Ekiti State Government, has sued for peace, unity and love among citizens as panacea to combat long-drawn battles of land disputes in some communities.
The Ekiti State Deputy Governor, Chief (Mrs) Monisade Afuye, gave the appeal in Ado Ekiti, on Friday, while settling a land dispute among three royal dynasties in Epe , Ijero Local Government Area of the State.
This intervention, was a fallout of a petition written by Elepe of Epe, Oba Ayodeji Adesoye against three princes , whom he accused of stoking violence and unrest in the community and preventing him from accessing a farmland designated as ‘Oko Oba’ that traditionally belonged to him.
The defendants: Busayo Atoye, Kole Atoye, and Pastor Amos Agbeleoba, however, denied the allegations, saying the farm under contest belonged to their family and not the royal father.
Mediating in the crisis, the Deputy Governor in a statement by her Special Assistant on Media, Victor Ogunje, expressed regret about how some towns were locked in lingering land crises for decades, thereby igniting acrimony, violence and unwarranted disunity.
She stated that the foregoing was contrary to the focus of Governor Biodun Oyebanji, whose priority was that all towns in Ekiti must be in peace and unity for development to be attainable.
While brokering truce in the matter, Mrs Afuye, urged the contenders to give peace a chance by showing respect to royalty and tradition, saying the government will dig deep into the issue and take proper actions that will give justice to all sides.
“I don’t want you to disparage your royal father and tradition, let us learn how to say the truth at all times. That is the essence of humanity. Governor Biodun Oyebanji is a lover of peace, we must respect his desire that all towns must be in peace”.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Governor, had adjourned the matter to a later date for the government to take a final decision on the matter.
Speaking to the petition, Oba Adesoye, revealed that the land under dispute was allocated to him by the princes in accordance with the extant tradition after enthronement, saying the defendants’ family cannot lay claim to the ownership of the land.
Justifying the petition written to government, Oba Adesoye added that the town would have been plunged into violent crisis if he had allowed the matter to be handled locally due to the tension already rippling by the fierce resistance to his attempt to access the said farmland.
The monarch praised the government for being dispassionate in the way it handled the matter, saying he could foresee that settlement was in the offing with the way the imbroglio was being handled with despatch.
Defending their position, the defendants, Busayo Atoye, Kole Atoye, and Pastor Amos Agbeleoba , insisted that the farmland being designated as ‘Oko Oba’ belonged to their family and would be a great travesty of justice, if the monarch forcefully acquire same .
They submitted further that the practice, whereby lands belonging to royal families were centralized under the Elepe’s control being relied on by Oba Adesoye stopped being effected , after the reign of Oba Arowolo, when the entire farmland was delineated for the three ruling houses for control and management.
They contended that their father, Oba Emmanuel Agbeleoba, who was installed in 1977 and reigned in the town for 41 years didn’t contravene the latest arrangement when he assumed office.
In his contribution, a community leader, Chief James Eyebiokin, claimed that the farmland was being allocated to any sitting monarch by tradition, where he garners palm oil proceeds to finance the palace.