Ritual Initiation: Father Laments Daughter’s Disappearance In Ogun Community

Controversy has trailed the sudden disappearance of Mrs Bidemi Olayiwola in Ilogbo community of Ogun State. Her father, Koleosho Omobolanle, had raised the alarm about the disappearance of his daughter due to her refusal to let her children to be initiated into the family’s long-standing traditional rituals.

Omobolanle’s daughter, Bidemi, who is married to Olayiwola Yusuf, has reportedly been missing since June 2023, after her father allegedly demanded and continued to threaten that she must bring her two sons for the ritual.

According to reports, the couple, who resided in the same Ilogbo community within the Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State, fled the town due to Omobolanle’s persistent demands and threats.

Omobolanle said, “I knew she and the children were missing because I had my people on the ground. What was more painful in the whole tale was the fact that she and her husband refused to look back despite the health condition of her mother, who later died on February 22, 2024.

“She and her husband refused to show up for the burial. She is my favourite child, and her mother loved her dearly, but she never came back,” he said.

Speaking with some locals who do not want their names mentioned on the reason why Pa Omobolanle has been on the trail of his daughter and grandchildren, they revealed that trouble started when he demanded his daughter to participate in the long-practice family ritual while accusing the husband of being behind his daughter’s refusal to participate in the family rites which led to his continuous search of his daughter and most especially the grandchildren.

While speaking with the elderly man, Omobolanle said, “I asked for her children for my family ritual doctrine, and she went missing. The ritual is for these children, not their parents. These are some of the reasons why I didn’t want the man to marry my daughter.

“My grandchildren need to be initiated. It is our family legacy. They need to return, including my daughter and her children for the family ritual doctrine. There are consequences for their actions.”

However, in a chat with Yusuf’s younger brother, he revealed that his brother, wife, and children were safe from Papa Omobolanle’s threat and manipulation.

“They fled the town for their safety. They did that to protect themselves. At the beginning of their relationship, Baba Omobolanle didn’t support their affairs, and the main reason they left home was to protect their children from Baba Omobolanle (Bidemi’s father).

“He kept demanding their two children for one ritual, which they consider idol worshipping. There should not be any compulsion to participate in any worship. This is the twenty-first century. My brother and his family’s religion will not allow them to do the ritual.

“We all know the security situation in the country. When Baba Omobolanle kept threatening the family, my brother and his wife had no choice but to flee for safety, especially when he was threatening to indoctrinate the children by force,” he stated.