Towns and villages in South West Nigeria used to celebrate the Oro Festival. The Yoruba-inhabited states in the country’s south-west have recently grown quite contentious about the event. The celebration had been met in many of the area’s towns with anger over the customary restrictions on pedestrian and vehicular traffic as well as worry for the lives of those who would be caught in the restriction’s hours.
The Nigerian state of Ogun contains the town of Idiroko under its Ipokia local government. It’s located along the Nigeria–Benin border and has served as a legitimate border crossing since at least the 1960s. In addition to numerous other towns and villages, the town is surrounded by others as well, including Oke Odan, Ilase, Ita Egbe, and Ajilete. Owode-Idiroko Route is an extremely busy road in Ogun State, and the local government also hosts it. The highway is constantly bustling with traffic and people throughout the day. It connects Nigeria with Benin Republic, Togo, Ghana, and other West African nations on an international level.
To stop the complete breakdown of law and order that is building between the traditionalists and the Muslim Ummah in Idi-Iroko, we call on Ipokia local Government Area authority, Ogun State Government, Federal Government of Nigeria, and all other relevant players to act immediately. This is related to the traditional cultists arbitrary, unlawful, and right-infringing pronouncement of a curfew in the name of Oro and other traditional festivals.
According to information acquired by Muslim Voice, this action is related to the traditional occultists’ indiscriminate, unlawful, and rights-violating pronouncement of a curfew in the name of Oro and other traditional festivals. All attempts by the Muslim community in the local government to convince these sarcastic traditionalists to change their minds have failed because of this action, which has always prevented Muslims from visiting mosques during this trouble-seeking mania by the occultists.
The encounter between the Muslim faithful who were doing their evening prayer and the traditionalists, who had enforced a curfew over their Oro festival, last year resulted in violence. Additionally, Bola Wasiu, an Islamic preacher, was reportedly attacked by Oro followers who cut him on the head with a machete.
Section 38 (1) of the constitution states: “Every person shall be entitled to freedom of thought, conscience and religion […] and freedom […] to manifest and propagate his religion or belief in worship, teaching, practice and observance.” Similarly, Right to freedom of movement. (1) Every citizen of Nigeria is entitled to move freely throughout Nigeria and to reside in any part thereof, and no citizen of Nigeria shall be expelled from Nigeria or refused entry thereby or exit therefrom.
Why would a group of individuals try to stop Muslims and Christians from worshiping their God in the name of the Oro festival? As was said earlier, it is forbidden to establish a daylight curfew in the twenty-first century. On this context, the Muslim Ummah calls on all levels of government to swiftly intervene and stop the Oro worshippers’ illegitimate act.
Related: Iseyin: Curfew for the Oro festival Halted by the High Court
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