The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, has called for peace and orderliness in the ancient city of Ile‑Ife and its environs. Speaking through his second‑in‑command, Obalufe of Ifeland, Oba Idowu Adediwura, the Ooni made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Friday in Ile‑Ife. He emphasized his role as a “royal father” to Christians, Muslims, and traditionalists, and as a leader who champions peaceful coexistence worldwide, insisting that there is no reason for disruption in his home. He noted that the two major faiths and traditional worshippers have coexisted peacefully for ages and urged that hostilities should not arise now.
Oba Ogunwusi pledged to renovate the mosque that was damaged and to pay the hospital bill of the mosque’s Imam. The incident followed an attack on Thursday in which four people were reportedly injured when traditional religion worshippers assaulted worshippers in a mosque in Ile‑Ife. Traditionalists had announced on Wednesday that the “Oro” cult would perform rituals in certain parts of Ife between 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., advising residents to avoid those areas.
According to Mr. Abdulazeez Bashir, a worshipper in the mosque, Oro adherents broke through the fence and began flogging worshippers with canes, ordering them to leave the ablution area. “One of them even attacked the Imam, Alhaji Abdullateef Adesiyan, while entering the mosque. He was beaten with a cane and hit on the face with a rod.” Bashir said he discovered that about five persons, in addition to the Imam, had been injured and called the Ife Chief Imam, Alhaji AbdulSemiu AbdulHammed, to inform him of the events. “The situation could have escalated into a big crisis when other Muslims began to gather around, but the traditionalists eventually left. The victims were later taken to a hospital for treatment,” he added.
When contacted, Osun Police Command spokesperson SP Yemisi Opalola confirmed the incident and announced that an investigation into the mosque invasion had been launched. The Chief Imam of Ifeland, Alhaji AbdulHammed, told NAN on Friday that the trouble had been settled. He called for the protection of fundamental rights—religion, speech, and peace—and stressed that “there is no family throughout Africa that practices one religion. There should be freedom for individuals to practice whatever religion they choose without coercion.” The Chief Imam appealed to residents to maintain peace and order during each festival in the town, emphasizing that there is no profit in violence.
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