Wole Adedeji, Ilorin
A former Kwara State Police Public Relations Officer, who is now the Magaji Nda of Ilorin, Alhaji Woru Mohammed, might have run into trouble waters with the people of Moro Local Government Area of the state for allegedly calling them uncomplimentary names.
The former policeman was reported to have, three years ago, referred to the people of Moro as ‘slaves’ and ‘conquered people’ which they detested, at the weekend, alleging that the Magaji Nda was repeating himself again.
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A member of ‘Moro Concerned Elders’, Hon. Wole Oke, in a statement, had said the time had come to stop Woru Mohammed from was called his apparent acts of infamy.
Hon. Oke, who was the Kwara Assembly Leader in the Second Republic and a High Chief of Shao, a town in the Moro council area, expressed the anger of the people that the ex-policeman of late, referred to their traditional rulers as ‘lesser chiefs’.
There have been a renewed agitation by various groups in Moro council demanding to be separated from Ilorin Emirate, arguing that they did not traditionally and historically belong to an Emirate system.
Besides, they maintained that Moro Local Government was in the Kwara Northern District while Ilorin Emirate is in the Kwara Central.
In Chief Oke’s account, Shao, one of the two major towns in the local government area, had been in existence for decades “before the first settlers ever emerged in a place now known as Ilorin”.
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The traditional chief further argued that under the colonial masters about a century ago, OHORO; the monarch of Shao and the Emir of Ilorin were both graded 5th Class chiefs in 1913.
Also, Chief Oke said both the Ohoro, Emir of Ilorin, were graded First Class at a time the Olofa of Offa and others were Third Class Chiefs as gazetted in 1919 by the then Philip Lonsdale, a 2nd Class Colonial Resident.
Apparently angry, Chief. Oke asked who the Magaji Nda was now referring to as “lesser chiefs of the Emir of Ilorin,” saying that it was only sad enough at a time, Ohoro’s grading was removed allegedly, at the instance of the Emir of Ilorin.
He also disclosed that even in the modern administrations, the stool of Ohoro and that of the Oba of Jebba were graded by former Governors Adamu Atta and Mohammed Lawal, which former Governor Bukola Saraki removed without neither any explanation nor justification till date.
Giving it to the Magaji Nda, Wole Oke asked him to explain the meaning of his title literally translates into ‘the head of slaves’ demanding that if not, why should the former policeman’s family be located inside the palace of Ilorin when they have no royal blood in them.
He pleaded with Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq not accede to an alleged Woru Mohammed’s warning against restoring grading of Moro Local Government Monarchs and separate them from Ilorin Emirate that they do not belong.
