₦airaland Forum

Following the burial of ceremony of the late Awujale of Ijebu land, Oba Sikiru Adetona, the International Council for Ifa Religion (ICIR) has said it will sue the Ogun State Government over “desecration of Yoruba customs”.


DAILY POST reported that the monarch who died at the age of 91 on Sunday, July 13, 2025, was buried at his private residence in Ijebu Ode, last Monday.

Oba Adetona, the longest reigning monarch in Nigeria was buried according to the Islamic tradition as traditionalists were forcefully prevented from conducting the customary burial rituals.


The ICIR, through its President, Dr. Fayemi Fakayode, and legal representative, Ifasola Opeodu, at a press briefing held in Ibadan, Oyo State, over the weekend, accused the state government of disregarding the State Chieftaincy Law, specifically Part 8, Section 55, Sub-section II, which mandates traditional rites for the burial of kings.

Opeodu frowned that the Osugbo Confraternity, traditionally responsible for final burial rites, was stopped from performing its role and walked out by the military men on ground.

“This is a constitutional breach and a threat to the religious rights of traditional religion adherents.” Opeodu said.


Meanwhile, the Ogun State Government has insisted that the burial was done in line with the late monarch’s wish.

The Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Sina Ogungbade (SAN), noted that the Ifa adherents are suing the government out of ignorance and are free to do so.

Ogungbade said, “How can the choice of the deceased Awujale or that of his family to bury him according to his faith and without disruption by anybody, as guaranteed by law, be stretched to amount to an assault on religious freedom of indigenous adherents?


“ If and when they sue, we will meet them in court. It’s a welcome development. But their position is laughable and totally disconnected from the realities of our legal framework.”

The Chief Priest of Ijebu land and Olowa of Iperu, Chief Rasaki Osimodi, had expressed his dissatisfaction with the Awujale’s burial, saying, “The late king ate and drank with us, but in death, he turned his back on our customs.”

Source: https://dailypost.ng/Awujales-burial-Ifa-council-to-take-Ogun-Govt-to-court

I agree with the ifa in council!!!

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So IFA no get power to command his body to come out?

Make dem sue the ded King self, after eaten someone's heart, he don't want his own heart to be eating!

A king who is a custodian of culture and tradition is buried with foreign religion

Abomination...Ifa no dey go court o.

No carry our ancestors go court room

Let them go ahead. Ogun State Government vs Ifa Council season 1

How will a king that is a custodian of his culture be buried according to a foreign culture and religion. It's a slap and a disrespect to the Yoruba culture.

But as usual, this is Nigeria and they can do nothing about it.

adenigga:
Source: https://dailypost.ng/Awujales-burial-Ifa-council-to-take-Ogun-Govt-to-court

Lol....Ifa council ko,Offa council ni they are just wasting their time.

Good for the failed nation. Nigeria is now a dustbin.

Sue Tinubu too

It's well with our tradition..


You saw what an Oba entails...you decided to run the race, do all of the rites and became one..

You enjoyed the authority and all affluence attached to the throne...

You performed traditional rites and all..
Everything dey sweet you

When you come see say you are nearing old age and death is knocking, you used your position to change the goal post and severe the relationship with the tradition...you chose 'foreign' rites over traditional rites.

Well, this one is gone...the Afobaje's should ensure the next possible Awujale go sign agreement not to go against Tradition under any guise. This should be part of requirements.

If you can't sign this... It's not by force...leave Oba stool alone

This is a lost cause. If the late monarch left instructions on how he should be buried, nothing anyone can do about it.

adenigga:
Source: https://dailypost.ng/Awujales-burial-Ifa-council-to-take-Ogun-Govt-to-court

When the gods have taken up a fight amongst their own who am I to interference nor offer advise 😆😆

I think the family of the late chief should be held responsible for that or is it now government duty to decide how to bury a free citizen....just asking

BeginsAtHome:
I agree with the ifa in council!!!

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this is the problem.

1) a law has been passed to allow traditional rulers to be buried according to their beliefs..that in itself is where the assault on our culture was committed.
2) traditional rulers are governed by state law

personally,
1) traditional rulers in Nigeria are a pointless institution. What traditions are they upholding, they communicate in English and have abandoned the traditional religions. they have no legal powers over their "domains" and are employees of the state. What exactly is the point of them if they cannot up[hold the tradions they are there to uphold?
2) you know what you are getting into when you become a king, if you are not ready for the consequences dont go there.

its not by force to be a King/Oba

The late king who was a Muslim before he became the king, remained Muslim after he became the king and died as a Muslim?

Can someone who died as a civil servant be buried by the government because he/she died as a civil servant?

Why not simply judge the govt with the ifa?
😁
Don't ask Nairaland members for contact details (email, phone, bbpin) or investments

adenigga:
Source: https://dailypost.ng/Awujales-burial-Ifa-council-to-take-Ogun-Govt-to-court

People like Sikiru Adetona should never be crowned as kings in the first place; once you prioritize your western/eastern religious beliefs ahead of the cultural norms and spiritual practices of the town, don't even contest for the royal stool

Kingmakers need to stop being greedy and keep such hypocrites away from our traditional institutions

So the state is stronger than the deities or what is the moral here?

The Oba had a right to be buried intact, not to be butchered in the name of traditional customs. .
Africa will move forward when we choose to leave behind some certain customs.
If European countries retained their pagan beliefs, I doubt if we would be rushing there in troops by now.

It is high time these ifa people or whatever they call themselves stop this nonsense.
It is even against my human rights for you to force your stupid idolatry practices on me when I am dead.
If It were in the olden days,nobody will oppose them but in this 24th century,it is unheard of.
The whites too had cannibalistic cultures but they had let go of them.Reason why they are more civilised and developed than some Africans that want to die in the stone age.

casualobserver:
this is the problem.

1) a law has been passed to allow traditional rulers to be buried according to their beliefs
2) traditional rulers are governed by state law

personally
1) traditional rulers in Nigeria are a pointless institution. What traditions are they upholding, they communicate in English and have abandoned the traditional religions. they have no legal powers over their "domains" and are employees of the state. What exactly is the point of them if they cannot up[hold the tradions they are there to uphold?

its not by force to be a King/Oba

I tell you, absolutely pointless!!!

When he was alive he was a TRADITIONAL RULER only to refuse the traditional way in death. That screams FRAUD!!!

Do you think the RCCG will accept the final wishes of Adeboye if he says to one of his son "when I die, bury me according to Islamic rites"

The institution to which he belonged will fight back.

If they fail to get justice, I can tell you for sure that the RCCG will lose more than 1/3 of it's members.

YORUBAS WILL ALWAYS DO THINGS IN OMOLUABI WAY. PROUD OF MY TRIBE.

U cant be assuming traditional throne only to later follow the way of the arab or jew religions. We are not subservient; neither is our culture inferior to theirs.

ILE OODUA A GBE WA O.

He doesn’t want to be buried like an idol worshipper

All dis stuffs no no necessary iswr.... U jst need to get d next oba to be a traditional worshipper.... If d stool you want to sit on is a traditional stool then u must respect and follow d culture... I'm not talking about d barbaric cultures oh.... In England whoever must be king or king must be affiliated with the church.. If u must practice another religion then u must leave the throne

kingthreat:
The Oba had a right to be buried intact, not to be butchered in the name of traditional customs. .
Africa will move forward when we choose to leave behind some certain customs.
If European countries retained their pagan beliefs, I doubt if we would be rushing there in troops by now.

Agreed, you made a valid point.Forward ever back ward never.

BeginsAtHome:
I agree with the ifa in council!!!

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The mutilation or poor handling of the corpse of Yoruba kings has to stop. Some cultures and traditions need reform

Why are they going to court? Does democracy in Nigeria have any iota of respect for traditional institutions?

They should have involved metaphysical powers against those kicking against the traditional rites to be performed on the corpse of the dead king right there at the burial.

For instance, they should have invoked heavy rain strong enough to disrupt the burial activities of that king, that was how traditional practitioners instilled fear into people those days. Going to court would not solve anything.

BeginsAtHome:
I tell you, absolutely pointless!!!

When he was alive he was a TRADITIONAL RULER only to refuse the traditional way in death. That screams FRAUD!!!

Do you think the RCCG will accept the final wishes of Adeboye if he says to one of his son "when I die, bury me according to Islamic rites"

The institution to which he belonged will fight back.

If they fail to get justice, I can tell you for sure that the RCCG will lose more than 1/3 of it's members.

Did you understand what the person you quoted wrote? He mentioned that law has been made to change the tradition and it allows the king to be buried the way he prefers.
Being a tradition doesn't mean that governments and people should uphold barbarism

So these people don't like themselves like this?
Chooiii

Putinofrussia:
It is high time these if a people or whatever they call themselves stop this nonsense.
It is even against my human rights for you to force your stupid idolatry practices on me when I am dead.
If It were in the olden days,nobody will oppose them but in this 24th century,it is unheard of.
The whites too had cannibalistic cultures but they had let go of them.Reason why they are more civilised and developed than some Africans that want to die in the stone age.

Was the idolatry practices not performed on the king before entronement? He should have rejected it from the onset. If you can't stand the heat from the kitchen, why enter in the first place? Our hypocrisy in this country stinks to high heavens.

You say traditional worship is a stone aged practice, Christianity and Islam both started when? 21st century?

When a decision is made by govt which seems to infringe or the rights of Christians or Islam, each party would begin to cry islamization or christianization of the country but the same people are pressing the necks of traditional worshippers denying them of their rights of worship. It's a shame.