. Accused of alleged forgery, perjury as police begin an investigation
The newly appointed Alawo of Awo, Prince Taiwo Abdulrasaq Adegboye, four officials of Egbedore Local Government area of Osun State and one Prince Hamzat Abidoye Gboyelade, the Secretary of Abioye Ruling House/Compound, Awo, may face prosecution over an alleged perjury and forgery of official selection documents relating to the filling of the vacant stool of Alawo after the reign and death of Oba Musa Olatunbosun Adebayo from Akinsilo Ruling/ House Compound, Awo.
This is just as men of the Criminal Investigation Department of the Nigeria Police Force, Zone XI, Osogbo, have begun an investigation into the alleged forgery scandal of selection documents relating to the appointment of new Alawo.
Already, a human rights organisation, the Centre for Human Rights and Social Justice (CHRSJ), has reported the said forgery and perjury to the Police on behalf of the Awo Crown Prince, Abubakar Adeniyi, calling for thorough and unbiased investigation through a petition dated September 10, 2021.
CHRSJ had earlier raised the alarm over a purported and illegal pronouncement and approval of Prince Adegboye with alleged fake and forged selection documents as new Alawo of Awo on Monday 13th of September, 2021 by Governor Adegboyega Oyetola.
The petition, which was signed by CHRSJ’s Assistant General Secretary, Pastor Michael Agaasi, called for the immediate arrest of Prince Adegboye and Prince Hamzat Abidoye Gboyelade and four officials of the Local Government for allegedly perpetrating the forgery that misled the Osun State Government under the leadership of Governor Oyetola to crown Prince Adegboye as the Alawo.
The group listed the name of the four Local Government officials allegedly indicted to include the Council Manager, Egbedore Local Government, Awo, Mrs. Abiola Felicia Olabimtan; the Head of Administration, Mrs M.A. Akinade; Senior Administrative Officer 1(SAO 1), Mrs. Aina Adelu and Administrative Officer II, Mr. Adiyeloja.
CHRSJ described their action as “illegal, unconstitutional, unlawful, anathema, untraditional, uncultured, abomination and crime against God and humanity,” adding that such an action should not be allowed to stand in a sane society.
The said petition was forwarded to Governor Oyetola and his deputy; Inspector General of Police (IGP), Director-General, Department of State Security (DSS), Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) in charge of Zone(XI), Osun State Commissioner of Police(CP), State Director, Department of State Security Service(SSS), Chairman, National Judicial Council (NJC) and other concerned authorities as well as the international communities.
Copies of the petition made available to newsmen and signed by Pastor Agaasi, explained that the alleged forgery of selection documents led to the purported crowning of Taiwo Adegboye as the Alawo in midnight of 13th to 14th of September 2021.
While the police have invited the complainant, Prince Abubakar Adeniyi, to obtain his statement and for the adoption of the petition which is supported by 15-paragraph Court Affidavit of Affirmation, the Investigating Police Officer (IPO), maintained that the police would carry out their investigation on the matter without fear or favour to ensure justice for the parties in the matter.
Prince Adeniyi alleged that every document relating to the process of selecting new Alawo of Awo in favour of Prince Taiwo Adegboye were fake and forged, urging the Police to conduct a credible investigation into the burning issue.
He also called for the immediate prosecution of the accused persons in court after an investigation in order to serve as a deterrent to others.
The petition letter reads in part, ” Prince Abubakar Adeniyi informed the human rights organization (CHRSJ) that it would not be augur well for an alleged serial forger, Taiwo Abdulrasaq Adegboye to become a King of an ancient town of Awo that has produced Captains of industry, seasoned Public Servants, renowned human rights activist, astatute politicians-presently having a House of Representatives member at the Green Chamber, Abuja and those that have excelled in their various fields of human endeavour.
“Taiwo Abdulrasaq Adegboye and his cohorts began their forgery methodology from the so called purported/kangaroo Minute of Selection Meeting of Abioye Ruling House/ Compound, Awo, dated 24st (th) August, 2020, where some Egbedore Local Government officials claimed to have be an observer without showing any evidence of ‘Video Clip’ of where the sons and daughters of Abioye Ruling House/Compound, Awo, meet to select Taiwo Abdulrasaq Adegboye as their candidate for Alawo stool.
“But investigation revealed that Abioye Ruling House under the Headship of Alhaji (Prince) Abdulkareem Adegboye did not call any meeting anywhere whatsoever on the acclaimed date of 24st (th) August, 2020, in respect of filling the vacant stool of Alawo and not to talk of selecting any Crown Prince out of their two Crown Prince(s), Prince Adeniyi Alimi Sulaiman and Taiwo Abdulrasaq Adegboye that obtained Expression of Interest Form from Egbedore Local Government, Awo.
“It has been cleared that Taiwo Abdulrasaq Adegboye and his co-travelers cooked the so-called Abioye Ruling House/Compound, Awo, Minute of purported/kangaroo Selection Meeting of 24st(th) August, 2020, with the show evidence of different thumb printing impressions and signatures of the Head of Abioye Ruling House/Compound, Awo and Secretary, Alhaji (Prince) Abdulkareem Adegboye and Alhaji(Prince) Abidoye Hamzat Gboyelade or Prince (Hamzat) Abidoye or Hamsat Abidoye respectively, in Taiwo’s Expression of Interest Form with(N0:000000114).”
The letter further stated, ” Also, Taiwo Abdulrasaq Adegboye went ahead again to forge the thumb-printing impression and signature of Head of Abioye Ruling House/Compound, Alhaji (Prince) Abdulkareem Adegboye and that of the Secretary, Prince(Alhaji) Hamzat Abidoye or Alhaji(Prince) Abidoye Hamzat Gboyelade or Hamsat Abidoye respectively, in the purported Minute of Selection Meeting of Abioye Ruling House/Compound, Awo and used it as exhibit (B03) in a case with suit N0:(HED/26/2020), before the High Court of Justice sitting in Ede.
” It was discovered that Taiwo Abdulrasaq Adegboye’s Notice of Appeal as it contained in his Bond to Prosecute Appeal N0: CA/AK/58m/2021 on suit N0:HOS/84/2021and Taiwo’s Expression of Interest Form with N0: 000000114-page exhibit (5b) were of the same signature of Hamsat Abidoye as Surety and that of Alhaji (Prince) Abidoye Hamzat Gboyelade with different thumb-printing impressions of Head of Abioye Ruling House/Compound, Awo, Alhaji (Prince) Abdulkareem Adegboye.
“Even, in their purported/kangaroo Minute of Selection Meeting, the Local Government officials who claimed to be an observer, could not identify the year of Alawo of Awo Chieftaincy Declaration to be used for Taiwo Abdulrasaq Adegboye’s purported/kangaroo selection as the candidate of Abioye Ruling House/Compound, Awo, for Alawo’s stool.
According to their purported Minute of Selection Meeting of 24st(th) August, 2020, the four (4) Local Government Officials (observers) were acted on obsolete (1957) Alawo of Awo Chieftaincy Declaration, while the subsisting (1978) Alawo of Awo Chieftaincy Declaration was in used since (1978) till date”.