of the town from the palace premises.

The claimants, Princes Olalekan Lamuye, Adedoja Osunwo, Alade Ismaila, Ganiyu Saheed, Kosiru Kolawole, and Wasiu Abolusodun, instituted the suit number HoS/56/2026 on behalf of Ogunmakinde Ande, Adegunodo and Alausa ruling houses in Iwo.

The defendants in the suit, beside Oba Akanbi, include the Osun State Governor, the Secretary, Iwo Local Government, the Osun State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, the Osun State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, the Inspector-General of Police, and the Director, National Cyber Crime Centre, Abuja.

In the deposition filed through their counsel, Soji Oyetayo, dated May 21, 2026, copy of which was obtained in Osogbo on Monday, the claimants sought 13 reliefs including an order of court declaring Oba Akanbi unqualified for appointment and installation as Oluwo of Iwo.

“A MANDATORY ORDER of Court compelling the 1st Defendant to vacate and/or abdicate the exalted throne of Oluwo of Iwo being no longer a fit and proper person to occupy and/or continue to occupy the exalted throne of Oluwo of Iwo.

“A DECLARATION that the unilateral decision of the 1st Defendant to exhume and the exhumation of the remains of the corpses of the past Oluwo of Iwo from the traditional place of ‘Ileta’ where they were buried within the palace (in accordance with the custom and tradition of Iwo) is irregular, unlawful, without moral justification and same is against the custom and tradition of Iwo land.

“AN ORDER of Court declaring the stool and throne of Oluwo of Iwo vacant.

“(vii) AN ORDER of Court compelling the 2nd & 3rd Defendants to commence a fresh process of filling the stool and throne of Oluwo of Iwo in accordance with the provisions of Chiefs Law of Osun State by inviting members of the next ruling house in the order of rotation in the Oluwo of Iwo Chieftaincy Declaration of 1988 to submit name(s) of candidates for consideration by the Iwo Kingmakers to replace the 1st Defendant,” the deposition obtained by our correspondent partly read.

They also asked the court for a declaration that the invitation, arrest and subsequent detention of Adedoja Osunwo, the second claimant in the case, for four days by officers of the Nigeria Police Force in Abuja at the instance of Oba Akanbi over “purely civil matter of defamation of character” is unlawful, irregular and illegal, and in breach of the claimant’s fundamental rights.

The claimants also sought “an order of perpetual injunction restraining the 6th & 7th Defendants, their servants, agents, officers or otherwise howsoever called from inviting, arresting, detaining or further inviting, further arresting and further detaining the 24 claimants over purely civil matter of defamation of character of the 1st defendant and at the instance and prompting of the 1st defendant.”

They also sought “an order of perpetual injunction restraining the 1st Defendant from performing or further performing the function of Oluwo of Iwo and from parading himself or further parading himself, and from holding himself out or further holding himself out as the Oluwo of Iwo or from claiming to be entitled to occupy the throne of Oluwo of Iwo and from claiming or further claiming any benefit, rights or entitlement as Oluwo of Iwo.”

Reacting to the suit through his media aide, Alli Ibraheem, the royal father described the claimants as noisemakers who should not be reckoned with.

“They are obviously dazed about the progress Iwo is recording under the reign of Oba Akanbi. He is representing God, no one can remove him. They can approach the court. They are noise makers,” he said.

The PUNCH reports that Oba Akanbi, the 16th Oluwo of Iwo from Gbaase Ruling House, was installed by then Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, in 2016, succeeding Oba Ashiru Tadese, whose death was made public on February 18, 2012.

In recent past, the monarch has been having a running battle with princes from the three other ruling houses in Iwo over issues relating to chieftaincy, among others.