Residents of the coastal community of Igbokoda in the Ilaje local government area of Ondo State on Tuesday trooped to the streets, protesting against the beating of their monarch, Oba Afolabi Odidiomo.
The Olu of Igbokoda, Oba Afolabi, was reportedly attacked and beaten on Monday by a community leader during the flag-off of the 27.5km Igbokoda/Okitipupa dual carriageway project over seating arrangements.
The incident, which occurred before the flag-off of the road by Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, threw the community into pandemonium as protests rocked the coastal community over the ugly incident.
Traditionalists, irate youths, and women from Igbokoda trooped out in the early hours of Tuesday, protesting and calling for justice over the alleged beating of the monarch, with women walking around the town half-naked.
The protesters said the community leader has bastardised Yoruba culture, with the traditionalists saying the community leader has committed a taboo and must appease the gods of the land.
It was gathered that trouble started when Oba Odidiomo, a legal practitioner who was the chief host, arrived at the occasion and urged the community leader to vacate the front row seat for traditional rulers, but the man refused.
This led to a confrontation between the monarch and the man who was said to be raining curses on the monarch and allegedly threatened to beat up the monarch.
According to an eyewitness, the refusal of man to leave the seat angered Oba Afolabi, who insisted that the man vacate the seat, while the confrontation sparked a physical fight between the duo.
He said that during the scuffle, the monarch was said to have sustained an injury after the man bit his ear during the fight and took the intervention of other monarchs and community leaders to stop the fight.
The monarch was immediately rushed to a hospital in the area, which prevented him, as the chief host, from attending the event, as he returned to the palace after the treatment.
All attempts to reach the monarch for his reaction were not successful, while calls to his mobile phone were not answered or returned.
But an aide to the monarch, who spoke on condition of anonymity, explained that the community leader who beat the monarch was banking on his relationship with the high government official to commit the taboo.
He explained that the monarch, as the chief host, was polite enough towards the community leader who refused to leave the seat just to embarrass the monarch.
According to him, “The monarch only asked him to vacate the front row and to block traditional rulers’ view, but the man was irked by the development and started insulting the man.
“The man pounced on Oba Afolabi, removed his crown, the beads, and while they were struggling, he bit the ear of the monarch and was rushed to the hospital with blood all over his body.
“The who is who in the state have been calling Oba Odidiomo Afolabi to beg him and appeal to him to forgive the man. Politicians, traditional rulers, and government officials have been bombarding Oba Afolabi with calls.”
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