Οn May 26th, 2023, and for the second time, Senator Francis Fadahunsi who currently represents Osun East Senatorial District under the platform of the People Democratic Party (PDP), reportedly blocked the coronation of Dr. Omoniyi Yakubu Adebisi, the candidate supported by the peace-loving people of Osogbo, from being installed as the Onikoka of Koka.
Information available to the GraftWatch alleged that Senator Fadahunsi, through alleged manipulation of the fiducial responsibilities of the Nigerian Police Force, alleged deployment of hoodlums and interferences in fiducial responsibilities of technocrats and political office holders in Osun State, reportedly prevented Dr. Adebisi from being installed as the new king of Koka. It was gathered that the coronation was initially scheduled for May 21st, 2023 at Koka but after receiving intelligent reports that hired hoodlums would terrorize the community, the coronation venue was changed to the Ataoja’s Palace. It was gathered that one of the agents of Senator Fadahunsi quickly swung into action at around 9:30pm of May 20th, 2023 by strongly advising the Ataoja that the proposed coronation would constitute breach of peace in Osun and that the Ataoja must not get involved. Thereafter, it was reported that the coronation was postponed to May 26th, 2023 despite the readiness of the people of Osogbo for this historic event. Once again, May 26th 2023 came and the Ataoja of Osogbo announced to all attendees in the palace that the coronation would take place at 4:00pm. Unfortunately however, another agent of Senator Fadahunsi struck again at the very last minutes resulting in over two hours of being kept in suspense for about hundred good people of Osogbo, including high chiefs, and the security officials that came to felicitate with Dr. Adebisi, the people of Osogbo and the Ataoja. Initially, different stories make the rounds explaining why the Ataoja, who had earlier confirmed that the coronation would take place at 4pm of May 26th, 2023, would not show up at the gathering for over two hours despite the fact that he also informed the chiefs of Osogbo to remain in the palace for the coronation that was about to happen.
The available information had it that requests for police security protection during coronation scheduled for May 21st, 2023 via telephone discussions with the Osun State Commissioner of Police first by HRM, Oba Jimoh Olanipekun Oyetunji, Larooye II, the Ataoja of Osogbo and then by Dr. Omoniyi Yakubu Adebisi on May 20th 2023 were tactically turned down. It was reported that the Osun State Commissioner of Police informed Dr. Adebisi over the phone that Senator Fadahunsi had called him to warn him that there would be violence at Koka on May 21st, 2023 and that he, the Commissioner of Police, could not guarantee safety during the proposed coronation scheduled for May 21st, 2023. It was further reported that Senator Fadahunsi allegedly deployed thugs and or policemen to Koka on May 20th 2023 through May 21st 2023 with harassment of peace-loving people of Osogbo that live in this part of Osogboland, which is now referred to as Koka. It was gathered that the threatened people of Osogbo promptly contacted Dr. Adebisi who reached out to the Assistant Inspector General (AIG) of Police serving Osun State. The AIG reportedly contacted the Commissioner of Police but this was after the coronation had been successfully scuttled by the agents of Senator Fadahunsi.
Despite the critical roles played by Osogbo and her leaders in saving Yoruba Nations from being completely overrun by invaders during the intertribal and intratribal wars that ravaged various nations that were amalgamated together into the current Nigeria, the cities surrounding and people Osogbo appear to have quickly forgotten these critical roles of Osogbo. History has it that after taking over Ilorin from the old Oyo Kingdom, the invading warriors attempted to penetrate deeper and takeover more cities from cities from Oyo Kingdom but they were roundly defeated in Osogbo by gallant warriors from different parts of the old Oyo Kingdom under the leadership of various Ataojas including Oba Ogunaike Durosimi Fabode who reigned between 1864 and 1891.
During the aforementioned war, Oyile Community, which has Oyile River as its identifier, Omu Community, which also has its landmark as Omu River and a number of other communities served as military bases for the Oyo warriors who eventually defeated and forced the invaders into retreat in what is popularly referred to as “ogun jalumi” or jalumi war. The communities spanning from Oyile River to Omu River form the current day “Koka”.
Based on the information in the documents made available to Dr. Adebisi by Chief Ajadi F
atai Adekilekun Badmus, the Asiwaju of Osogbo, and were later shared with the GraftWatch, it is confirmed that this community, which is currently being referred to as “Koka”, was recorded as Omu Panu and Omu Koto as recent as 2002 during data collection exercise for a proposed division of Osogbo Local Government Area into Osogbo South Local Government Area, with the proposed headquarters at Jamegbo, Osogbo and Osogbo Local Government Area retaining Oke Baale, Osogbo as its headquarters. According to Chief Ajadi, the idea then was to compile the list of communities that fell within the territory of the then existing Osogbo Local Government and then divide these communities into two groups with each each group to form the communities under the administration of each of the proposed new local government jurisdiction. 
According to Asiwaju Badmus, he was actively involved in the exercise of compiling the names of the aforementioned communities and that Omu Koto and Omu Panu communities were noted as parts of the ward 11 of the then existing Osogbo Local Government Area. No record of any community named “Koka” as evinced by written document compiled during that exercise.
Oral evidence from Osogbo people living at “Koka” confirmed that the community was not known as Koka until recently when Mr. Coker, a descendant of Ataoja Fabode from his maternal side, became a dominant personality in the community and people started referring to the community as “Ago Coker”. Mr. Coker was the father of Oba Ademola Fadare, the first Onikoka of Koka that was crowned on November 22th, 2014 under the administration of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola as the then governor of Osun State. Mr. Coker was grandson of Humani who herself was a granddaughter of Oyeduntan, one of the daughters of Ataoja Fabode. Humani however married an Ilase man and gave birth to children including Fadare, the grandfather of Oba Ademola Fadare. It is instructive to note that Coker lived and died in Osogbo and his remains were retrieved to Ilase by families of Weso Compound, the ancestral family of Ataoja Fabode.
While Obokun Local Government Area was created in 1996 along with Olorunda Local Government and the currently existing Osogbo Local Government, it is still unclear when this town that used to be called Omu Koto and Omu Panu within Osogboland suddenly became “Koka” because no written record has been found yet at the time of this report apart from the aforementioned oral pieces of evidence from the residents of that community.
The story will continue…..
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