A legal showdown is looming between the Ogun State Government and the International Council for Ifa Religion (ICIR) following the controversial burial of the late Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona, who was laid to rest according to Islamic rites.
The ICIR, through its President, Dr. Fayemi Fakayode, and legal representative, Ifasola Opeodu, has accused the state government and the monarch’s family of violating traditional burial protocols, warning that it will initiate legal proceedings to challenge what it describes as a desecration of Yoruba customs.
At a press briefing in Ibadan, Oyo State, over the weekend, the Ifa Council said the burial disregarded the Ogun State Chieftaincy Law, specifically Part 8, Section 55, Sub-section II, which mandates traditional rites for the burial of kings.
The council alleged that the Osugbo Confraternity, traditionally responsible for final burial rites, was barred from performing its roles, with heavy police and military presence deployed to stop them.
Fakayode said, “This is not about one monarch; this is a battle for the soul of Yoruba culture. Disregarding our customs is an assault on our collective identity.”
Opeodu further described the development as “a constitutional breach and a threat to the religious rights of traditional religion adherents.”
In response, the Ogun State Government dismissed the council’s threat as baseless and rooted in ignorance. The Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Sina Ogungbade (SAN), said the burial was in line with the late monarch’s personal wish and constitutionally protected religious freedom.
Ogungbade said, “If they want to sue, it’s a welcome development. But their position is laughable and totally disconnected from the realities of our legal framework.”
He added that neither the state nor the monarch’s family violated any law by honouring the late Awujale’s wish to be buried according to Islamic traditions. “The deceased or his family cannot be compelled to adopt rites against their religious belief,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Chief Priest of Ijebu land and Olowa of Iperu, Chief Rasaki Osimodi, criticised what he described as government-backed interference in traditional processes. “The late king ate and drank with us, but in death, he turned his back on our customs,” he said.
Sources within the palace also defended the decision, saying the Awujale’s burial strictly adhered to legal provisions and the monarch’s documented wishes.
Efforts to get comments from the late monarch’s immediate family proved abortive, but a senior palace source, who preferred anonymity, said, “The law is clear. If anyone has issues, they should take it up with the legislature—not the family.”
The ICIR has vowed not to back down, promising to use legal means to preserve Yoruba traditional heritage and ensure that future royal funerals are conducted in accordance with cultural laws.
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