Restates traditional worshippers not at monarch’s burial to remove vital body parts

The Oluwo Ifa of Egbaland, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Gbemiyi Baoku, has warned that the burial of the late Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona, without traditional rites, would bring grave repercussions for Ijebuland and the entire state.

It would be recalled that Oba Adetona, one of the longest-serving monarchs in Ogun State and the South-West, died on Sunday, July 13, 2025, at the age of 91, the same day former President Muhammadu Buhari died at a hospital in London, United Kingdom (UK).

Following Awujale’s death, traditional worshippers, who had arrived at his residence in Ijebu-Ode to perform necessary rites, were reportedly barred by military operatives. The monarch was subsequently buried according to Islamic rites.

The development has sparked controversy, with reactions and counter-reactions between traditionalists and Muslim faithful in the state over who had the right to bury the monarch under their respective religious customs.

However, Baoku, while reacting to how Awujale was buried, said in an exclusive interview yesterday that severe consequences would follow the act, noting that the monarch was enthroned on April 2, 1960, following the performance of traditional rituals.

He emphasised that traditional worshippers were not at the burial to remove any vital body parts as widely misconstrued, but to carry out sacred rites in line with the longstanding customs tied to the ancient Awujale’s throne of Ijebu Kingdom.

The traditional chief, therefore, warned Christian and Muslim adherents to desist from aspiring to traditional stools in Yorubaland if their faiths would not permit them to observe the requisite rituals, asserting that traditionalists would no longer allow such incidents to recur.

He said: “What the Awujale’s family did during his burial will be remembered in history. The reason for the omission of traditional rites is, in my view, linked to our government, which now supports foreign religions.”

“One thing I know is that there will be repercussions for burying the Awujale without traditional rites. Do you know what Isese is? It fights silently. The consequences will affect the people of Ijebuland and possibly other parts of the state.

“The Muslims, who conducted the burial, knew it was wrong. They did not put Oba Adetona on the throne in 1960; traditional worshippers did. Have you ever seen a case where an Imam dies and traditionalists come to bury him using traditional rites? Never! So, the Muslims know they had no right to conduct his burial.

“I must also clarify that when a king dies and is to be buried according to Isese traditions, it does not involve removing vital body parts. Since Oba Adetona refused to be buried with his ancestors, he has, in a spiritual sense, exposed his nakedness publicly—no one is supposed to see a Yoruba monarch’s body before burial.

“Now, if you’re a Christian or a Muslim and your faith won’t allow you to perform traditional rites, then you have no business aspiring to a kingship title. Obaship is meant to elevate the Ifa tradition.”