The International Council for Ifa Religion (ICIR) has announced plans to take legal action against the Ogun State Government and the family of the late Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona, over what it calls a violation of traditional burial customs.
Oba Adetona, who died on July 13, 2025, at the age of 91, was laid to rest according to Islamic rites. However, the ICIR says the decision disregards Yoruba cultural laws and longstanding customs guiding the burial of traditional rulers in the state.
At a press conference held on Saturday, the President of the Council, Dr. Fayemi Fatunde Fakayode, and legal adviser, Barrister Ifasola Opeodu, said the burial contradicted provisions of the Ogun State Chieftaincy Law, specifically Part 8, Section 55, Sub-section II, which they say mandates traditional rites be observed for monarchs.
“The action of the State, by enforcing Islamic burial rites for Oba Adetona, contravened the law,” Dr. Fakayode stated.
He praised the Osugbo Confraternity — the traditional custodians responsible for royal rites for maintaining peace despite being prevented from carrying out the final rituals for the late monarch.
“This moment reminds us that the gentleness of a lion is not weakness but wisdom,” he added, invoking traditional Yoruba proverbs to underscore the council’s position.
Fakayode said the issue is bigger than a burial, it is about preserving Yoruba identity. “This is not just about rites but about protecting our culture from gradual erasure. The Obaship institution is sacred and should not be politicised or influenced by foreign religious practices.”
The ICIR condemned the role of the family, government officials, and security operatives who allegedly blocked traditionalists from participating in the burial process.
Barrister Opeodu echoed those concerns, calling the Islamic-led burial “an infringement on the fundamental rights of traditional believers.”
He stated, “The actions of the state and the late monarch’s family pose a threat to the cultural integrity of the Yoruba people and represent a broader attack on religious freedom and democracy.”
He criticised Islamic clerics who oversaw the burial, accusing them of disregarding local laws and customs. “The traditional institution operates within the framework of the law. What we saw in Ijebu-Ode was lawlessness masked as religion,” Opeodu said.
The council now plans to initiate legal proceedings to prevent similar incidents in future, urging Yoruba people to defend their heritage.
Oba Sikiru Adetona reigned for over six decades and was one of Nigeria’s longest-serving monarchs. His death has sparked debates about the intersection of religion, tradition, and law in modern Yoruba society.
