Rape case: Osun set to dethrone monarch•To faces fresh trial over alleged child abuse

Posted by admin Headlines, Osun, State News Monday, May 7th, 2012

Indications have emerged that the Osun State Government is considering withdrawing the certificate and instrument of office from the traditional ruler of Ilowa in Obokun Local Government Area of the state, Oba Adebukola Alli, for alleged child abuse.

Reliable sources at the governor’s office in Osogbo confided in Daily Sun yesterday that the certificate and instrument of office of the Alowa of Ilowa might be withdrawn pending when the monarch would be arraigned before the court for alleged child abuse.

The monarch, who is currently standing trial in a case of alleged rape of a 23-year-old ex-corps member, Miss Helen Okpara, who served in his domain between 2010 and 2011, allegedly sponsored protesters who almost disrupted the last hearing of his case at the state High Court, Osogbo.
It was gathered that officials of the state Ministry of Justice were already dusting papers for the arraignment of the monarch over allegation of child abuse preferred against him by the state government.
The state Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, was said to be particularly interested in the matter as he had reportedly instructed his Special Adviser on Women Affairs and Social Welfare, Mrs. Funmilayo Eso Willaims, to take appropriate action against the monarch for allegedly mobilising and sponsoring school children to protest during the last hearing of his case.
Similar directive was said to have been given to the state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Wale Afolabi, who was at the court premises when the school children staged their protest.

Oba Alli was alleged to have sponsored students of Kiloru Community High School, Ilowa, to stage protest in the premises of the state High Court on Wednesday, May 2, over the case of alleged rape levelled against him.
It was alleged that the monarch conveyed the pupils to Osogbo from Ilowa in hired commercial buses along with some of his subjects and traditional chiefs, a development which did not go down well with the state government.
Daily Sun also learnt that the Principal of the school, Mr. A. A. Adedeji had been queried by the state Teaching Service Commission for alleged negligence and dereliction of duty.

It was gathered that out of the 277 students enrolled in the school, only 68 of them were present in the school on the said date while the remaining 209 were absent from school, having gone for the protest in Osogbo.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Women Affairs and Social Welfare, Mrs. Funmilayo Eso Willaims, while commenting on the matter insisted that the state government would not spare anybody found culpable in the matter.
She explained that, “the entire people of the state frowned at this dastardly act masterminded by the people who are supposed to lay good example for our children. The state government has already enacted a Child Right Law to forestall all types of child abuse. Therefore, aside the moral depravity exemplified by the act, the act is a flagrant violation of the Child Right Law.

“This is the height of indiscipline that can ever occur in a state like ours. This ministry can never be party to any act of gross indiscipline, especially the abuse of our children who were supposed to be in their schools at this particular time.”

Mrs. Williams stressed further that, “I wish to state unequivocally that the state government would not tolerate the abuse of our children and would leave no stone unturned to ensure that those behind the ugly act would be seriously dealt with by fully employing and exercising the full weight of the law of the land.”
She therefore charged parents and guardians to join hands with government in waging war against child abuse in the state, stressing that the children are leaders of tomorrow hence the need to protect them.

-Sunwp_posts