# Tags

ROYAL CONTROVERSY: ALAFAIN OF OYO PALACE IMPLICATED IN DEATH OF OYOTUNJI MONARCH

A controversy has erupted surrounding the death of Chief Arounfale, the monarch of Oyotunji village in South Carolina, USA. According to reports, Chief Arounfale died after a visit to the Alaafin of Oyo’s palace, where he allegedly faced brutalization and humiliation. Chief Arounfale’s associates claimed that the conflict intensified when he introduced himself using his full title, “Baba Oba of Oyotunji,” and mentioned that his crown came from the Ooni of Ife. The Alaafin of Oyo reportedly questioned the legitimacy of Chief Arounfale’s royal title, ordered him to remove his traditional beads, and accused him of impersonation and acting as a spy for the Ooni of Ife. Media anchor, Omoboriwo, strongly condemned the incident, blaming an individual identified as Almaruf for orchestrating what he described as a deadly trap. “You killed him, forgetting the consequences that lie ahead. Oyo people, you’ve started a war in Yorubaland. The new Oba, barely three weeks into his reign, is already involved in bloodshed,” the anchor declared during the programme. However, the Alaafin’s palace denied any involvement in Chief Arounfale’s death. In a statement, the Alaafin’s Director of Media and Publicity, Bode Durojaiye, dismissed the allegations as entirely baseless. “What is more, how possible is it for the Alaafin to order the beating of a monarch who paid him a visit from a foreign village and with Oyo town as its ancestral home?” Durojaiye asked. Durojaiye claimed that Chief Arounfale was “well received” during his visit and that there was no altercation. “The Alaafin is not in a royal supremacy battle with anyone, but rather more concerned about the progress and development of his country home and the emancipation of the entire Yoruba race,” he added.