Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland,Iba Gani Adams has told the Oyo State High Court, Ibadan that the Yoruba nation activist, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly called Igboho,who filed defamation suit against him, was a thug that possessed no noble character.
Adams made this averrment in his statement of defence he filed to countered the N500m defamation suit slammed on him by Igboho before the court.
Igboho in the suit against Adams, is seeking an order compelling the defendant to pay N500 million as aggravated damages over the leaked audio conversation, which he claimed impugned his reputation
Igboho is also seeking, among others, “a declaration that the content of an audio clip between the defendant (Adams) and a third party named Nuru Banjo that took place sometime in November 2021 and further published on all new media platforms, including Youtube, is slanderous, libelous and defamatory”.
However, the defendant in his defence filed before the court, stated that the claim of Igboho is gold-digging, outrageous, wide and wild, insupportable, and ridiculous, and should be dismissed with substantial costs awarded against the claimant.
He averred that the claims of Igboho in the suit are mere falsehood, fabrications, and the figment of his imagination.
The defendant stated that he is a responsible, reputable, and notable national, traditional and cultural figure and personality in Nigeria, committed to the peace, security, prosperity, and development of Nigeria, particularly Yoruba land, who does not engage in frivolities, gossip, or baseless allegations.
Adams stated that contrary to the claimant’s alleged non-violent character, averred that from Igboho’s antecedents, he has indeed, presented and manifested himself as a violent, crude, destructive and wicked character of monumental dimensions.
“With specific reference to the libelous statement complained of by the claimant, I know as a fact that the Defendant neither made the said statement nor published the same.
“The facts and allegations that contained in the claimant’s statement of claim, except otherwise expressly admitted by the Defendant, are mere falsehood, fabrications, and the figment of the imagination of the Defendant.
“Igboho had involved in character assassinations and maligning prominent personalities and obas, including President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,the Ooni of Ife,Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi,the late Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi,the General Overseer of Redeemed Christian Church of God,Pastor Enoch Adeboye,the Aareonakakanfo of Yoruba land and several other personalities in Nigeria and Yorubaland as a whole .
Referencing Igboho’s many lies and atrocities as evident in some online videos. Igboho, in a video titled “Asiri Mi”, which can be found via YouTube also republished by the same Odis spoke at a public event with a large crowd, portraying himself as a thug early in life.
“He disclosed also that on the instruction of his father, who was a very powerful herbalist, he beat up an Alfa, who was always preaching in front of their house.
“In the video, Igboho boasted of his experience as a war mercenary at the battle front during the Ife-Modakeke war.
“He gleefully spoke about how he killed the son of the Araba of Ile-Ife (Araba Agbaye), whose name he gave as Yellow. Incidentally the Araba of Ile-Ife is regarded as the chief priest of the world.
“Narrating his story in Yoruba language, he said, “Yellow, omo Araba Ife, Nigba ti mo f’ibon gbe soke. Mo so dara ni”, insisting that “Yellow, the son of Araba Ife, when I shot him with my gun, I killed him in grand style.”
“In another video, Igboho spoke at a PDP political rally in Lokoja, Kogi State, affirming that he had been a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) since 1999,and that he was in Kogi State to campaign for Idris Wada against Governor Yahaya Bello.He went on to refer to the Kogi Governor in derogatory manner.
“He said he joined active politics in 1999. Prior to that,he was a follower of a politician he identified as Oluwo Asalu in Modakeke. While in Ibadan during the political battle between the then Governor,Lamidi Adesina(Lam Adesina) and his successor, Rashidi Ladoja.
“He also spoke about his encounter with Lam Adesina’s security aides at a filling station that led to his being hired as Lam Adesina’s political thug.But later he switched allegiance to Rashidi Ladoja.
“There was another video where he rained curses on the Ooni of Ife, describing the monarch as a mad man. He claimed the Ooni collected money from former President Buhari and refused to say the truth about the “Yoruba Nation’s” cause.
“Igboho had alleged that President Buhari was scared of him and claimed that the Ooni of Ife had collected bags of “Ghana Must Go” filled with dollars from Buhari, saying he had been compromised by politicians, and urged his supporters to take up Ooni on the matter.
“Igboho had also spoke glowingly about his exploits on his way to Akure, when Rashidi Ladoja was to be presented with the party’s flag as a candidate of the PDP.
“In the interview by Kola Olotu, he said Ladoja’s convoy encountered a road block at Iwo road.He likened the scene as a war scene and claimed Ladoja’s vehicle was attacked with guns and cutlass-wielding thugs.
“He said the war was hot and that President Obasanjo panicked and called on the then IGP, Ehindero for support, while Ehindero reported back that the situation was terrible.
“Igboho had once said he sought protection from former Osun State Governor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, who was at the time the Governor,adding that he became very notorious in Osogbo that there was no thug in the city who did not know him.
“He also mentioned the story of another battle among the members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in Ibadan, Oyo State,where a former union leader,Tokyo-Lateef Akinsola hired him to assist him in the war.
“He said he built his first house in Ibadan in 2013, after a politician seeking to become a Senator hired him. The politician,he said paid him USD 500,000 dollars for the job and he built the house within six months with the money he collected from the politician.
“He abused Senators, Governors and President thoroughly,even as he described them as “Oloriburuku”, because they were deceiving Nigerians and taking undue advantage of them.
“He advised that his detractors should not visit him at night and must not come with less than 1000 men,boasting that if 1,000 men besieged his house, hardly would 100 men go unhurt and would only escape through spiritual means”.
He chronicled various reports and situations to affirm his claims on the claimant’s character and lifestyle.
Adams alleged that it was the claimant that has been ridiculing and deriding the status describing
Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland as “a mere Aareonakakanfo of Oyo”
The defendant’s statement of defence is supported with an affidavit deposed to by Chief B. A Tanimowo, the Atoloye Aare Onakakanfo of Yoruba Land and a member of Aare in Council and signed by five lawyers including Oluwole Kehinde ESQ,Chief Yinka Oguntimehin,Rosemary Thompson (Mrs)Chief BA Tanimowo,and Yusuf Olatunji Ogunrinde.
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