Egbe Community in Kogi Refutes ‘Sack of Oba’ Story, Demand Apology, Retraction

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Community leaders in Egbe, Kogi State have refuted media reports that the Elegbe of Egbe had been sacked via a court order.
The Egbe traditional council also said it has written to some national dailies demanding immediate retraction of the stories. The body clarified that the stool of the Elegbe of Egbe is not in contention in any court.
Justice Obayemo of Kogi State High Court sitting in Isanlu, Yagba East Local Government on Monday granted an interlocutory injunction, in favour of the the claimant, Capt. (Rtd.) Folunrunsho Aremu challenging the selection and appointment of Engr Abiodun Agbana as Baale of Egbe, second in command to the Elegbe.
In the ruling, the judge ordered that the parties in the suit maintained status quo pending the determination of the substantive suit.
The Egbe traditional council said it would appeal against the court order.
However, some newspaper reports of the judgment implied that the paramount ruler of Egbe, the Elegbe of Egbe, had been “sacked” following the court order.
In a statement yesterday, signed by Chief Adedoyin Bolaji, the Olu II of Egbe, on behalf of the Egbe Traditional Council, the community frowned at what it termed as misleading reports and “sustained efforts by a section of the media to portray Egbe community as one in crisis over the baaleship tussle.”
The traditional council, in the statement described Egbe as a community in peace with itself, warning that “serial publications” depicting the community as crisis prone is capable of destroying their good reputation as peacefull and law abiding citizens.
“We have written to the various newspapers demanding apology and retraction of the misreport that the court sacked the Oba of Egbe, failure which we will take appropriate legal action”, he said,  “Nothing can be farther from the truth. It is irresponsible journalism and you know irresponsible journalism is a form of terrorism. Trying to create unnecessary tension.
“We view the titles and the body of the reports as an exaggeration with the deliberate intention to mislead, cause disaffection among Egbe sons and daughters, home and abroad and incite crisis in an otherwise peaceful community.
“Without prejudice to the decision of the Kogi State High Court of Justice in Isanlu, which we have told our lawyers to file a notice of appeal against the judgment that was mireported, we take exception of the coloration of the report by the newspapers telling the world that the court order seeks to sack Egbe’s paramount ruler, in this case, the Elegbe of Egbe.
“We clarify that at no time has the stool of the Elegbe of Egbe come under contention since the coronation of the reigning Elegbe, Oba Ayodele Irukera.
“We found these reports not only misleading  but a huge embarrassment to Egbe community
“Our decision to write to the newspaper organisations spreading the falsehood is further buoyed by the sustained efforts by some faceless people and their media agents to portray Egbe as a community in perpetual crisis over the baaleship.
“To make matters worse, on January 2, one of the newspapers in its online version had posted a picture of a burnt motocycle in a street in an unknown community to give the false impression that there was chaos in Egbe occasioned by the appointment of Baale and to make Engr Agbana appear to be unpopular.
“For the avoidance of doubts, the support for Engr Abiodun Agbana is total. The community has been in joyous mood seeing a very popular and acceptable candidate emerged as Baale. The community is peaceful, everybody is happy. 99.9 percent of the community is behind the candidate, including the kingmakers.
“The fact remains that there is jubilation all over. Among all Egbe indigenes, home and Diaspora, it is jubilation galore. It’s been four years since the position became vacant, people became anxious seeing there was a vacuum. So it excited the community that the position is now filled”.
It is inexcusable that the newspapers could not differentiate between the Elegbe of Egbe and the Baale of Egbe”.

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