Alhaji Mufutau Gbadamosi, the deposed Olofa of Offa, in Offa local government area in the central Nigerian state of Kwara, risks being charged with the contempt of the court should he continue to parade himself as the paramount ruler of the community.
Gbadamosi was dethroned by the Court of Appeal sitting in Ilorin in July and was ordered not to parade himself as the king of the Offa community while the court also directed the state government to immediately install Prince Abdulrauf Keji as the new Olofa of Offa. Gbadamosi has since filed an appeal against the judgment at the Supreme Court.
In a letter of 9 December sent to R. A. Lawal-Rabana, SAN, counsel to Gbadamosi, by Toyin Oladipo, counsel in the legal team of Ollugbense Ruling House of Offa, Oladipo complained of the various ways Gbadamosi has continued to violate the judgment of the appellate court by parading himself as the Olofa of Offa.
In recent times, our clients and people of Offa have complained that the 5th Respondent(Gbadamosi), your client, has been treating the Court of Appeal’s judgment with absolute and total contempt and impunity, putting the whole legal system to complete odium by parading himself as the Olofa of Offa contrary to the unequivocal order of the Court of Appeal,”bemoaned Toyin.
Various instances of the court judgment’s violation, Toyin said, include riding into Offa in a long convoy of vehicles with the insignia and plate number of Olofa of Offa boldly displayed on his vehicles with siren-blowing pilot cars,and that Gbadamosi is still living and operating from the palace of Olofa which is the official quarters of the holder of the stool of Olofa, among others.
Since Gbadamosi has appealed to the Supreme Court, Toyin wondered why he would appeal to the same system if he has so much contempt and disdain for the judicial system, pointing out that ” if other people had desecrated and destroyed the temple of justice like he is doing, he would have no place to go to.”
Warning that they are not unaware of the option of commencing contempt proceedings against Gbadamosi, Toyin said, “we believe in the tradition of the bar that it is better and more prudent to call your (Gbadamosi’s counsel) attention to this having regard to the general circumstances of the matter in court particularly as the appeals have now been entered at the Supreme Court,and to request you to caution him as we cannot continue to fold our arms and watch the 5th Respondent(Gbadamosi) disobeying the judgment of the court without being called to order.”
Oladipo expressed the hope that, after this letter, no further act of disregard and disrespect of the judgment of the court would be perpetrated by Gbadamosi, warning that should he continue, “we shall not hesitate to start contempt proceedings against him”