Shortly before the inter religious service began, a mild drama ensued as worshippers of Oro cult in Ife, also called Isoro, stormed the venue and attempted to stop the service. The worshippers claimed that it was a sacrilege to hold an interdenominational service for the departed monarch.
The ‘Isoro’ had earlier clashed with residents who were erecting tents for the interdenominational burial service at the frontage of Enuwa Palace.
An Ife high chief, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the Oro devotees descended on the people who erected the tents because the Isoro wanted to observe a solemn seven-day burial rites for the departed king.
The chief said, “The ‘Isoro’ saw the erection of tents for an interdenominational burial service in the palace as a sacrilege against custom and tradition.
When the matter became uncontrollable, the Sijuade family was said to have reached out to the Osun state government to prevail on the Isoro before normalcy returned and the service was allowed.
And as the open air service went on outside the palace, the traditional worshippers held theirs inside the palace. They sang and danced and occasionally, sounds of gunshots rent the air, making some of those present at the service to scamper for safety. There were more gun shots during the curfew that was imposed on the ancient town by Oro worshippers from 4pm that day.
Ooni’s Burial: Clash of culture and civilisation
