To The Director-General Of The State Security Service On The Death Of The Ooni Of Ife

Dear sir;
May I remind you that in spite of the fact that there are ample indicatons that the Ooni Of Ile- Ife, Osun State of Nigeria has been dead for some time, there seems to be no inclination of the state government to officially announce his death.

Granted that the death of such a monarch would require an announcement by a suitably -ranked government officer...perhaps Mr Governor himself before it becomes official, undue delay in releasing such information is creating apprehension among the citizenry.

Such anxiety is not unfounded considering the fact that Yoruba culture and tradition requires that royal burials are known to be accompanied by a cascade of native rituals and sacrifices!

To pretend to be ignorant of these rituals is to stay aloof and unconcerned with vital happenings in the society as such rituals are often preceded by public warnings sent through town criers!

A strident announcement of this kind recently emanated from Ife high chiefs ominously warning all and sundry to abide by the native curfew called "Oro" or "have themselves to blame"! (Ikorodu town-criers for insurance, would even go as far as admonishing residents to "search for lost goats but not their missing relations"...a pattern that is replicated throughout Yorubaland!)

The foregoing lends credence to the fact that human sacrifice is still proudly and commonly practised in Yorubaland as persons apprehended by Oro cultists generally disappear subsequent to their capture!

I have merely engaged in this logical proof of the existence of human sacrifice for legal reasons only as oral history passed to me by my forebearers makes no pretences about the widespread use of such methods that severe the heads of victims by slitting their throats!

Unfortunately, there are copious indications that these methods are also incorporated in the rites of passage of Obas till this day as corroborated by:

1. The secrecy behind rites of passage which are often performed under the cover of darkness!

2. The prolonged delay in making an official announcement of the Ooni's death...now running into weeks!

3. The painstaking denial of his death by the high chiefs and government officials even as they wear forlorn faces.......even as...

1. Frightening Oro curfews are declared,
2. Other rites of passage are performed in hi honour, and,

3. News of his death are rife since he (reportedly) died abroad!

As suggested by a commentator, perhaps the saving grace for Nigerians...and their necks...albeit in the interim...is that this monarch died abroad.

Otherwise, the official announcement of his death would have been delayed till all severed human heads required to be buried with his corpse are complete!

It is on record that Ife high chiefs held a "close-door" meeting with Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State more than a week ago.

Now, if my suppositions are true, if the agenda of such meeting included informing Mr Governor of the Ooni's death, and if Mr Governor has implictly colluded with Ile-Ife high chiefs to hide this death for the sole purposes of putting our citizens off guard to facilitate wholesale murder by beheading multitudes of Nigerians, then Mr Governor and these Ife chiefs stand guilty of multiple murder...or intent to commit same!

I hereby implore you to use your good office to investigate these persons and take proactive steps to prevent a sure and impending wholesale murder of Nigerians!

The cited fellows must not only be subjected to investigation and justice under our relevant statutes, they must be arraigned before the international court of Justice!

Dr Tosin Akindele is a medical practitioner and public affairs analyst.

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Articles by Tosin Akindele