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Cenotaph Demolition: Aiyedatiwa Knocks Ondo Catholic Church, Accuse Bishop Of Spreading Falsehood

ByOlamilekan Adigun

PublishedJune 27, 2025

As Traditionalists Protest Against Akeredolu’s Widow For Calling Olowo ‘Baby Oba’

The demolition of the cenotaph erected in honour of the victims killed in the terrorists attack on the Catholic Church, in Owo town of Ondo State has continued to generate controversies.

The state Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa on Thursday, accused the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Ondo, Bishop Jude Arogundade of inciting the public against his administration by peddling falsehood over the demolition.

This was as traditionalists in Owo protested against the wife of late Governor Rotimi Akeredolu for calling the Olowo of Owo, Oba Ajibade Ogunoye, a baby king.

OSUN DEFENDER reports that the Catholic Church in a statement signed by Bishop Arogundade, had described the government’s action as sad and unacceptable.

Bishop Arogundade who condemned the demolition, described government action as disrespectful to the memory of those killed during the attack.

The cleric also expressed concern over the government’s silence, over a later seeking clarification on the demolition yielded no response even after 72 hours.

But the state government in its official reaction to the controversy trailing the demolition, took on the clergyman for being economical with the truth.

It also clarified that the demolition was carried out by the Olowo of Owo, Oba Ajibade Ogunoye with the approval of the state government adding that the land has been returned to its rightful owner – the monarch of the town.

The statement signed by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary Ebenezer Adeniyan, in Akure, the state capital, said that the bishop painted “the state government as unresponsive.”

It reads, “The attention of the Governor of Ondo State, Dr. Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, has been drawn to a “Circular to the Public” issued by the Catholic Diocese of Ondo regarding the demolition of the Memorial Park in Owo, signed by Bishop Jude Arogundade.

“While it is a known fact that the Office of the Governor does not engage in public spats over issues such as this, it is imperative that we offer a response to correct the misrepresentations in the said statement.

According to the statement, “While Mr. Governor acknowledges the sentiments and concerns of the Catholic Diocese over the demolition of the Memorial Park, it must be clearly stated that the approach of Bishop Arogundade to this issue negates the cordial relationship—with open channels of communication—that Mr. Governor has established with religious leaders in the state since coming into office.

“The letter said to have been written to Mr. Governor, seeking an audience for dialogue on this issue, was submitted by the Church to the Governor’s Office on Monday, June 23, 2025, while the public statement was issued on Wednesday, June 25, 2025—barely 48 hours later.

It noted that, “The statement not only falsely claimed that 72 hours had passed without a response to the letter, but also gave the impression of issuing an ultimatum to the government to respond.

“We find it concerning that, despite not exploring any other channels of reaching Mr. Governor aside from the letter submitted 48 hours prior, Bishop Arogundade chose to address the public while painting the state government as unresponsive, in a tone that could incite the public against the government over the issue.

“Therefore, to address the misrepresentations and deliberate falsehoods being peddled by certain individuals over the issue, and to put the debates to rest, we state as follows, that the demolition of the Memorial Park in Owo was a necessary step taken to restore the dignity of Owo’s culture and the original purpose of the site.

“This was done after due consultations with the people of Owo, as represented by the Olowo-in-Council.”

Meanwhile, the traditionalists who protested agaisnt the former first lady of the state, accused her of being disrespectful to the monarch.

Speaking on behalf of the protestors, one of the chiefs of Owo, Idowu Olakunori, lambasted Mrs Akeredolu, saying the former first lady was disrespectful to the monarch for his utterance.

“She (Mrs Akeredolu) disrespected the community. Whatever point she had, she should have been cautious. We cannot allow anybody to disrespect our Oba.

“She called our oba, ‘baby oba’, She has desecrated our land and culture with such language. Whoever disrespects our king won’t go free. It is erroneously bad and barbaric to be calling our monarch such names.

“I don’t want to go further by referring to one’s place of birth, but in our clime here, we respect our traditional institutions and hold them in very high esteem,” he said.

Olamilekan Adigun

Olamilekan Adigun is a graduate of Mass Communication with years of experience in journalism embedded in uncovering human interest stories. He also prioritises accuracy and factual reportage of issues.