FEATURE: In Nigeria’s South-West, traditional worshippers push communities to the edge, threaten freedoms as authorities scramble to defend rights (Part 1)

The practice of Oro as a traditional religious worship and the festival associated with it had caused some unrest lately in some parts of south-west Nigeria, leading to conflicts with faithful of other religious practice, namely Muslims and Christians, as government and security agencies strive to find a middle ground for stakeholders. ABUBAKAR ADBULRASHEED reports:

Once known as a peaceful city that accommodated Nigeria’s three major religious faiths with tolerance that was worthy of emulation. Ile-Ife, a city in Osun State, South-West Nigeria, was known as the custodian of ancient traditional deities and practices like Oró, masquerades, costumes and shrines amongst others. However, all that has been tossed into the ferocious abyss of religious clashes and chaos in recent years.

Ile-Ife, the city where people of other faiths, Muslims and Christians, are minorities is fast becoming a shadow of itself from religious intolerance that often leads to crises over the imposition of curfew by the majority faithful (traditionalists) to hold their traditional practices mostly the Oró festival, which infringes on Nigeria’s constitution that guarantees religious freedoms of worship.

Chapter 4, Section 38 (1) of the Nigerian 1999 Constitution which states, “every person shall be entitled to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, including freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom (either alone or in community with others, and in public or in private) to manifest and propagate his religion or belief in worship, teaching, practice and observance,” gives individuals the right to practice their religion without orchestrating violence or obstructing other faithful.

However, on March 30th, 2023, the people of Ilare, a town in Ile-Ife, woke up to their usual exciting morning, hoping that the day will end in gaiety just like it started but in a complete twist of faith, the town turned into a space of strife with the ensuing unease from Muslims faithfuls of Idi-Omo when they broke the unconstitutional curfew imposed by Ilare’s Oro Obatala adherents to hold the annual Oro festival processions of Òwa Ilare.

For Muslim faithfuls, it was the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar in which they hold the Ramadan fast, but the adherents of Oro had announced days before the festival the imposition of street curfew for the Oro procession parade. However, Muslims were praying inside a mosque at Idi-omo fulfilling their afternoon obligatory prayers when they were attacked by the devotees of Oro Obatala led by the chief of traditional worshippers, Olaolu Dada, alleging that they broke the curfew order to stay indoors.

Òró, a practice that endorses violence, deprives freedoms?

Patriarchal in nature, Orò festival is an ancient traditional practice in many Yoruba towns and localities, to its worshippers it is meant for cleansing the towns or communities from being held from evil spirits.

How its ritual rites are held differ from one town to another and vary from one location to another. Mostly, it is done at night, but not always, and non-participating men are instructed to stay indoors under the veil of a total curfew.

The practice also forbids women and children to behold the ritual procession.

Since ancient times, a belief has surrounded the practice that fatal consequences await any woman that sees it, as they claim the woman would be killed by Orisha Oró which they regarded as “Oró gbé (sacrificed)”.

To hold the ritual rites of the festival, town criers go round the communities days before the procession proclaiming the curfew for the day the Orisha Oró will be paraded.

Being gender-specific it is done by particular men only who dress in all-white attires and bear sticks that will be used on anyone that breaks the curfew and comes before them during the procession.

However, in Ile-Ife, Oró festival is distinctive from other areas as the ritual rites hold in daylight and curfew is imposed from midday and lasts through the evening. During the time, schools are closed, people of other faiths are warned to adhere to the curfew regulations of staying indoors, while workers and individuals must also be off the street.

According to records obtained by RIPPLES NIGERIA, the festival was earlier scheduled to hold on 15th of March but changed to 30th of March, due to the earlier date clashing with the 2023 election affairs.

However, Mr Dada requested Oba Zacheaus Olayode, the king of Ilare-Ife, who in hierarchical order claimed he is the fourth king in Ile-Ife next to the Ooni of Ile-Ife, Adeyeye Ogunwusi, to order the town criers to announce the curfew for the festival and as well its announcement on radio at various stations..

Research showed that the imposition of curfew for the festival by Oro adherents has led to religious clashes across six Nigerian South-West states which has claimed lives, with property destruction, and left many with longtime injuries as well as created a state of tension amongst other citizens.

The causes of the clashes were alleged to be as a result of traditionalists attacking other religious faithfuls for breaking the curfew proclaimed for the festival, while legally, the action transgressed the Nigerian constitution that provided for the unhinded freedom of religion and movement. And also contravened the nation’s Criminal Code Act.

While religious intolerance has been identified as one of the factors that bred terrorist groups like Boko Haram, ISWAP, and others wherein many citizens have lost their lives, homes, and properties especially in the Northern part of the country, attacks on Muslims and Christians by traditional devotees are also threatening the peace of the national space in Nigeria’s South-West region, instilling tensions and fears in the heart of citizens.

The Ile-Ife Religious Clash Over Traditional Festivals

In the Yoruba culture of South-West Nigeria, a popular adage says, ‘eniyan lón bé leyin Oró tí Oró fi nké,’ which literally means that humans are responsible for the tragic incidents surrounding the festival or deity, as the case may be.

This same adage would serve as a poignant lens through which we can view the tragic occurrences of Oro in Nigeria from 1999 to 2023, orchestrated by its worshipers, resulting in attacks that led to loss of lives and injuries, damage to property, and the restriction of religious and personal freedoms.

In interviews with victims of the attack in Ilare, they expressed their dismay while explaining that the devotees invaded the mosque in a flurry of anger for breaking the curfew for the festival.

A Muslim faithful, Alfa Abdulwahab struggled in the clash to safeguard his fellow faithfuls from being injured but the little he was able to do cost him a lot of blood as he was stabbed in the head.

He said he still feels the inner pain of the healed wound, even after seven months

Adeyeye Muritala, 39, one of the victims said, it was around 4:00pm and they were about to observe their Asr prayer at Idi-omo mosque, the melodies of the procession songs reverberate into their ears from a distance and got louder as they approached them, but they were not concerned and didn’t attempt to hide because the procession had never prevented them from being inside the mosque to pray since the years it had been in existence.

But the March festival took a turn from the normal and translated into a bloody clash which left Muslims in agony due to the attack by the traditionalists.

The Oro devotees, on their way from Owa Ilare shrine where final rituals were concluded, forced their way into the mosque and started beating and hitting those they met inside the mosque with iron rods and sticks.

Mr Muritala said they were at the ablution area while some were already inside the mosque when the devotees came into their mosque and started the violence by beating everyone and asking them to leave the mosque. He added that five of their fellows were severely injured and the attack would have degenerated into more tragedy if not for the local security agents, Vigilante, that swiftly intervened. But before the intervention, he got injured on his left hand and his phone was also broken during the tragic attack by the traditionalists.

Two traditionalists also sustained injuries on their hands and legs during the clash, according to picture records obtained from a source.

He said both religious groups had been on good terms with tolerance and showed respect and love for one another at any of their convergences until the March attack.

Narrating the incident, he said that a young boy among the Oro devotees first walked into the mosque instructing them to leave, but the Muslim faithfuls declined, saying they were about to observe their congregational obligatory prayer.

Just before they could finish the exchange of words, other devotees also came into the mosque and began beating people with sticks and hitting them with iron rods.

“For years in the past, we used to observe our prayers while they do their thing (Oró). That day, a young man just came into the premises with a cane and talked to us rudely, asking us if we didn’t hear the announcement about the curfew. We also replied him that this has been how we used to do it before he was born, but the next thing was the adults pounced on us and started beating everyone including our wives”, Mr Muritala narrated.

Abdul-lateef Adesiyan, the Imam of Idi-omo mosque in Ile-Ife was approaching the mosque to lead the congregation prayer, but a few steps to the mosque, his ears captured the noise of crying and loud voices of argument that made him rush into the mosque. But the devotees descended on him hitting him severally with iron rods more than others.

Mr Adesiyan was hit on the head and sustained wounds that nearly claimed his right eye.

“Our Imam appeared at that same time to lead the prayer, on seeing him they pounced on him immediately and started beating him. I had to escape with a few fellows through that right gate there, they even followed us but some of us managed to escape”, Mr Muritala added.

Those who sustained injuries were taken to OAU Teaching Hospital for treatment, but Muslims involved could not complete their Ramadan fast, including Mr Adesiyan, who also works as a teacher at a government secondary school in Ile-Ife.

Ripples Nigeria visited St John’s Anglican Church that was also affected by the incident, but the priest said they’re not permitted to speak to the media.

However, a member of the church, who spoke on condition of anonymity said they closed their evening prayer service which commenced at 3:30pm that day and had been expected to last till evening because of the event.

“We stopped our program and closed the gate when we heard of the attack through a phone call from someone, but we were in fear that they might break in and attack us”, he said.

One of the traditionalists who claimed to be the Yeyelu of the Osun deity in Ile-Ife, Osunfunmilayo Kayode, claimed that the ‘tiny sticks’ being held by the adherents have been soaked with charm. She said it is meant to be used on any lady that disobeyed the curfew order, and added that such woman could die on the spot.

“The festival affects women predominantly, it doesn’t usually affect men but women. But some are stubborn and would want to see what is going on, even students are advised to stay at home or schools close down for that day or period till the festival is done.

“Some said that they were cut with a cutlass, it is a lie, it is not cutlass but a tiny cane, this particular cane would be charmed. This is what they used to beat them, if not because they were men, if they were women, once the canes touch them they would immediately fall and die,” she said confidently.

Mr Adesiyan told Ripples Nigeria that he had a severe cut in his head when he was continuously hit with iron rods that had a light sharp tip. Six of them including himself sustained injuries from the attack and were taken to the hospital, where he got his wounds treated and stitched. He added that a Hausa man whom he identified as Abubakir that had branched the mosque to pray lost his life a day after the incident from stab wounds.

“It was during our fasting period, we were attacked, including a Hausa man who branched our mosque to pray, the man later died the next day of the attack. They severely injured him and stabbed him.

But we didn’t want it to be a crisis between Hausa and Yoruba that is why we didn’t drag his death with them.

“They struck before I even arrived at the mosque, my people later told me that Dada (the Obatala that led the attack) was mentioning my name, ‘is their Imam there? kill him, stab him.’

“I started begging them immediately I rushed into the mosque, and they asked ‘are you the Imam?’ and I said yes and they started hitting my head with a cutlass-like object. There was also a youth (referring to Mr Abdulwahab) that was stabbed as well.

“After a while, I struggled to get out of the mosque and I called the Chief Imam of Ilare because I knew if I didn’t call him, they would later say we were the one that attacked them first. The Chief Imam came but they hit his chest with a slap”, Mr Adesiyan said.

He claimed that the Oró ritual held that day didn’t call for imposing a curfew. He believes the devotees had planned the attack on them if perhaps they ever found them in the mosque during the curfew time.

“It was clear that they planned the attack, the type of Oro they did that day did not call for the curfew, he (Mr Dada) just used his own power. Those who held the position of Obatala before him did not do such. When they are doing Oró and pass your house they will be praying for you.

“If you can get the videos of the event, you will see people outside, you will see hawkers on the street, but why entering mosque to attack us? That means there is something behind it which is only known to them”, Mr Adesiyan said.

However, videos and pictures of the event obtained showed that more people broke the curfew as they were found outside, which questioned the attack on the mosque.

The fear instilled by the unconstitutional curfew to perform the festival ritual rites has left the minority faithfuls including business owners with no alternative than to regard it as a norm and accord it reverence forestall the said repercussions of beating or being used as sacrifice.

In an interview with Olowoyo Opeoluwa, a shop owner in Ilare, she stated that they close their shops for the whole day the Orisha Oró would be paraded during the festival, in avoidance of stumblibg into the procession in which they could be used as sacrifice.

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She is now one of the people that regards the curfew as a norm which they have been used to, this is in spite of closing from their means of livelihood, for the festival.

“We are very close to Ilare shrines here and that is where they worship their gods and there is no way it would not affect our business because they have to pass here but as for me I don’t see anything wrong in it again, we are used to it now,” Mrs Opeoluwa said.

She attests to the songs of advocating for a death for whoever beheld the Oro.

“There is something they used to say “wón e wó” which means ‘must not be seen’, I have been hearing that since my childhood, and I have been strictly avoiding it to avert the consequence that followed,” she added with fear in her eyes.

“Any time they announce the curfew like that, we don’t come to shop at all, We know that day is not for business, so we just stay at home, just like that day too”, she told Ripples Nigeria.

An eye for an eye, a violent retaliation

A day following the attack, the Muslim faithfuls of Ilare along with various Islamic groups in their hundreds staged a massive protest across the streets of Ile-Ife to kick against the attack on their mosque while also demanding justice to arrest the perpetrators, but the retaliation turned into a violence of stoning by the Muslims, including stoning the palace of the Royal Highness, the Ooni of Ife, Mr Ogunwusi, who happened to be away on a trip.

The violent protest caused destructions and breach of public peace.

they also trooped to the ancient Owa Ilare shrine to take the effigy deity and break it but it was not found at the shrine as it had been withdrawn by the traditionalists and taken back to Obatala Temple.

However, the Muslim groups cut down and burnt the ancient trees at the shrine where their traditional rituals are often held.

Reacting to the incident, Mr Dada described the actions by the Muslims as a “criminal conspiracy” and said it was pre-conceived.

“The following day they started stoning the sacred Ooni’s palace and it is a taboo to do such to the Ooni of Ife, the whole of Yoruba land, the whole of this land.

“They also went to the shrine of Owa Ilare and destroyed the shrine, they even carry cutting machine and cut all the trees, in fact! They set the trees on fire but nobody responded”, Mr Dada expressed how Muslims violently retaliated.

He added that such tragic incidents had never happened in Ilare since the ancient times the festival had been in existence.

“Myself have been leading that type of Oro for the past thirteen years, I never experienced such incidents, I never experienced nonsense. And such things have never happened in Ife before,” he claimed.

Mr Dada stated they have been living peacefully together with tolerance, said he foresaw there would be a clash on the day six days before the festival was finally held.

“They have been friendly with us, yearly when we do Oro along that road, they (Muslims) used to buy us very cold water, one bag or two. But now, it is like the Muslim people want to start nonsense in Ile-Ife, we have been doing this for thousands of years to save the whole town from troubles, from spiritual attacks, so why this year now they started rubbish?why?” Mr Dada lamented.

On imposition of curfew, he stated that it was not necessarily that people totally stay indoors, but to keep off the road they are parading the Orisha Oro. But his statement conflicts with obtained records of him requesting for imposition of street curfew, and reason why the mosque was attacked for not complying to the curfew, if people could be out as he claimed.

“If we say nobody should be out, it is in the afternoon not at night. And in that afternoon, and it is just for some hours from 1:00pm. It is not necessarily that they stay indoors, but to keep off the road we’re passing”, he added.

On the other hand, he denied the alleged attack despite evidences of the event and various report alleging the traditionalist to have invaded Idi-omo mosque.

“The Muslim people said we damaged their mosque, it is a blatant lie, nobody attacks any mosque, nobody enters any mosque. Instead the Muslims people kidnappped one of our boys but the vigilante rescued the boy,” he said.

Mr Dada claimed that Ile-Ife is a town of traditional deities and practices, adding that Muslims and Christians must adhere to their regulations.

“We are the owner of the town, Muslims are not the owner of Ile-Ife. Everybody in the world knows that Ile-Ife is the source of mankind and it is an Ébora town, Irumole town, Elebo town (town of traditional deities),” Mr Dada claimed.

His claims, however, contravene the Chapter 4, Section 38 of the Nigeria’s Constitution that prohibits adopting a state or region to a particular religion.

“The Government of the Federation or a State shall not adopt any religion as State Religion,” the law states.

The Yeyelu of Osun, Mrs Kayode also claimed that any woman whom she regarded as “scapegoat” found breaking the curfew would be beaten by Oro devotees with sticks soaked with charm and used as sacrificed.

“Once the gods need a scapegoat they would surely find one that would come around. Ile-Ife indigenes can not be used [as sacrificed] but a stranger. There are so many Oro like that, and when a human is needed for sacrifice, the Orisha would surely bring the person,” Mrs Kayode explained without any remorse.

She, however, blames the Muslims for the attack saying they violated the rule of the curfew by coming out to pray in their Mosque.

“The Imam was the disobedient one, who decided to be recalcitrant and wanted to see what they would do. He knows the rules and yet breaks them.”

However, the act by the Oro worshippers and as claimed by Mrs Kayode to inflict “charm” on any one that defies the regulation of the Oro goes to the heart of Nigeria’s Criminal Code Act.

The Section 210(C) of the Act criminalises the use of Witchcraft and Juju.

The law states, “Any person who–

“makes or sells or uses, or assists or takes part in making or selling or using or has in his possession or represents himself to be in possession of any juju, drug or charm which is intended to be used or reported to possess the power to prevent or delay any person from doing an act which such person has a legal right to do, or to compel any person to do an act which such person has a legal right to refrain from doing, or which is alleged or reported to possess the power of causing any natural phenomenon or any disease or epidemic; or

“is guilty of misdemeanour and is liable to imprisonment for two years.”The law states.

Public and Private sector Workers under Threat

Christiana Olaboye, a resident of Ilare who works as a nurse at a private hospital in Oshogbo said she often seeks a day off at work whenever a curfew is announced for Oro during the festival. She does this to avoid the menacing consequence of the ritual.

“I don’t like hearing about Oro due to the scary consequences involved. They’ve always been saying women seen during the festival will die and would be used as a sacrifice.” Mrs Olaboye said.

The former chairman Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) and Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Sakariyau Adesiyan, said the ritual rites during daylight need to stop in Ile-Ife, adding that the March attack was not the first.

“There must be an end of daylight Oro procession in Ile-Ife. That’s not the first time they have been attacking Muslims and Christians in daylight”, he said.

Reacting to the attack, the Ilare King, Mr Olayode in an interview said he didn’t know what transpired between both groups. He added that only the reports of the commotion were brought to him.

“I don’t go out with them since I became the king, in fact, I have not seen the Orisa (deity) before. All I do is pray for them and wave at them. I don’t know what happened that day, all I heard was the fight and they brought reports of the commotion to me as their king.”

Speaking about the reason for the curfew, he said, “the worshipers of the Oro effigy so much respect and value it, and they believe it has so much power, so they are afraid that the white men could hijack it from them.

“To prevent this, they decided that any time they wanted to take it out, they would impose a curfew to stop movements around them,” Mr Olayode expressed.

The Pacification Dialogue

The Ooni of Ile-Ife, Mr Ogunwusi, after his return from a trip, summoned worshippers of both faith to pacify the commotion and reignite religious tolerance. He, however, promised to fix the damage done to the mosque and pay the victims’ hospital bills.

But despite this, the Muslim delegates insisted that security officials must investigate the event and solicited agreement between all three religious faithfuls that one would never attack another.

However, Mr Adesiyan said none of the promises made by Mr Ogunwusi were fulfilled.

“He (Mr Ogunwusi) summoned us to the palace including the traditionalists. The king started lamenting their actions and they also frowned their faces in anger. After that, he said I should do the estimate of all we spent at hospital and for the damage they caused which I did but they did nothing on it,” Mr Adesiyan claimed

An Islamic group, Ta’awunu Human Rights Initiative (THURIST), wrote a petition to the Osun State Commissioner of Police to investigate the event and prosecute the perpetrators.

“The state commissioner of police is given a seven day ultimatum to cause an immediate arrest, arraignment and prosecution of perpetrators of this criminal act of public disturbance and attempted murder of peaceful people contrary to the law of the land,” Part of the petition signed by the organisation’s director general, Sulaymon Tadese, read.

Inaction questions injustice

In a press statement following the attack, the Public Relation Officer to the Osun State Police Command, Yemisi Opalola, said investigation had commenced to arrest the perpetrators, and added that they will keep the public posted with “full information” about the incident. However, seven months later, the police had yet to give any information regarding the incident.

When a call was made to the Osun State Commissioner of Police, Kehinde Longe, he claimed that the matter had been settled between the two groups.

“There is nothing more to it, we have settled the matter already,” he said.

Mr Longe’s claim is contrary to what Mr Adesiyan said about an official mutual agreement while also questioning what would be the justice for all people injured and the Hausa man that died as a result of the clash.

Contravening laws, a heavy weight on government to end religious intolerance—Expert

Collins Okeke is a lawyer and a senior legal officer at the Human Rights Law Service (HURILAWS), a non-profit non-governmental organisation that advances legal protection of human rights in Nigeria.

Speaking on behalf of his organization, he criticized the prevalence of inter-religious clashes stemming from religious intolerance, despite being governed by a constitution that guarantees the freedom of religion.

In response to the Osun attack on Muslims by the adherents of Oro, Mr Okeke expressed that denying people of other faiths the right to fulfill their religious practices to accommodate your own contravenes the law and is often responsible for the religious discord that results in clashes.

Elucidating Chapter 4, Section 38 of the constitution, he said that all citizens are constitutionally guaranteed the rights of thought, conscience, and religion, which establish the freedom to profess and practice whatever faith one chooses.

“While the traditionalists have the right to observe their own traditional processions, they cannot do so in a way that interferes with the rights of the Muslims to practice or profess their religious obligations. And that is where the conflict arises.

“But how do we balance the attempt of the traditionalists to practice their faith and also for the muslims to also go to the mosque to observe their religious obligation?

The people doing Oro have to do it in such a way that it doesn’t interfere or prevent other people from practicing their religion, because that was where they got it wrong.” Mr Okeke expressed.

He added that practicing a religion in a manner that denies others the freedom to practice their own faith is a significant cause of religious attacks and clashes, often resulting in injuries and deaths of many. He said if actions are not taken, it will continue to pose a threat to religious freedom, public morality and safety.

However, he expressed that the constitution conflicts with adopting a region or state to a particular religion, and added that there is a heavy burden on the government to end religious intolerance by balancing the interests of all parties without taking sides.

“The governments are not helping matters, they care to take a side when minority religions are oppressed.

“It’s unfortunate here in Nigeria that we see a situation where the state government professes or even says this state is a Christian state or this state is a Muslim State. All religions are supposed to have freedom to practice freely.”He added.

Mr Okeke also frowned upon the unconstitutional curfew imposed by the traditionalists, and blamed the Muslims for taking the law into their hands by stoning the palace and burning the traditional deitys’ shrine.

Reacting to the Commissioner of Police’s claim that both parties have resolved the issue among themselves, Mr Okeke stated that while there should be a coexistence dialogue among all religions, legal actions should also be taken to protect human rights and prevent such issues from future occurrence.

“The state government sitting back is not playing the role very well to defend the right of the people despite every religion having the right to freely observe or propagate their faith.

“It is not good enough for the commissioner of police to say that matters had been resolved among both parties and that we should just move on.

The question we should ask ourselves is, where is the justice for the person that died and those that were injured? And that’s why it is important for the government to take a very strong stand when it comes to issues like this. There is a likelihood that something like this can happen again”, Mr Okeke expressed.

This story was produced with the support of the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) ,in partnership with Code for Africa.

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