A suspected burglar on Thursday afternoon broke into the palace of the Soun of Ogbomoso.
The burglar, who was suspected to have been under the influence of hard drugs or mentally imbalanced, also injured one of the palace chiefs, Sheu Ayinla, the Aremole of Ogbomosoland.
He claimed that he would get installed as the new Soun of Ogbomosoland very soon.
Speaking with newsmen, Chief Ayinla, whose two teeth were knocked off by the intruder, said he had an obligation to visit the palace every day to see if things were in place.
“So, I was in the palace and just called a food vendor to buy food when I saw the man ramping up towards the palace court. I demanded what he wanted, but he muttered inaudibly. I stood up, leaving my meal. I should have escaped, but I fell, and so he pinned me down and started punching me. In the process, I lost two teeth.”
Another eyewitness said, “The man was shouting, ‘I must sit on that throne today; I am your next Oba. You have no Oba; I am your new Oba. Where is the crown? He broke the glass of the palace with blows, but the iron bars prevented him from gaining access. He then tried a back door, which he also pulverised with his bare hands.”
But in a swift reaction, the palace secretary, Mr Toyin Ajamu, said there was no crown to steal at the palace.
Ajamu, in a statement, said, “To put the record straight, there was no crown at the palace, as the seat of Soun of Ogbomosoland is presently vacant with no crown, and nothing whatsoever is being stolen except that he destroyed the main entrance aluminium sliding doors and the exit door leading to the Soun Administrative Office from the palace.”
“Members of the public are hereby advised to ignore the rumours peddling around that he was at the palace to steal crowns or any property, and those circulating such news should desist from doing so.”
