The Lagos State Police Command has announced a restriction on this year’s Egungun festival, barring masqueraders and their followers from engaging in street parades across the state.
The command’s spokesperson, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, saying all festival activities must now be confined to designated venues and approved outing points.
Hundeyin explained that the measure was taken to forestall violence and prevent clashes between rival groups, which have been reported in parts of Lagos during previous celebrations.
He stressed that the directive was also aimed at safeguarding lives, protecting property, and ensuring that the rights of non-participants and adherents of other faiths are not violated during the annual cultural event.
“Egungun masqueraders, practitioners, and their supporters are to strictly comply with these restrictions,” the statement read.
The police further directed masqueraders to officially notify the Commissioner of Police and seek security cover before embarking on any festival outing.
Hundeyin warned that anyone who flouts the order, disrupts public order, or infringes on the rights of others would be dealt with in line with the law.
He appealed to community leaders and practitioners to cooperate with security agencies in maintaining peace and preventing avoidable breakdown of law and order.
The Egungun festival, a popular Yoruba cultural celebration featuring ancestral masquerades, often attracts large crowds in Lagos and other parts of the South-West.
However, in recent years, processions have sometimes degenerated into violent clashes, prompting tighter security measures by the police.
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