The attack in Igboho town in Oyo State where a group of secret cult members allegedly set a vehicle and a shop on fire over the refusal of their deceased leader’s son known as Rasheed Dimeji to assume the cult leadership stool, has caused widespread apprehension in the town.
Trouble started immediately after the death of the secret cult society’s spiritual leader, Pa Ismail, which created a vacuum on the leadership stool of the secret cult group.
According to the tradition of the secret cult society, the vacant leadership position is to be filled by the surviving son of the immediate-past late leader, Mr. Rasheed Dimeji.
However, Mr. Rasheed has refused to take up the responsibility and has consequently fled the town to an undisclosed location over safety concerns while all efforts by the secret cult group to locate him and forcefully install him as their next leader have proved abortive.
The members of the secret cult have been enraged by what they called a disrespect to their age-long tradition.
While believing that Rasheed’s mother knew his whereabouts but has refused to disclose same to them, they have assaulted the old and poor widow in many ways, including setting ablaze the family’s vehicle.
The poor old widow, while narrating her ordeal identified herself as Mrs. Muslimat and the mother of Dimeji.
“I suspected the secret cult members from Igboho to be responsible for setting ablaze the vehicle after they had earlier burnt down my shop this year,” she stated.
When asked why the group was targeting the family and their property, she said: “Because my son refused to be their next leader. They vowed that they would do everything possible to bring him home to be installed as their leader.
“Though, before his father died, he told him that in line with the family tradition, he would succeed him as the spiritual leader of a secret cult society in Igboho; he told him this to prepare him ahead of time but he immediately refused to be part of any secret cult society based on his religious ideology.
“Several times, the cult members would invite him to meetings, but he would not honour the invitations. So eventually, when his father passed on, he left the town when the cult members insisted he must be installed as their leader.”
“I did my best and appealed to him to accept the tradition, but he refused,” added the widow.
She further noted that they had also refused to install another person to the leadership stool, saying the cult members insisted Mr. Rasheed Dimeji must take the leadership of the secret cult.
The matter, according to Mrs Ismail is presently been investigated by Police operatives in the area.
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