Contrary to claims by former wife of the Ooni of Ife, Olori Naomi Ogunseyi that she was assaulted and harassed by a Deputy Commissioner of police at the Assistant Inspector General of Police zone 17 in Akure Ondo State. An impeccable source who is in the know of the case disclosed that Naomi was being economical with the truth and that his brother, Gbenro Ogunseyi is at the centre of the hullabaloo, as creditors whom he owed were the ones who dragged him to the police inorder to recoup their money.
It was stated that having failed to meet up with his financial obligations to his creditors, the office of the AIG Akure, was contacted and the said Gbenro was picked up by the police.
With the arrest of Gbenro, Olori Naomi besieged the police formation to effect the release of her brother, in a manner unexpected of a former olori. She was said to have arrived the Zonal headquarters of the police in company of some aides who were said to be unruly in their conduct.
Naomi, rather than engaging the police in a polite manner expected of a royal queen, she started bragging that she won't allow her allow her brother rot behind bars, and that she won't be dragged in the mud, all because she had come to solicit the release of debtor brother of hers.
Surprisingly, she swiftly posted the scenario on her Instagram page in a manner that subjected the Ooni of Ife, her ex husband to the public suspicion as being behind her ordeal with the police.
She has also made claims on an interview on BBC where she had stated that his brother is being harrassed because of her.
But contrary to her claims in the BBC story, the police didn't harass her, her brother or any member of her team, as she had wanted to be respectably treated with the type of royal courtesy she used to enjoy during her time as Olori, while the police insisted on treating the matter on its merit without interference. However, this stand of the police didn't go down well with the former Olori, who rushed to post the scenario on her Instagram page and subsequently
granted the interview, subjecting the highly respected monarch to the public suspicion of being the one behind her ordeals, whereas, her brother dragged her into the ignominious path.
But putting the records straight, one of the petitioners who had ensured the arrest of the Ooni's ex wife, Adewale Adeyemi a contractor earlier hired by Gbenro to supply sand for the filling of the project being executed by the Monarch has revealed that the matter in question is purely a criminal case of fraud and forgery commited by Gbenro Ogunseyi as it doesn't concern the Ooni or his ex wife, Naomi Ogunseyi in any way.
Adewale who substantiated his point with a petition letter written by his lawyer to the AIG, Ondo zone 17, Akure, Ondo state which reads in part; "it was our clients' brief that the petitioner was approached by a serial swindler one Mr Gbenro who bought 32 plots of land from our client without payment and all our efforts to reach him have proved abortive as he has absconded".
According to the petition and other reports, It was Gbenro who fraudulently bought the said land on behalf of Ojaja Pan Africa Limited, but refused to pay the owners of the land. It was afterwards the land owners who are victims of the fraud including Wale Adeyemi, led by one Iya Eko collectively petitioned the police again to retrieve their money from the said Gbenro which led to his arrest.
It was also gathered that having convinced them of working for the Ooni, the said parcels of land were released to him for the project, and he stylishly convinced the old woman to issue him receipt to the tune of fifty five million naira.
The Contractor, Mr Adeyemi Adewale in another letter written by himself to the commissioner of police, Ondo state, titled "A case of cheating and misconduct likely to cause breach of peace against Mr Oluwagbenro Akinfolarin Ogunseyi calls for investigation"..
He disclosed that sometimes in 2019, Mr Gbenro Ogunseyi contracted him to supply him Laterite to sand fill a site at Ojaja park faces 1 and 2, situated at Alagbaka Area of Akure on the agreement of four million, seven hundred and ninety six thousand naira (#4,796,000.00).
The letter reads "I started the work and Mr Oluwagbenro Ogunseyi refused to pay my money despite that I also needed to pay other workers that worked for me. The commissioner of police sir, it will interest you sir that Mr Gbenro Ogunseyi had been threatening my life that I should not ask for the money again."
He stated that he is suspecting that the said Mr Gbenro is planning to attack him "I am appealing to you sir to use your good office to investigate, arrest and if found guilty should be charged accordingly".
To confirm the petitions and other documents at our disposal, our reporter put a call through to the same Wale Adeyemi on Wednesday who disclosed that he had truly petitioned the police when the said Gbenro refused to pay him and he has also dragged him before the court of law. He said what infuriated him most was the flagrant rejection of all peace moves he had severally tried to make with him.
Similarly, an 85 year old woman & the head of Atibiti Faaye family, popularly known as Iya Eko also in a phone chat on Wednesday said she was actually duped by Gbenro, as he failed to pay her over twenty million naira, money meant for the second land purchased from her, She said the first land purchased from her was twenty million naira, was paid for, but Gbenro returned to request for her support by adding five million naira, which she obliged.
However, he returned to request for additional pieces of land which was thirty two acres, but on measuring, Gbenro claimed it was thirty acres and they agreed he will pay one million naira for an acre, totalling thirty million naira. She informed that he failed to pay for that one and when she became sick and needed money, Gbenro started paying in bits.
She also revealed that Gbenro and a friend returned to her informing that he had lost the twenty five million receipt she gave him. She was astonished that he could have lost such but that after much plea since she is illiterate, she gave them the permission to write the receipt, but to her surprise,it was discovered that Gbenro and his friend wrote fifty five million naira.
Ooni's Director of Media, Otunba Moses Olafare refused to make a categorical statement when contacted by our reporters on Wednesday.
"I can't say anything please. I don't even know what you are talking about. I advise you take your investigation to the said police command for clearer clarification".
When pressed further on wether or not he was aware of the Instagram message posted by the ex Olori, he said "Yes of course, I have seen it but how does that concern the palace? If someone lamented to have been bullied by a police officer at a police station in Ondo state not at the palace here in Ile-Ife, Osun state, why should I be the one answering questions on that. My dear brother, kindly respect our culture of silence on issues like this. We are not used to making such reactions please. Or have you ever seen Ooni make any statement on the choice of Olori Naomi to leave the marriage till date? Never! How can you be witch-hunting your ex wife who is taking care of your son? Please leave us out of this". Otunba Olafare said.
No one was ready to talk to us at the Ojaja Park in Akure except a plank contractor who didn't disclose his name. He frown at any attempt by anybody to link Ooni to the travail of Gbenro with the police.
"How on earth can anyone suggest that Ooni must have been the on behind the police to bully his ex wife for God's sake! Have you forgotten that woman is the mother of Ooni's only prince? I know Ooni to be so kind and forgiving, there's nobody he cannot help. See, we are all in this Akure, we knew Naomi and her family before her marriage to the Ooni, we knew them when she was with the Ooni and we know them today that they are not with the king. Has Ooni not been giving her money for her son's upkeep regularly? Even her sister Simi who added a needless comment to her sister's Instagram page, was it not Ooni who put her in the Afe Babalola University? I can only advise Olori Naomi to make peace with her husband without heating up the polity. Even if they remain separated but they are still father and mother to their only prince Tadenikawo. Even if she wants Ooni to intervene in the Gbenro's police case, I think she should humbly do so, not by trying to blackmail the king to submission." He said.
All efforts to speak with Ondo state Police PRO Funmilayo Odunlami proved abortive as she didn't pick our calls. We left a massage on her phone and we believe she would get in touch with us "Good morning officer, how are you doing? I just need your clarification on the matter between Mr Wale Adeyemi, Iya Eko and the Brother of Olori Naomi Ogunwusi. I am journalist and blogger based in Lagos"
In the spirit of investigative journalism, we also sought reaction from DSP Adeoye Akeem Adeola, the PPRO for AIG Zone 17, Akure where Olori Naomi claimed to have been bullied. The PPRO
said he doesn't know anything about the matter at all.
Gbenga Soloki
CityBlogNews
