By Olalekan Ola
There was peaceful atmosphere in Ile Ife on Wednesday as the Traditional African Religion popularly known as Oro worshippers performed their annual traditional rites to appeal their gods.
The Oro worshippers is performed every March in Ile Ife which is annual spiritual exercise of the traditional religionists. The worshippers move round some specific areas of the town where dwellers are not allowed to come out or see them while performing the rites.
According to our correspondent who moved round the town found that this year exercise was peaceful as against last year (2023) where several muslims were attacked and wounded in front of the mosque called, Idi-Omo, Ilare mosque.
The attack led to demonstration against the Oro worshippers which lasted for two days before the intervention of Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II.
The police and local vigilante were seen protecting the worshippers while exercise lasted. It was found that nobody was molested or attacked as people were going about their normal business. The muslims were seen doing Tafsir, evening islamic lecture while the Oro worshippers going their way peacefully.
Ustaz AbdulFatai Adesoji who spoke with NewsDirect, said the The worshippers conducted themselves peacefully as against the last year which result into face-off between the muslims and the traditionalists. He said people are going about their normal business.
“The Oro worshippers have learnt their lesson from the horrible 2023 experience. All eyes are on them and they do make mistake of last year”, he said.
The traditionalists went round Igbotapa, Ajamopo, Gbodo, Ita olopo, Oja-Ife, Ilare, among other areas.
Recalled that an Islamic human rights organization, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has described the curfew declared by the Oro worshippers was on Monday declared a five-hour curfew in Ile-Ife yesterday, Monday 25th March, 2024 to take effect today, Wednesday, 27th March, 2024 from 2 pm to 7 pm as illegal, illegitimate, unlawful and unconstitutional.
The human rights organization in a statement called on both the IG of Police, the Commissioner of Police, Osun State and the Director of the Department of State Services (DSS) in the state to disallow the curfew and uphold the rule of law.
The group issued the statement on Tuesday, 26th March, 2024 by the Executive Director of the Islamic advocacy group, Professor Ishaq Akintola.
Oro worshippers of the Traditional African Religion (ATR) declared a five-hour curfew in Ile Ife yesterday, Monday 25th March, 2024. The curfew will take effect tomorrow Wednesday, 27th March, 2024 from 2 pm to 7 pm.
In a statement circulated on social media in Ile Ife by O.O Dada, the Oba Isoro and Arole Obatala, Obalesu Obatala Agbaiye, the Oro worshippers announced the commencement of the Oro Owa Ilare festival. They warned all ‘dwellers of Ile-Ife to stay indoors’ in more than half of the ancient city and cradle of Yorubaland including Igbotapa, Ajamopo, Gbodo, Ita olopo, Oja-Ife.
