The Akarigbo and Paramount Ruler of Remoland, Oba Michael Adeniyi Sonariwo, has passed on at the age of 80.
The revered Yoruba monarch joined his ancestors on Saturday in the United Kingdom.
Sources told our correspondent that Oba Sonariwo had travelled out of the country to the United Kingdom for medical check-up before he eventually died.
The Ogun State government, however, said it was awaiting the official confirmation of the incident from the palace.
As information filtered in about the monarch’s demise, traditional chiefs were said to have locked the gate to the Akarigbo’s palace at Ofin Sagamu as residents continued to troop in to mourn his departure.
A prominent elder in Sagamu Local Government, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said only the kingmakers can break the news of the death of any Yoruba monarch.
But the President of Sagamu Youth Congress, Comrade Kayode Segun-Okeowo, confirmed the development, saying the Akarigbo joined his ancestors at the weekend.
“Kabiyesi went on his usual annual leave, but stayed back than expected. The news of his death was a great shock to us all,” Segun-Okeowo added.
When contacted on phone, the state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Otunba Dayo Adeneye, said the government had not been notified officially.
