Ogun Monarch Detained Journalist for Alleged Land Grabbing Question in Viral Video

The Olu of Itori, in Ewekoro Local Government Area of Ogun State, Oba Fatai Akamo, on Tuesday ordered the police to arrest and detain the PUNCH newspapers correspondent in the state, Bankole Taiwo, for inquiring into the trending video where one Sanni Babatunde Akeem, a physically challenged person, was leveling a land-grabbing allegation against the royal father and another monarch, Oba Kayode Sodimu.

Akeem, walking with crutches in the video, alleged that Oba Akamo and Sodimu invaded his vast farmland with thugs, beat his workers to a stupor, and brought in a caterpillar to clear the land.

The physically challenged man in the four-minute video said, “I am Sanni Babatunde Akeem. It was my workers who called me that some people had invaded my farmland with about 40 thugs and a caterpillar.

“They claimed to have been working for the Olu of Itori, Oba Fatai Akamo, and Oba Kayode Sodimu. They beat my workers and tore their clothes because they said they were making videos of what they were doing on the farmland.

“They attacked me too and tore my clothes, and this is all I have been operating since 2014. I have fish ponds here, as well as piggery, poultry, and areas where I planted yam among other farming activities.

“I consider this an attempt to cheat me. So, the Ogun State Government, the Federal Government of Nigeria, and our representatives in government must come to my aid.”

However, after being invited to the press conference to herald the 21st coronation anniversary of the royal father at his palace on Tuesday, the PUNCH correspondent seized the opportunity to ask Oba Akamo for his side of the story regarding the viral video.

The journalist disclosed that the royal father, who had started narrating all that he knew about the viral video, suddenly became livid when he was asked about the other royal father mentioned in the video.

According to him, Oba Akamo began shouting, “What do you mean? This boy was sent here. Police, arrest him and take him to your station.”

Other journalists present at the event tried to beg the royal father, but he insisted that the police take the reporter to their station and detain him.

However, after about four minutes of arriving at the police station, the police received another call from the palace and took the PUNCH correspondent back to the palace, where the police handed over his seized phone to him and ordered that all recordings he made at the palace be deleted.

Source: Punch Newspaper