The Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, has intervened in the protracted Onido stool crisis, in which three individuals are reportedly laying claim to the traditional leadership of Ido town in Ido Local Government Area of Oyo State.
The monarch urged all parties involved in the dispute to maintain peace and announced that a panel to investigate the remote and immediate causes of the crisis would be inaugurated on Monday, January 12, at the Olubadan Palace, Oke Aremo, Ibadan.
A statement issued on Wednesday in Ibadan by his media aide, Adeola Oloko, stated that the panel would be set up to address the dispute but did not disclose the names or composition of its members.
The intervention followed renewed concerns raised by residents and stakeholders of Ido town, who disclosed that the community is currently faced with three individuals claiming the Onido stool nearly two decades after the crisis began.
Addressing journalists in Ibadan, the leader of the group, Sarafadeen Adeyeye, called on Governor Seyi Makinde and the Olubadan of Ibadanland to urgently intervene in the matter.
He said, “At the moment, Ido is in a very delicate situation because we have three different people claiming to be the Onido, namely Oba Benjamin Ademola Ishola Orobiyi II, Tajudeen Akinola, and Muritala Babalola. This is unhealthy for any community.”
Ido Local Government was historically among the five local governments in the Ibadan District before the arrangement was abolished in 1956, a background that continues to underscore the traditional importance of the Onido stool in the area.
Adeyeye explained that the unresolved dispute has continued to generate tension, confusion, and division within the ancient town, affecting unity and development.
Confirming the intervention, the Olubadan stated that the committee would begin sitting immediately after its inauguration.
He said, “Part of the panel’s mandate is to examine both the remote and immediate causes of the Onido stool crisis.
“The second mandate is to make far-reaching recommendations that will guide the Olubadan and his council in resolving the 19-year-old crisis once and for all.”
The monarch added that the panel was constituted in the exercise of his powers as the prescribed and consenting authority on all chieftaincy matters in Ibadanland.
