You Are Not One of Us — Akinboro Royal Family Disowns Akingbaso, Warns Against Alleged Identity Claim
Kathy Kyari
The Akinboro Royal Family of Alade, in Idanre Local Government Area of Ondo State, has strongly disowned claims by one Otunba Ademola Akingbaso that he is a member of the Akinboro royal lineage, describing the assertion as false, misleading, and an affront to the family’s history.
The family raised the alarm following reports in an online medium in which Akingbaso allegedly presented himself as a member of the Akinboro Royal Family of Alade. According to the family, investigations revealed that Akingbaso, who is not known to them by birth or affiliation, had “surreptitiously added” the prefix Akinboro to his name in a bid to project a royal identity.
Members of the royal family stated that all legitimate descendants of the Akinboro lineage are well known to one another, either personally or by name, including their maternal lineage, which they traced directly to the late Oba Williams Akinboro.
“The conduct of the said Akingbaso is not far-fetched from his inordinate ambition to be the king of Alade,” the family alleged, claiming that he has explored several avenues to actualise this ambition, including instituting multiple court cases in Ondo State.
They further noted that such cases, particularly those filed at the Idanre High Court against some members of the Akinboro Royal Family, were abandoned after responses were entered, reinforcing their position that the claims lacked substance.
The family stressed that since Akingbaso is not a member of the Akinboro Royal Family, he is ineligible to ascend the throne of Aladeokun of Alade. They also challenged him to present his primary and secondary school certificates to prove whether the name Akinboro had ever formed part of his legal identity.
In clarifying the family’s position on the Alade kingship, the Akinboro Royal Family stated that the only person endorsed by the family was Prince Olanrewaju Daniel Akinboro, not Benson Ademola Akingbaso, whom they insist has never been recognised as a member of the royal household.
“It is quite ridiculous for one to be bearing the name of a family which one never belongs to and which does not know you as a member,” the family said, adding that even the recent court action Akingbaso claimed to have instituted was never brought to their attention, suggesting he was “on a frolic of his own.”
Condemning the development, the family described Akingbaso as a “hijacker,” likening his actions to “a political party struggling for survival in a sinking boat.”
Speaking collectively on the matter, members of the Akinboro Royal Family expressed “utter dismay and bewilderment” over Akingbaso’s conduct, stating that none of the wives of the late Oba Williams Akinboro ever presented him as a child of the family.
They further emphasised that for as long as Alade has existed, the Akingbaso family has remained “distinct and different” from the Akinboro Royal Family, urging him to “look for his father’s house and not to be literally chasing shadows.”
On the alleged pending suit before Justice Adejumo of the Ondo State High Court, the family clarified that Akingbaso acted strictly in his personal capacity, as he was never given any mandate to institute legal action on behalf of the Akinboro Royal Family.
“How can a stranger claim to be acting on behalf of a family of which he is not a member?” the family queried.
The Akinboro' reiterated their position in unequivocal terms: Akingbaso should desist from attaching himself to a lineage that does not recognise him and should “look for his father’s house,” warning that continued misrepresentation could further inflame tensions surrounding the Alade traditional institution.
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