Oluwo of Iwo Kingdom, Oba Abdul Rasheed Akanbi, in an interview with City People, revealed he was captured twice by ritualists.
Speaking on his relationship with the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, he said:
‘Oh, yes! But I like to talk more about my life. I want people to learn from my own life, my own experience. In 1981, something happened and I had to leave Iwo. I left home and I was lost for 4 months. I was captured 2 times by Ritualists and both of them rejected me’
‘.The 2nd one said let him go ooo. He is an Oba ooo. He is a king. Lets leave it at that.’
‘All I will say is that, I am from Iwo. I grew up in Iwo. The last time I left Iwo was 1981. I only came back in 1984.’
I came around and helped my dad and I left again. I came for secondary school in Iwo. I was in Class 2 promoting to Form 3 at that time. That incident happened and I left when I got lost after 4 months I was found. The man who owns that building, out there, where Wema Bank is located was the one that found me at a petrol station in Lawanson. When I came back, my mother said you are not going back to Iwo again.
That was how I ended up with my uncle. It is not only in Akobo, Bashorun area of Ibadan that me and Oonis family lived together. We started from the area called Holy Trinity, Seventh Day Adventist area. At that time, we were living side by side, by Senator Soji Akanbi’s family house at Holy Trinity.
He was just a big boy then, who just came back from England. He didn’t want to talk to anybody. He would put his hands in his pocket and put his head up high in the air. He is the son of Alhaji M. Akanbi. He knows me good.
So, we have been close by then, but the family didn’t know each other at that time. But when I moved to my uncle’s place in Akobo, they were living just the street across. That was when we started knowing each other. We and Tunji played soccer together. Do you know Tunji Ogunwusi? The Primewater view, Real Estate company owner?.
He was at St. Patrick’s Grammar School. Me, I was at Oba Akinyele Memorial High School. It’s almost a fence dividing us, just a few houses away. We used to go to school together and we came back home together.
We used to go to parties, all those kiddies parties, all those disco parties. It was great. Tunji was a very good soccer player. He played good soccer.
I don’t know if he still plays soccer now. He, myself and others we always made up a team to play in Akobo at that time. There was a primary school in Akobo at that time, and we always made a team.
We used to go to school together. It’s just on that road, straight road from Akobo.
It was great growing up during that time. I was living with my Uncle called (Uncle Onifade) Alhaji Raimi Onifade, he is a younger brother to my mum. That’s where I lived. That is where we got to know. We thank God that we are all great people today. At least we’ve made an impact in Yorubaland.
One thing I want people to know is that the new dispensation of what kingship is all about is here and we thank God for it. And my own message to kings is for us to be servants. It’s not about money. It’s not about gathering money. There are many rich kings that have gone and they are no more.
We don’t remember them. I am talking about many great kings with money. Money doesn’t make great kings. Money doesn’t make you great. Its only for a while.
Emeh Achanga,the CEO of the Miss Petite Nigeria Brand is a lawyer turned blogger. She is very passionate about writing, with several publications and awards to her credit .She is currently working on publishing a collection of short stories which are basically a memoir about her exciting true experiences.
