For Oba Babatunde Saliu, the Oloworo of Oworonshoki Kingdom, the past few weeks have brought a headache he never anticipated, one that threatens to fracture the domain he has worked tirelessly to build and protect since assuming the throne of his forebearers.
The source of his distress is the Lagos State Government’s recent recognition and installation of a new monarch over a community he insists falls squarely within his traditional jurisdiction. On August 14, 2026, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu presented the Staff of Office to Oba Kabiru Adesegun Bashir Saliu as the Olu of Oko Baba Agba, a community bordering Oworonshoki in Kosofe Local Government Area. The ceremony, held at the Kosofe Local Government Secretariat, was attended by government officials, traditional rulers and residents.
For Oba Babatunde Saliu, the move is nothing short of an existential threat to his kingdom. According to palace sources, the Oloworo is deeply displeased with the development, arguing that there is no recognised community known as Oko Baba Agba within or immediately adjoining his domain. His legal team has been instructed to commence appropriate proceedings to challenge the government’s recognition of the new stool.
The irony of the situation is that the man at the centre of this storm and the man wearing the new crown share the same bloodline. Oba Babatunde Saliu and Oba Kabiru Adesegun Saliu are brothers, both sons of the late Oba Bashiru Olohuntoyin Saliu. Rather than preserving the royal family’s influence, the government’s recognition of a separate stool for Oko Baba Agba is viewed by the Oloworo as an attempt to carve his domain into two, diluting his authority and creating a parallel traditional structure within his kingdom.
The conflict has now escalated beyond palace politics. We gathered that; the Nigeria Police Force, Zone 2 Command, has summoned the newly installed Oba Kabir Adesegun Bashir Saliu for questioning over allegations of threat to life, use of armed men for intimidation and harassment. A letter dated August 20, 2026, from the Zonal Intelligence Department invited the monarch to appear at the Onikan headquarters. While police did not disclose the identity of the complainant, the invitation comes amid the escalating dispute over the recognition and installation of the new monarch.
The border issue has become the next battleground. By August 23, 2026, attention had shifted toward the geographical boundaries of Oko Baba Agba. Residents and community stakeholders have been seeking clarification about where the new traditional jurisdiction begins and ends and how it relates to the existing Oworonshoki domain. The Lagos Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy Affairs and Rural Development has not publicly released a detailed boundary description explaining the relationship between the two traditional institutions, leaving the question of territorial integrity unresolved .
For the Oloworo, the battle is as much about legacy as it is about territory. At his coronation in 2022, he had grand ambitions for Oworonshoki, vowing to transform it into the “Dubai of Lagos” through infrastructure development, economic empowerment and human capital development. Those dreams now risk being undermined by a dispute that threatens to consume his reign.
The question hanging over his domain is clear, how much of his kingdom will be left intact once the boundaries are finally drawn? For now, we gather that; Oba Babatunde Saliu is determined to fight, in the courts, before the government and through every means available, to ensure that what his forefathers built is not broken into two.
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