By John Dike, Osogbo
Queen Chanel Chin, a former olori or wife of the Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrasheed Akanbi, has debunked the allegations made by her ex-husband, who recently accused the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, of plotting his assassination through her.
In a statement released via Instagram on Thursday, Queen Chanel described the Oluwo’s claims as false, misleading, and damaging to the credibility of the Yoruba traditional institution.
“For the record, I was introduced to Mr. Akanbi by a respected Lagos monarch not by the Ooni of Ife. At no point did the Ooni have any involvement in our relationship, and there was certainly no malicious intent,” she clarified
Oba Akanbi had alleged in a Facebook video that the Ooni of Ife conspired to harm him by orchestrating a relationship between him and a woman—Queen Chanel—whom he accused of attempting to poison him and being part of a larger plot to assassinate him.
He further questioned the paternity of the son he shares with Queen Chanel.
Responding to these claims, Queen Chanel accused the Oluwo of fabricating stories and distorting facts.
She said, “Mr. Akanbi has not been present in our son Prince Oduduwa’s life for over five years.
“When he resurfaced in Canada this August, he refused to sign passport documents but left $500 — the only support he has ever offered since we left the palace.”
The former queen emphasized her commitment to raising their son alone and called for peaceful co-parenting. She also urged the Yoruba traditional council to step in and caution the Oluwo against further degrading the sacred throne he occupies.
“This will be my final statement on this matter. I urge the public to disregard all falsehoods against the Ooni of Ife, our foremost monarch,” she said.
Also, Otunba Moses Olafare, spokesperson for the Ooni of Ife, dismissed Oluwo’s allegations as baseless and immature.
“If there was truly a threat to his life, why hasn’t he reported it to the police or security agencies? Why run to the media?” Olafare questioned.
He also dismissed the accusations concerning Queen Chanel and the alleged poisoning plot as “too childish to respond to.”
“The Ooni has nothing to do with the collapse of Oluwo’s marriage. Oluwo has since remarried, and so has the Queen. It’s time to move on.”
Olafare urged the public to view Oluwo’s statements with skepticism, warning that such allegedly reckless behavior undermines the dignity of the Yoruba traditional system.
Meanwhile, in response to Oluwo’s claims, traditional rulers from the Origbo community in Ife North Local Government Area of Osun State have issued a 21-day ultimatum demanding that he retracts his allegations.
At a press conference held at the Palace of Salu Edunabon, the monarchs described Oluwo’s remarks as criminal, defamatory, and deeply disrespectful to the sacred throne of Oduduwa.
They also reminded the public that Oluwo had previously been suspended for six months from the Osun State Council of Obas for allegedly assaulting the Agbowu of Ogbaagba during a peace meeting, a decision ratified by the Ooni of Ife as Chairman of the Council.
“His recent outbursts are aimed at ridiculing Yoruba traditional leadership. We will no longer tolerate this behavior,” the Obas declared.
