Awujale Burial: IFA Council, Ogun Govt take the battle in court

A rendering of the legal accounts between the State Government of Ogun and the International Council for the IFA (ICIR) Religion is set, following the controversial burial of the late Awujale of ijebuland, OBA Sikiru Kayode Adetona, which was resting according to the Islamic rites.

The Icir, through its president, dr. Fayemi Fakayode, and the legal representative, Ifasola Opoou, has accused the state government and the monarch’s family of violating the traditional burial protocols, warning that he will warn legal proceedings to challenge what describes as a desecration of Yoruba’s habits.

During a briefing print in Ibadan, in the state of Oyo, during the weekend, the IFA council said that the burial has ignored the law of the head of Ogun State, in particular part 8, section 55, subsection II, which imposes traditional rites for the burial of the kings.

The Council said that the Confraternity of Osugbo, traditionally responsible for the final burial rites, was prohibited to carry out its roles, with a strong presence of police and military lined up to stop them.

Fakayode said: “It is not a monarch; this is a battle for the soul of Yoruba culture. Ignoring our customs is an assault on our collective identity”.

Opoeu also described development as “a constitutional violation and a threat to the religious rights of traditional religion followers”.

In response, the government of the State of Ogun rejected the threat of the Council as a basis for the foundation and rooted in ignorance. The Prosecutor General and Commissioner for Justice, Sina Ogungbade (San), said that the burial was in line with the personal desire of the late monarch and the constitutionally protected religious freedom.

Ogungbade said: “If they want to sue, it is a welcome development. But their position is ridiculous and totally disconnected from the realities of our legal framework”.

He added that neither the state nor the monarch’s family violated any law to honor the desire of the deceased Awujale that they are buried according to Islamic traditions. “The deceased or his family cannot be forced to adopt rites against their religious belief,” he said.

In the meantime, the high priest of Ijebu Land and Olowa of Iperu, the boss Rasaki Osimodi, criticized what he described as an interference supported by the government in traditional processes. “The deceased king ate and drunk with us, but in death, he turned his back on our customs,” he said.

Sources inside the building also defended the decision, stating that the burial of Awujale has strictly joined the legal provisions and the documented wishes of the monarch.

The efforts to obtain comments from the immediate family of the late monarch have proved abortion, but a source of Palazzo Senior, who preferred anonymity, said: “The law is clear. If someone has problems, they should accept it with the legislator, not the family”.

The Icir promised not to withdraw, promising to use legal means to preserve the traditional heritage of Yoruba and ensure that the future real funeral are conducted in accordance with cultural laws.

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