Group deplores attempt to forcefully install man Chief priest
A group, Oyo Educated Natives Group (OENG), Eruwa chapter in Oyo State, has condemned a move to install a 41-year year old man, Mr. Ola Olusegun Olatunde, as the Oluawo (Awo-cult chief priest) or make him pay with his life.
The group complained that the position of Oluawo comes with a lot of traditional rituals which must be strictly observed.
According to the president of the OENG, Chief Mufutau Adio, in an interview with our correspondent, propitiations and other hollow rituals that go with the office of Oluawo run contrary to the Christian faith of Ola and he had complained many times that he was not interested.
“Some of the rituals include idol worshipping; becoming polygamous, and above all, all his wives and female children must be circumcised and must never leave his community.
“But from what we heard, they are threatening to kill the young man and have been trailing him to wherever he goes in the country,” Adio lamented.
He further wondered why the security agencies, especially the police, did not show concern for Ola’s plight, despite having got many complaints.
“The last time we saw Ola, he told us that when he took his case to the security agencies, they chorused, ‘we don’t want to interfere with tradition’.
“There was a time he told us that when he relocated to a northern state, this cult group traced him there; whereas he and his family members, like other locals in this northern state, were battling to survive frequent Fulani herdsmen attacks.”
Adio further revealed that till date, the whereabouts of Ola has been unknown, as he may have gone into hiding.
According to Adio, Ola, an educated indigene of Eruwa with at least two university degrees, was distraught and panic-stricken, as several complaints to the police met with deaf ears.
He debunked the whole scenario as one that is against natural justice.
Meanwhile, all attempts by our correspondent to locate Ola through his mobile telephone had proved abortive, as it was switched off.
