
The family of the late Oba Rauf Adebayo Raji – Suleimon, Alaye – Aba of Aba Ayepe has sued members of the Osugbo society in Ijebuland for allegedly hijacking and taking into custody, the corpse of the traditional ruler who died in January this year.
In a suit filed before a Federal High Court in Abeokuta,the family said that the remains of their father, who they claim was a practicing Muslim before his demise, was hijacked and forcefully removed from the custody of his family by the Osugbo society.
They described the act as an infringement of their constitutional and fundamental rights “to dignity to accord their father a dignified burial and funeral rites in accordance with Islamic injunctions.”
The suit marked FHC/Ab/FHR/20/21 was filed (for and on behalf of children and family of the monarch respectively by Mrs Aderonke Egunjimi, Mrs Tiwalade Abass and Mrs Adeyemi Joseph.
The applicants said the action of the traditionalists constituted “a practice that is unconstitutional, illegal, vexatious, barbaric, obnoxious, immoral and repugnant to the dictates of civil order as enshrined in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended).”
They sought for an order of mandatory injunction compelling the respondents to return forthwith the corpse of the late monarch to the custody of the applicants at the applicants’ family home.
The applicants also sought for an order directing the respondents to pay N50 billion being damages to the applicants for the infringement of the fundamental and constitutional rights of the applicants and the late monarch.
They prayed for an order of injunction restraining the 1st to 15th Respondents whether by themselves or conducting any rites or rituals or taking any steps or doing any act with respect to the body or corpse of the late monarch.
They also sought for an order of mandatory injunction compelling the 1st to 15th respondents to return forthwith the corpse of the late monarch to the custody of the applicants at the applicants’ family home.
“An order directing the 1st to 15th respondents to pay forthwith to the applicants the sum of N50 billion being damages for the infringement of the fundamental and constitutional rights of the applicants and the late monarch.”