A respected human rights group in Osun State, Ijabe Solidarity Forum has raised strong objections to any alleged plan to impose Tajudeen Abioye, popularly known as TJ of Holland, as the next Onijabe of Ijabe in Odo-Otin Local Government Area of Osun State, saying his reported criminal history raises serious questions that should not be ignored in the selection of a traditional ruler, particularly as his Olukoye Ruling House is not the one next in line to the throne.
In a public statement made available to journalists in Osogbo on Wednesday, the group urged Governor Ademola Adeleke, the kingmakers and relevant authorities to resist any attempt to use money, influence or personal connections to truncate the established process for selecting the next Onijabe.
The forum said the Onijabe stool is a revered traditional institution that represents the history, identity and heritage of Ijabe, arguing that its occupant must emerge through the recognised chieftaincy arrangement rather than through financial strength, influence or self-proclamation.
The group said its concerns were heightened by the legal history of Babatunde Tajudeen Abioye in official records released by the Prosecutor General’s Office of Mozambique.
According to the Mozambican authorities, Abioye was arrested in Maputo on November 5, 2022, following an international arrest warrant issued by INTERPOL at the request of Dutch judicial authorities over a criminal case involving the trafficking of illicit drugs and psychotropic substances before the Zwolle-Lelystad District Court in the Netherlands.
The authorities said the Netherlands subsequently requested his extradition to serve a prison sentence arising from the case, adding that the Mozambican Supreme Court approved the extradition in June 2023.
The Mozambican Prosecutor General’s Office also disclosed that a separate case was being investigated by its Central Office for Combating Organised and Transnational Crime, in which Abioye was indicated over alleged aggravated document forgery, use of false documents, criminal association and active corruption.
Reacting to the records, the Ijabe Solidarity Forum said, “The Onijabe stool is not a commodity that can be purchased with money or secured through influence. It is a revered institution with a history that predates the ambitions of any individual. Whoever occupies that stool must emerge through the process established by the people and not through wealth, connections or self-proclamation.”
The group added, “We are particularly concerned that the ruling house being projected by TJ is not the one next in line to the throne according to the rotational arrangement guiding the Onijabe stool. If the established chieftaincy declaration says it is the turn of another ruling house, nobody should be allowed to manipulate that arrangement simply because he has the resources or influence to do so.”
It further stated, “The documented criminal proceedings involving TJ in the Netherlands and Mozambique make the need for proper scrutiny even more compelling. We are not asking anybody to be condemned outside the law, but we believe the people of Ijabe have the right to ask serious questions about the background of anyone being presented for such a revered traditional institution. The integrity and dignity of the Onijabe stool must be protected.”
The forum’s position comes against the backdrop of an earlier statement by the Oloyan/Oluode Ruling House, which maintained that it is its turn to produce the next Onijabe under the rotational arrangement and chieftaincy declaration guiding the stool.
The ruling house had also stated that no formal selection process had been announced by the kingmakers and that neither the Odo-Otin Local Government nor the Osun State Government had approved anyone to occupy the vacant stool following the death of Oba Felix Oyeniyi Oyelade II.
It said, “For the avoidance of doubt, it is the turn of Oloyan/Oluode Ruling House to produce the next Onijabe and not Olukoye Ruling House. This is in line with the well-established rotational arrangement and chieftaincy declaration guiding the Onijabe stool.”
The Ijabe Solidarity Forum consequently called on Governor Adeleke, the kingmakers, Odo-Otin Local Government and the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs to ensure that the succession process is transparent and strictly guided by the applicable traditional arrangements.
The group urged all stakeholders to prevent the vacant stool from becoming a contest of financial influence, insisting that the next Onijabe should emerge through due process and in accordance with the established succession arrangement.
It also appealed to Abioye and his supporters to refrain from actions capable of creating tension in the community and allow the kingmakers and relevant authorities to conduct the selection process without pressure or interference.
The forum said protecting the integrity of the Onijabe stool should remain the priority, stressing that the process must preserve the dignity of the traditional institution and respect the succession arrangement recognised by the Ijabe community.