A major traditional crisis is unfolding in Iwo, Osun State, as three prominent ruling houses have dragged the Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrosheed Akanbi, before the State High Court over allegations surrounding the reported exhumation of the remains of past monarchs from the sacred royal burial grounds within the palace.
The suit, filed by the Ogunmakinde Ande, Adegunodo, and Alausa ruling houses, describes the alleged act as a grave violation of Yoruba monarchical customs and an affront to the spiritual and cultural sanctity of the Iwo traditional institution.
According to the claimants, the burial sites of departed monarchs are sacred symbols of continuity, heritage, and ancestral authority, insisting that any form of interference with the remains of former kings amounts to a direct desecration of longstanding Yoruba tradition.
The ruling houses argued that the alleged action has deeply offended cultural norms and undermined the dignity attached to the throne of the Oluwo, warning that such conduct threatens the integrity of the traditional system handed down through generations.
In the court action, the claimants are seeking a declaration that Oba Akanbi is no longer fit to occupy the revered stool of the Oluwo of Iwo. They further asked the court to nullify his installation and compel the commencement of a fresh selection process in accordance with native law and custom.
The plaintiffs are also requesting an interim order restraining the monarch from further parading himself as the Oluwo of Iwo pending the final determination of the suit.
The development has stirred fresh controversy within the ancient town, with the case expected to test the boundaries between traditional authority, customary law, and judicial intervention in chieftaincy matters.
