Oba Olateru Olagbeji II Attempts To Return to Owo Town After Two YearsIn Exhile

Sir Olateru Olagbegi II, Olowo of Owo (August 1910 – 1998) was the Olowo (King) of Owo
He was appointed Olowo in 1941 and ruled for 25 years before he was deposed and exiled from Owo to Okitipupa then to Ibadan
His exile from power was a fallout of a regional crisis between two Action Group leaders: Awolowo and Samuel Ladoke Akintola.
The Action Group (launched in his palace a decade earlier) was led by Awolowo in the 1950s. A battle of wills between the two gladiators in the early 1960s saw Oba Olateru pitching his tent with Akintola.
However, his choice only fomented tension in his community.
The military coup in 1966 created an avenue for some citizens of Owo to unleash violence and revolt against Olagbegi. He was banished from power in 1966 by the military administrator of the Western Region. Then the federal government later validated his dethronement as the Olowo of Owo through a decree. A year later, a new Olowo was chosen by the people of Owo and thats how Sir Olateru Olagbegi II lost the throne to politics.
However, the banished monarch regained his throne back after 25 years in exile. and in 1993, he was re-appointed to his former title of Olowo after the death of the reigning monarch
He died in October 1998 and crown was passed to his son Oba Folagbade Olagbegi III.

The newspaper clipping is from 1968 when Oba Olateru Olagbeji II attempted to return to Owo. It was unsuccessful and the people of the town rioted in protest of his return.