The Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja, has stepped into the long-running Onido of Ido stool crisis by setting up a panel of inquiry to investigate the dispute over the traditional leadership of Ido town in Oyo State.
The crisis, which has lingered for nearly two decades, centres on rival claims to the Onido stool, with three individuals laying claim to the title, a situation that has repeatedly triggered tension and division within the community.
Oba Ladoja urged all parties to remain peaceful as the panel begins its work, announcing that it would be inaugurated at the Olubadan Palace in Oke-Aremo, Ibadan.
The decision was conveyed in a statement signed by the monarch’s media aide, Adeola Oloko. While the statement did not disclose the composition of the panel, it said the committee would commence work immediately after its inauguration.
According to the statement, the panel is tasked with examining both the remote and immediate causes of the crisis, which has defied resolution for about 19 years, and making recommendations to guide the Olubadan and the Ibadan Traditional Council toward a lasting settlement.
The intervention follows renewed appeals from Ido stakeholders, who recently raised concerns about the worsening situation in the town, describing it as fragile due to the existence of multiple claimants to the stool.
They said repeated appointments and counter-appointments of Onido over the years had deepened divisions, weakened unity, and stalled development in the community.
The claimants were identified as Oba Benjamin Ademola Ishola Orobiyi, Tajudeen Akinola, and Muritala Babalola, each asserting legitimacy to the traditional title.
Stakeholders had called on Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde and the Olubadan to intervene, citing the impact of the crisis on peace and grassroots governance. Oba Ladoja’s action is widely seen as a decisive step toward resolving one of Ibadanland’s longest-running chieftaincy disputes.