Penultimate Saturday, irate traditional worshippers
reportedly stormed a mosque at Idi-Iroko, Ipokia Local Government Area of Ogun
State and dispersed Muslim faithful for allegedly acting contrary to their
warnings while they observed their ritual. Daily Trust on Sunday reports.
Residents of
Idi-Iroko, a border town between Nigeria and Benin Republic, located in Ipokia
Local Government Area of Ogun State, have held on to their tradition despite
modernisation.
The town is also known as a gateway for smuggling. Top among
the smuggled goods are rice, cars, petrol, poultry products, vegetable oil,
secondhand clothing.
The indigenous people
of the town are said to be the Yoruba, Anago and Egun, while languages spoken
by residents include Yoruba, English and French due to its proximity to the
neighbouring Benin Republic. Last week, the community was in the news over an
alleged attack on a mosque by some traditional worshippers.
When Daily Trust on Sunday visited the affected worship
centre, Umar bin Khatab Mosque, Odan-Aje, behind General Hospital, Idi-Iroko,
its windows were shattered.
“It was gathered that the attackers got angry because
Muslims called people to prayers in flagrant disregard to the warning not to do
so when the Orisa Oba ritual was being performed.
Our correspondent learnt that Orisa Oba has always been
observed in the town from time immemorial. While the traditional rites are in
progress, everybody is expected to stay indoors for two or three days.
According to adherents, during this period, Orisa Oba’s
spirit is invoked, based on necessity, to cleanse the town in the wake of
calamities. It forbids noise, music and light, whether during the day or at
night.
Our correspondent gathered that residents are usually warned
to abide by these restrictions each time the ritual is being observed. The last
ritual took place more than 10 years ago, an insider said.
It was gathered that
this is not the first time a mosque would be attacked over a similar issue.
Residents said a mosque along Aferiku Road had ceased to exist following such
an attack in the past.
Mallam Abdulrasheed Oke, who was among those observing Zuhr
(afternoon prayer) in the affected mosque when the incident occurred two weeks
ago, told our correspondent that the incident occurred around 1:20pm on that
fateful day.
“There were seven of
us observing the prayer. Three of us were adults while others were young boys.
Suddenly, we heard some people throwing stones at the window. Initially, we
thought it was a violent wind, but when a stone almost broke the head of the
person leading the prayer, we knew there was trouble. Within a blink of an eye,
the generating set went off.
“Some of us immediately stopped the prayer and another
person summoned courage, stepped out and discovered that the hoodlums were
already taking away the generator. He chased them and retrieved the generating
set.
We were all taken by surprise, but we dared not retaliate
because they were many,” Oke narrated. Also speaking with Daily Trust on
Sunday, the Imam in charge of the mosque, Abdulazeez Omoakin, described the
action as unfortunate.
“Before the day we
were attacked, we heard that nobody must go to mosque and whoever wished to
pray must do so in his house. But we are law abiding people and we all know
it’s only the government that can restrict movement. And we know the law allows
us to practise our religion,’’ Omoakin said.
According to him, few minutes after the attackers left, one
Ajani Balogun led some people to the mosque, threatening to pull it down if
they called to prayers again. Imam Omoakin said it took concerted efforts to
calm his people in the face of the provocation.
“Are they saying we don’t have a right to practise our
religion? He asked. “It’s only our mosque that was attacked, but we were
not the only mosque that called people for prayers that day. They called people
for prayers at Araromi and some other places in Idi-Iroko. I was informed that
they even called Muslims for prayers at Customs barracks.
But I am sure they
dared not go to the barracks to attack them,” he said. Windows were smashed by
the attackers
Peter Moses Omoakin vowed that they would not be cowed to
abdicate their rights to religion and movement, saying its only government that
has the power to restrict movement.
He demanded that the mosque be renovated while government
must put measures in place to curb activities of traditional worshippers,
who observe their rites during the day at the expense of religious and economic
activities of the town.
He further said, “Those arrested must be made to sign an
undertaking. We now live in fear of their threats. They said we must relocate
our mosque.
’’ Apart from the mosque, it was alleged that the
traditional worshippers vandalised some vehicles at the Holy Trinity Catholic
Church, also at Idi-Iroko.
Our correspondent who visited the church, located at Old
Baggage Road, did not observe any sign of attack. When a seminarian was asked
of the church’s position on the alleged attack, he hurriedly went to the
Reverend Father and later said he would not like to comment on the incident.
Our correspondent was not allowed to see the Reverend
Father. The seminarian, however, said, “As a Catholic Church we have our
doctrine. And whatever happened, we prefer to let it go.
The church would not make it a press issue,” the Seminarian
said. Getting the traditional worshippers to say their side of the story posed
a greater challenge as many of those approached feigned ignorance. It was
gathered that due to the manhunt for the alleged attackers, a number of
traditional worshipers had fled the town.
When our correspondent visited the palace of the traditional
ruler, two chiefs on ground informed him that the monarch, Oba Olakunle John
Ojo was out of the country.
They turned down moves to get their comments on the
development as they vehemently denied knowledge of the incident.
“My son, I don’t know anything about what you are saying. I
heard about it, but as a matter of fact, you just gave me more information
about the incident. It would have been better if Kabiyesi is around as it’s
only him that can speak on the matter,” one of the chiefs said as he made his
way out of the palace. Outside the palace, however, a traditional chief in the
town, who sought anonymity, told our correspondent that what led to the attack
was the refusal of Muslim brothers to “give Caesar what is Caesar’s.’’
He said it’s an open
secret in the town that each time Orisa Oba ritual is carried out, music and
noise, including calling for prayers are forbidden. He said that Orisa Oba was
last observed in 2004.
The traditional chief told Daily Trust on Sunday that it was
the spirit of Orisa Oba that attacked the mosque, contrary to the belief that
some adherents of the tradition invaded and attacked the worship centre.
“Going by the belief, Orisa Oba is not what you can see. And
it can strike at anytime if the gods are not appeased. It’s a very dangerous
god. If its warnings are not strictly adhered to, it can lead to calamities
like building collapse, deaths and increased accidents. “So it was Orisa Oba
that attacked a mosque along Aferiku Road many years back. The gods struck at
the mosque at night when they went against the warnings.
“In the same way, nobody can pinpoint those who attacked the
mosque. It was the Orisa Oba that struck. They were just guessing. They have
arrested some people allegedly linked to the attack, but they are innocent.
Everything is spiritual. It was the god itself that struck,’’ the chief
insisted.
He described the Imam
in charge of the mosque and his congregation as “extremists who are hell-bent
on changing the age-long tradition of the town.’’
“Most times, those
affected are not natives of the town. They believe they can eradicate our
tradition. That’s why I called them extremists. If they can play by the rules
there would be peace. There has been peace in the community.
“Most importantly, they must know that it was their action
that triggered the attack, so they have to appease the gods. They invoked the
wrath of the gods. Also, all those arrested must be freed because they are
innocent,” the traditional chief said.