Former Wife Labels Oluwo of Iwo a Neglectful Parent in Sharp Exchange

The ex-spouse of the Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrasheed Akanbi, has hit back hard by calling him a father who shirks his duties, following his claims that the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, worked with her to bring about his ruin.

Raised in Canada by parents from Jamaica, she is the offspring of the well-known reggae musician Ludlow “Bobo Zaro” Chin, famous for teaming up with performers like Capleton. Prior to tying the knot with the Iwo ruler, she earned her keep as a fashion model and business owner.

Their paths crossed at a social event in Lagos while she visited Nigeria in 2015, but the partnership fell apart in late 2019 after just under three years together. The king put the split down to deep-rooted clashes that could not be mended. Reports suggest he made her leave the royal home, sparking a flurry of open spats on social platforms where she pointed fingers at him for causing her emotional harm.

Tensions boiled over again on Tuesday when footage shared on the monarch’s Instagram account spread quickly online. In the recording, the Oluwo pointed the finger at the Ooni for scheming against him by arranging the match, insisting the whole thing was a trap meant to topple him. He went on to say that his former queen tried to poison him on two occasions, plotted his murder, and gave birth to a boy whose parentage he now questions. The ruler added that he needs a DNA test to verify if the child is truly his, while also alleging that the Ooni has been sheltering her and carrying on a romantic link with her.

The Oluwo made it clear that neither ancient forces nor mystical ones hold sway over his life. He declared that deities like Sango or Ogun lack the power to end him, leaving that choice solely to the divine.

Efforts to get a response from the Ooni’s press representative, Moses Olafare, drew a blank.

However, on Friday, the former queen fired off a reply on her Instagram, brushing off the king’s words as untrue, harmful, and a stain on the noble customs of the Yoruba people. She set the record straight by explaining that a trusted oba from Lagos brought them together, not the Ooni as he suggested. During her days as his consort, she viewed that Lagos leader as a guiding royal figure and continues to honour him as such.

She turned the tables by charging the monarch with leaving their son, Prince Oduduwa, without any contact for more than five years, painting him as a parent who turns away from his responsibilities. He only showed up in Canada this past August, she said, where he balked at signing documents for the boy’s passport but handed over 500 dollars—the very first bit of help the child has seen from him since their exit from the palace.

The ex-queen called on folks to ignore the ruler’s accusations and pressed traditional bodies to rein him in. She wrapped up by saying this would be her last word on the issue, reaffirming her devotion to her son and her affection for the Yoruba community.

Looking back, in a chat from 2020, the former queen portrayed their wedlock as resting on deceit. She rejected talk of cheating or tampering with his food, arguing that he exploited her roots in Canada to polish his own standing, as few had heard of him beforehand. He paraded her like a trophy, boasting about his foreign bride, and even picked the name Oduduwa for their boy, though wise elders later counselled a switch. She insisted their initial encounter happened in Lagos at that 2015 gathering, not abroad as he now maintains.

As barbs fly between the pair, their long-simmering grudge has burst back into the open, pulling the esteemed Ooni of Ife into the fray.