Punch reports that the Oba who was issued a bench warrant of arrest by a Magistrate’s Court in Osogbo, the state capital, over his refusal to appear following allegations of his involvement in Internet fraud known as Yahoo-Yahoo, submitted that he would never appear before any court as he is bigger than them.
The battle between the youthful Oluwo of Iwo in Osun State, Oba Abdulrasheed Akanbi, and the State judiciary, is getting nastier as the first-class traditional ruler has declared that he is bigger than any court in the land and can even arrest the judges.
The court presided over by Magistrate Olusola Aluko, had, on December 20, 2016, issued a warrant for the arrest of Oba Akanbi after he refused to appear in court in a case instituted against him by the Oluwo of Iwo Oke, Oba Kadiri Adeoye.
Maintaining his innocence and his stance, the monarch said he was not a fraudster and would not appear before Aluko, alleging that the case had been compromised and no court in the land has the power to invite him.
Oba Akanbi also insisted that some monarchs who were afraid of his rising fame were using the traditional ruler in his domain to fabricate lies against him with the aim of destroying his reputation.
“It is a shame on the judiciary to have such a magistrate. There is no indictment; no case at all; somebody just brought a worthless paper before you. It is a civil case and you are relying on that to issue a warrant of arrest.
I am not a criminal. Some people want to tarnish my name and they cooked up a lie that I am into Yahoo-Yahoo. I am not. Can one be a monarch and still be doing Yahoo-Yahoo? What do I need that for?
The Police Commissioner is being represented in court, this is a civil matter; I was also represented in court by some traditional rulers and about five lawyers.
Why didn’t he issue a bench warrant against the CP, who is the respondent in the case or was the CP present in court?
All he just wants is to tarnish my name. That means it has a political undertone.”
The monarch had earlier described Magistrate Aluko as being a monkey and a mentally retarded man who should be confined to a psychiatric home and now, he is daring the whole judiciary in the state.
