A Magistrate Court sitting in Osogbo, the capital of Osun State, has issued a bench warrant for the immediate arrest of Kayode Asa and Hezekiah Ilufoye over their alleged role in inciting violence and breaching public peace in Ekosin, Odo-Otin Local Government Area.
Presiding over Court Five, Magistrate A. Adeyeba issued the bench warrant following the duo’s failure to appear in court for arraignment after previously being granted bail.
According to police investigations, Asa and Ilufoye were initially arrested on May 29, 2025, by operatives of the Nigeria Police’s Commissioner of Police Monitoring Unit.
They were charged for inciting unrest, setting multiple bonfires across the town, and reportedly assaulting residents who refused to address them as “Kabiyesi”—a Yoruba royal title.
The accused reportedly claimed entitlement to the Ekosin royal stool, which has been officially occupied by Oba Kasali Omotayo since his appointment by the Osun State Government on November 13, 2022.
Their agitation followed their exclusion from the selection process by the town’s traditional kingmakers.
Authorities say their campaign of self-enthronement went beyond Ekosin, as attacks were also reported in Osogbo and other parts of the state, particularly targeting individuals perceived to support the government-recognized monarch.
Describing the defendants’ actions as illegal and dangerous to communal harmony, Magistrate Adeyeba ordered their immediate re-arrest and directed the warrant to all police units across Nigeria and abroad.
The court also urged members of the public with information regarding their whereabouts to contact the Nigeria Police Force, the State CID Osogbo, or the office of the Commissioner of Police Monitoring Unit.
The bench warrant represents a significant legal step in resolving the escalating tensions surrounding the royal stool of Ekosin. Residents remain hopeful that with the intervention of the judiciary, peace and order will soon return to their community.
