The Oranmiyan of Oko Kingdom, Oba Olagoke Akinola, has reacted to a report of his incarceration and 14 others saying that bail condition has been perfected.
He made this known while speaking with journalists, over the weekend, in Ibadan, the Oyo state capital.
The first class monarch also gave an insight into what led to the legal battle on the land matter.
He said: “I was asked to write an undertaking and guarantee that I will be bringing other people involved to the court based on personal recognition as First Class King which I did. The judges did not even asked for suretee when he granted the bail application on the 23rd of November.
“The narrative is just about land issues. We have been on it since about 93 years ago. So many pronouncements have been made on it, we won in some areas, they won in some areas. Eventually the case is at the Supreme court and the Supreme court has fixed a date for 11th of November, 2024 for hearing of the case.
“At a particular point in 2021 they took our people to Abuja and they were charged for terrorism and some other charges. We fought against it and the Inspector General of the Police took over the matter from the police and at the end, he returned the file back to Oyo state for the determination of the case there is nothing like terrorism and our people stayed about one and half years in Abuja and about four months in Agodi prison. Eventually, they released them on 25th of June 2023. They released them on bail and we’ve been waiting since that time to hear either from the court or the Ministry on offences committed by our people, we didn’t hear anything.
“Towards the end of October, my lawyer called me and informed me that there were some charges against us that we should come to court, we went to court on the 7th of November, at the court they were about to read the charges when my lawyer told them that we were not served any notice of charges. The judge was surprised, he went through the court registry and he said we have the right to fair hearing that I should take a guarantee of the remaining 14 people because I am the first class king and that I should produce those people back on the 16th of November.
“On the 16th of November, we went there, they read all the counts, we denied all the counts that was read to us the judge gave me an opportunity as a first class king that I can take bail application of myself and my people which I wrote on my letter headed paper and take to the court for us to come back on the 21st.
“On the 21st again, we were at the court, we wrote bail application, and he graciously approved that I should take their suretee on self and personal recognition that was what happened all what I saw was that we were remanded at Abolongo. So I was surprised where the story is emanating from.”
The monarch’s counsel, Barrister Jimoh Olaide Absulsalam while corroborating the monarch’s claim said: “The story in circulation is not the correct version of what happened at the court. What happened was that we have a bail application in respect of Kabiesi and the others. Even before the bail application was passed, the court is of opinion that Kabiesi is a first class monarch and all other people who are his subject Kabiesi can guarantee them.
“The court directed that Kabiesi should guarantee their return to court at every subsequent adjournment and that Kabiesi should go and write undertaking and he wrote it. The second adjournment, we were in court, the third adjournment when we argued the matter and the court said it would give the ruling later day before yesterday the ruling was delivered in favour of our client.
“The bail application was granted on the 23rd of November, the judge did not even request for surety because Kabiesi is a first class monarch.
“It got to a stage where we report them to the judge and he warned them seriously. He was even looking for those journalists, are they in court? no. No journalist was in court. Somebody with intent to discredit Kabiesi and his Chiefs did that to misinform the public.”
