An Ogun State High Court sitting in Ota has removed Oba Najeem Aromaye as the Oniro of Iro, bringing an end to a legal dispute over the throne that lasted more than a decade.
In a ruling delivered in Suit No: AB/292/2013, Justice O.O. Osunfisan held that Aromaye’s emergence as monarch did not follow the approved chieftaincy process guiding the selection of the Oniro of Iro.
The judge ruled that his nomination and installation were invalid and ordered him to immediately vacate the palace. The court also awarded a N1 million fine against the defendants.
The suit was filed by the late Prince Adeleke Joseph Oniyide Adebari alongside Prince Kamoru Akindele Adebari on behalf of the Oleyo Ruling House. They maintained that Aromaye was not a member of any of the three recognised ruling houses entitled to produce an Oniro candidate.
Following the death of the previous monarch from the Eribi Ruling House in 2012, the throne was expected to rotate to the Oleyo family. However, the family reportedly stepped aside due to the absence of eligible candidates and allowed the Apetu-Mata Ruling House to take over the turn.
Despite that arrangement, the Iro Council of Chiefs allegedly presented Aromaye as a candidate from the Oleyo family, a move that triggered objections and legal action.
Justice Osunfisan ruled that the process violated the 1965 Oniro of Iro Chieftaincy Declaration as well as the Ogun State Chiefs Law. The court further restrained Aromaye from presenting himself as the Oniro of Iro or receiving official recognition as monarch.
