The Directorate of Media and Publicity of the Alaafin of Oyo, on Sunday, warned those stoking crisis in Oyo Town over the 21-day traditional rites called ‘Oro Opebi,’ embarked on by the Alaafin-elect, Oba Abimbola Akeem Owoade.
It would be recalled that a group under the auspices of the Yoruba Muslims for Freedom (YMF) had, on Saturday, called on the Directorate of State Security (DSS) to immediately arrest and prosecute the Alaafin of Oyo for creating a state inside a state over the curfew that would be part of the seclusion.
At the briefing on Saturday in Oyo, the group’s spokesman, R. Lateef Akinwale, had said: “We, the people of Oyo and the defenders of fundamental freedoms, condemn in the strongest possible terms the unlawful and autocratic declaration of a curfew imposed by the Alaafin of Oyo, one Abimbola Akeem Owoade.
This arbitrary curfew, declared by a non-state actor, stands null and void. No part of the Nigerian Constitution empowers a monarch to declare a curfew anywhere in the country. A curfew is within the power of a civil government; it is not within the power of any traditional ruler. Only the President or the Governor can declare a curfew.
He said, “Alaafin is not a sovereign ruler of the land; he is a traditional figure who holds no legal or constitutional authority to declare such sweeping restrictions over the people.
By unilaterally attempting to impose a curfew, he is creating a state within a state—an authoritarian mini-empire that operates outside of the rule of law, ignoring the basic principles of democratic governance and individual freedoms. This is an affront to the sovereignty of the Nigerian state and to the fundamental rights of every citizen who resides within Oyo Township.”
However, reacting in a press release issued by the Alaafin’s Media and Publicity Director, Bode Durojaiye, the media briefing was described as malicious, tendentious, unfounded, and a calculated attempt to inflame tension capable of causing religious disharmony.
Durojaiye said: “If not for mischief-making, the Muslim community group must be oblivious to the Oyo traditional monarchy system, hence the need to properly educate and inform the group to discontinue defecating the media with misinformation.
“It is customary in the Oyo traditional monarchy system that during the period of Oro Ipebi (mandatory traditional rites), the restriction of movement must be enforced, hence the imposition of the curfew.”
Durojaiye asserted that the curfew, which was initially imposed between the hours of 8 p.m. and 6 p.m., was adjusted to 10 p.m. and 6 a.m on the orders of the Alaafin.
“The curfew, according to the Alaafin, needed to be adjusted to accommodate Ramadan. This includes allowing for the early morning Fajr prayer and the evening Taraweeh prayer, which are important for Muslims during this fasting month.
“So, what is unconstitutional about the declaration of a curfew, and why is it considered a blatant attempt to suppress the freedoms of the people and a direct violation of their rights to free movement, autonomy, and liberty, when customary laws are alien to the Nigerian Constitution?
“Why are traditional institutions so important to the government, and why are they the custodians of culture and traditions?
“The arrest and detention of those who defy the restriction order were aimed at ensuring strict adherence to the curfew imposition and were neither a threat nor a cause for chaos in the peaceful PaceSetter State.”
