Human rights lawyer, Chief Malcolm Omirhobo has dragged the Emir of Ilorin, Dr. Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, before a Kwara State High Court, Ilorin for allegedly banning the celebration of Isese festival in the state.
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In the suit marked KWS/161/23, the lawyer is praying the court to hold that the respondent’s prohibition of Isese festival in Ilorin Kwara State, which made it impossible for the applicant to commune, felicitate, celebrate, merry, bond and worship with the community of African Traditionalists/Olokun worshippers, is a violation of his fundamental rights to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, expression, peaceful assembly and freedom of movement, and therefore illegal, unlawful and unconstitutional.

He also wants the court to hold that the respondent’s declaration and/or description of the Isese festival, which is a manifestation of his mode of worship, religion, culture and heritage, as idolatry, is a violation of his fundamental rights to dignity of human person and therefore illegal, unlawful and unconstitutional.

In addition, the applicant wants the court to declare that the respondent and or his privies intimidating and harassing him and the community of traditionalists/Olokun worshippers not to celebrate a three-day Isese Festival or any other Traditional/Olokun Festival in Ilorin, Kwara State, is a violation of his fundamental rights, and therefore illegal, unlawful and unconstitutional.

“A declaration of this court that Ilorin, like every other part of Nigeria is a multi-religious and multicultural society/city.

“A declaration that the respondent has no constitutional powers or authority to ban and/or prohibit Isese festival in Ilorin Kwara State, which made it impossible for the applicant to celebrate, merry, bond and worship with the community of African Traditionalist/Olokun worshippers,” he prayed.

The applicant, in addition, is asking the court to order the enforcement of his fundamental rights to dignity of human person, freedom of thought, conscience and religion, freedom of expression, freedom of peaceful assembly and freedom of movement.

Apart from asking the court to restrain the respondent from further violating the fundamental rights of the applicant, he is praying for a perpetual injunction restraining the respondent, his servants, agents and/or privies from embarrassing, coercing, bullying, harassing, intimidating, tormenting, torturing, dehumanising, debasing and frustrating the applicant from enjoying his fundamental rights.
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“An order restraining the respondent, his servants, agents and/or privies from further violating the applicant’s fundamental rights,” as well as an apology to the applicant by the respondent for the violation of his fundamental rights.

The application is supported by a 55-paragraph affidavit deposed to, by the applicant.
In it, he stated that he is a Nigerian citizen, who worships Olokun (African Traditionalist) and a lawyer.

“My religion, Olokun worship is oral and unwritten, which is transferred from one generation to another.
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“That my ancestors passed Olokun worshiping to great grandfather Chief Usitaka Omirhobo, who also passed it to grandfather Chief Okpoposiopo Omirhobo who passed it to my Late father Chief Anthony Council Omirhobo who also has passed it to me,” he swore, adding that the respondent, is a former Justice of the Nigerian Court of Appeal, now the Emir of Ilorin, and the Chairman of the Kwara State Council of Chiefs, the Amir-Ul-Muminin, leader and spiritual head of Community of Muslims in Kwara State.

He averred that by virtue of Section 10 of the Nigerian Constitution, no state government or the Federal Government can adopt any religion as state religion.

Nigeria, he stated, is both a multi-ethnic and religious state inhabited by over 200 million citizens of over 500 ethnic groups who speak over 270 different languages and identified with diverse cultures.

“Apart from Islam and Christianity being the dominant religions practiced in Nigeria, other religions such as Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, Daoism, Atheism, Baha’i, Confucianism, Druze, Gnosticism, Jainism, Rastafarianism, Shinto, Skihism, Zoroastrianism, Traditional African Religions, Eckist, Armocs, gray message, Voodism etc are being practiced by Nigerians,” he averred, adding that Ilorin is a multi-religious and multicultural city in Nigeria.

His words: “Sometime in June 2023, the community of African traditionalist/Olokun worshippers in Ilorin planned to hold the Isese festival in public in Ilorin Kwara State in July 2023.

“That consequent upon the above, the Osun Priestess, Yeye Ajesikemi Olokun Omolara in Ilorin, with other devotees and adherents of the Olokun Community of worshipers in Ilorin decided to host and organise the Isese festival for three-days from July 22 to July 24, 23.

“No sooner than the invitation and flyer of the planned Isese festival were given and released to the public domain, some Imams and members of some Islamic groups and individuals were sent by the respondent to the Osun priestess, asking her to stop and cancel forthwith the Isese festival or any African Traditional Religion activities in public in Ilorin or face the consequence.

“That after the said visit, the Osun priestess received multiple death threats from the servants, agents and/privies of the respondent.

“That the spokesman of the respondent, Mallam Abdulazeez Arowona describing the Isese festival as idolatry practice, that the respondent and the Palace are in support of the Islamic group that stormed the home of Osun priestess to warn her not to hold any traditional religious festival in the Kwara State capital.”

He swore that traditional worshippers are not secret cult members, idolaters or do they constitute any security threat to Kwara state.
Omirhobo, therefore, asked the court to grant his prayers in the interest of justice.
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