The High Court of Justice sitting in Akure has granted an order compelling the Ondo State Government to grant self determination to Oke Irun community in Akoko North West council area of the state.
Consequently, the court also ordered the government to recognize and affirm a new name for the community which is to be known as Oke Oro.
A copy of the judgement made available to newsmen has as applicants respectively , Hon. Augustine Oguntimehin , Mr JoyAdesupa and Mr Adeyemi Kolawole for themselves and on behalf of the Oke Oro community in Akoko North West LGA , Ondo State while the respondents respectively are the attorney general and commissioner of justice, Ondo State, the governor of Ondo State and HRH Oba Samuel Bayode Agboola , the Onirun of Irun .
Justice D.I Kolawole rules that the community be permitted to have a distinct and independent status different from Irun Akoko and will have its own monarch other than Onirun.
” The court will make the order of mandamus and it is here by made directing the 1st and 2nd respondents to act on the requests of the applicants that their Oke Irun community should be permitted to have distinct and independent status from Irun and Oba (King ) other the 3rd respondent ; the 1st and 2nd respondents are to decide one way or the other on the request as aforesaid ” the ruling states.
Report says though series of agitations for self determination by the community started a long period back to the fifties and known to the Ondo State government, the applicants however decided to bring their agitations for self determination to the door step of the government by a letter requesting the government to give them full autonomy as Oke Oro community to which the government by a letter dated the 14th April, 2014 emanating from the office of Attorney-General informed the applicants that they ” should patiently await the state executive council’s approval” on their request.