By Peter Omopo
July 19, 2025 – Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State
The International Council for Ifa Religion (ICIR) has announced its intention to sue the Ogun State Government and the family of the late Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona, over what it described as a breach of traditional burial protocols following the monarch’s recent funeral.
In a statement released on Saturday in Ibadan and jointly signed by the ICIR President, Fayemi Fakayode; Public Relations Officer, Ayanladun Fajemisin; and legal representative, Ifasola Opeodu, the group expressed strong disapproval over the monarch’s burial, which was conducted according to Islamic rites.
Oba Adetona, who passed away on Sunday, July 13, 2025, at the age of 91, was buried the same day following Islamic practices, a move the Ifa council described as a violation of established Yoruba traditions and the Ogun State Chieftaincy Law.
“Any action contrary to existing judicial pronouncements and statutory provisions is a disregard for the customs and traditions that have anchored our heritage,” the statement read. “The burial clearly contravened Part 8, Section 55, Subsection ii of the Ogun State Chieftaincy Law.”
The ICIR cited a prior court judgment and a state law passed during Oba Adetona’s lifetime which, they claim, upheld the traditional Yoruba rite as the legally mandated burial protocol for monarchs in the state.
The group commended the restraint shown by the Osugbo Confraternity of Ijebu-Ode, which traditionally oversees the burial of the Awujale, describing their patience as “a virtue of Òrúnmìlà.”
However, it condemned what it termed “lawlessness” on the part of the Islamic clergy, particularly the Chief Imam of Ijebu-Ode, for leading the burial in contravention of traditional protocols.
“This issue transcends burial rites,” the council stated. “It is part of a broader threat to erase the cultural practices and sacred institutions that define our people.”
The ICIR also alleged that the actions of the government, family, and security agencies during the burial reflected “a strategic plan towards the annihilation of our race by invaders who mischievously naturalized.”
In closing, the Ifa council called on all sons and daughters of Ijebu-Ode and the wider Yoruba nation to defend their heritage and uphold the sanctity of the Obaship institution.
“To prevent such desecration in the future,” the council declared, “we will pursue legal remedies without hesitation.”
The Ogun State Government and representatives of the late monarch’s family have yet to respond to the threat of legal action.
