Dele Olaosebikan
THE Ogun State government has pledged to investigate a viral video showing the Oloorile of Orile Ifo in Ifo Local Government Area, Oba Semiu Ogunjobi, allegedly subjecting Chief Arinola Abraham to dehumanizing treatment.
The two-minute clip, which has sparked widespread outrage, shows 73-year-old Arinola kneeling on the road while Ogunjobi, reportedly a retired police officer, curses him and his family, accusing him of conspiracy.
The video also captured one of the monarch’s aides snatching the elderly man’s cap as he knelt disoriented, while another struck him from behind, despite his polite attempts to ask what he had done wrong.
Shocked by the slap, the distraught chief lamented in Yoruba, “I’m not feeling well.” In response, the monarch coldly retorted, “Die if you want to die. We will bury you, and nobody will know.”
The monarch was further heard in the video boasting about his influence over law enforcement agencies, threatening to jail the chief. At one point, a man accompanying the traditional ruler slaps Arinola and orders him to prostrate before the king. Ogunjobi, speaking in Yoruba, declares, “You are a conspirator, it will never be well with you… your wife and children… whoever thinks he is courageous enough should come out to face me… even if you die, we shall bury you and nothing will happen….”
“I didn’t offend you, Kabiesi. I’ve done nothing wrong. I am not interested in any chieftaincy title. I will come to see you, Kabiesi,” the humiliated man pleaded, as the monarch, whose face was not visible in the video, continued to hurl insults and curses at him while he (the victim) was forced to lie flat on his chest.
“The entire Ifo land belongs to me. I will send you to prison. I own the entire Nigeria Police Force. I will send you to prison,” the monarch boasted.
In an interview with newsmen on Sunday, Chief Arinola claimed the monarch had vowed to “kill me,” following a video showing the elderly man being repeatedly assaulted and publicly humiliated on the street over an alleged chieftaincy dispute.
The septuagenarian emphasized that he still had not been told what his offence was and pleaded for Nigerians to come to his aid.
“I was the one being harassed in the video. The Oba of Olorile of Orile-Ifo is the one who assaulted me. It happened on 21 January 2025, around 11:00 am. I wasn’t feeling well, so I went out to get some food when he saw me. He called me over, and that’s when the beating started.
“I didn’t offend him in any way. If you watch the video, you’ll hear me begging him to tell me what my offence was. I told him that if I had wronged him, he should have called for me. I still don’t know what my offence is.”
When asked about the steps he had taken after the alleged assault, he said, “I couldn’t do anything since he claimed to own the Nigeria Police Force and dared me to go to any authority I know. What could I do?
“I want Nigerians to come to my aid. He has vowed to kill me.”
However, the monarch has denied the accusation, expressing frustration over the numerous petitions he had received from all sides regarding the incident.
“I’m not familiar with the video you’re referring to. I’ve been receiving numerous calls for the past three weeks regarding it.
“They’ve also submitted petitions to various authorities, including Alagbon, the Zone 2 Command, and the state governor. A newspaper has published a statement confirming that I am not the person in the video,” the monarch insisted.
Although the monarch denied being the person seen humiliating the elderly man in the video during a separate interview, sources within the community, the victim, and Emmanuel Ojo, the Senior Special Assistant on New Media to the State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, confirmed the monarch’s identity in a post condemning the video.
Meanwhile, reacting to the incident, Governor Dapo Abiodun’s Special Adviser on Communication and Strategy, Kayode Akinmade, described the act as “inappropriate and inhumane.” In a statement, Akinmade said, “This will be investigated, and if proven to be true, necessary action will be taken.”
Eighteen-Eleven Media