… Demand Enforcement of Court Ruling, Call for Security Intervention
Daud Olatunji
Muslim leaders under the aegis of the League of Imams and Alfas in Ogun State have raised the alarm over alleged attempts by traditional religion practitioners to impose an illegal daytime curfew on residents of Ikolaje and Idiroko in Ipokia Local Government Area.
In a strongly worded petition addressed to Governor Dapo Abiodun, the group accused some traditionalists of threatening public peace and violating the constitutional rights of citizens under the pretext of performing traditional rites for the late Oniko of Ikoland, Oba John Olakunle.
The traditional rites, according to the petition, began on Monday, July 21 and are expected to run until August 19, 2025. The group alleged that during this period, residents are being coerced into staying indoors during the day, with threats of shop closures and physical harm.
While expressing respect for traditional beliefs, the Muslim clerics described the action as “unconstitutional, unlawful, and an outright violation of fundamental human rights,” citing a 2017 High Court judgment that expressly banned any form of daytime curfew in Ipokia LGA.
The petition, signed by Imam Tajudeen Mustapha Adewunmi, Secretary-General of the League, reminded the governor of several legal and administrative decisions already taken on the matter, including: a 2017 judgment by Justice S.M. Owodunni which ruled that no group has the right to restrict movement in the name of traditional rites .
The league also cited a 2019 stakeholders’ agreement involving Muslims, Christians, and traditionalists which restricted Oro rites to midnight to 4 a.m. And a 2020 peace communiqué signed by security agencies, religious leaders, and the late monarch himself, affirming the same time restriction.
The Islamic cleric also cited directives from the Ogun State Government and the Yewa Traditional Council banning daytime Oro activities across the region.
The clerics however, recalled previous violations of these agreements, including the 2019 attack on a mosque and assault on worshippers allegedly carried out by Oro adherents.
They warned that the ongoing actions of the traditionalists posed a “real threat to peaceful coexistence, religious harmony and the rule of law” in Ogun State.
Consequently, they called on Governor Abiodun to: Order immediate intervention by security agencies to stop the ongoing curfew ; reaffirm the government’s position restricting Oro rites to nighttime ; sanction traditional leaders who defy court orders and communal agreements ; assure residents of their constitutional rights to move, worship, and trade freely; strengthen the Inter-Religious Peace Monitoring Committee to enforce harmony.
“We are committed to peace and to working with your administration to uphold the rule of law,” the petition concluded, while also copying top security agencies, traditional councils, and local government officials.
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