1 Injured Over Deposed Osun Monarch’s Burial Rites

Igbajo town in Osun State was thrown into pandemonium on Monday following the disputes greeting the burial rites for the late Owa of Igbajo, Oba Adegboyega Famodun, as those who opposed his rites of passage clashed with those who wanted to honour him as a royal father.

However, one man identified as Ifa was injured in the melee inside Iloro Market in Igbajo on Monday, as two other persons sustained minor injuries.

Eyewitness disclosed that violence occurred when those believed to be loyal to the late monarch demanded that Iloro Market be shut in his honour.

However, those opposed to the move resisted the attempt to force some traders who opened for business to close their shops.

A Facebook user, Taiwo Olaore, on Monday reported that some people demanded that the traders who opened for business should shut down as a mark of respect for the deceased.

Also, in the video, some women in white attire, bearing leaves, rebuked the traders who had opened for business and asked them to immediately close and mourn the late monarch.

A resident of Igbajo who spoke on condition of anonymity said, “They wanted to do a burial rite for Oba Famodun, but another set of people insisted that the late monarch was a prince and not a king.

“In order to perform the rite, the Iloro market must be shut for three market days. It was during the process of closing the market that the group opposed to the move mobilised at the market and insisted that it must remain open.

“Three people were injured during the clash that occurred at the market. One of them is known as Ifa. His pictures with blood-stained clothes circulated on social media. The market was later shut,” he said.

Asked if the burial rites were being observed despite the curfew imposed by the State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, he said, “The burial rites are ongoing. Although people didn’t come out after the governor declared a curfew, those performing the rites carried on with their duties alongside supporters of the late monarch.”

Olaore also stated that there was a massive deployment of security personnel to the town to prevent a breakdown of law and order.

The state’s Police Public Relations Officer, Abiodun Ojelabi, stated that one person was injured in the fracas, noting that normalcy has since returned to the community.

“Our personnel are on the ground, but as of this morning when I communicated, no arrest has been made. The Igbajo community is now peaceful. One person got injured during the clash,” Ojelabi said.

Meanwhile, Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, imposed a 24-hour curfew on the town on Monday.

Adeleke, in a statement signed by the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Mr Kolapo Alimi, further stated that the curfew is effective immediately until total peace is achieved.

The governor sternly warned the natives and non-natives to continually follow the path of peace and order, stating that anyone found or caught engaging in any act that had the tendency to further plunge the town into chaos would be dealt with in accordance with the dictates of the law.