Olua festival is a very sacred and peculiar festival in Otan-Ayegbaju community, headquarters of Boluwaduro local government area of Osun State. However, the yearly turns bloody, reports TOBA ADEDEJI

Otan-Ayegbaju is wildly known for its yearly festival called Olua or Oroke as the priest called Aworo Olua will lead the procession of the people of the community including the chiefs and the king to different spots where rites will be made to the gods including the forebears of the three ruling.

According to tradition, the Olua festival came to existence after the first king of the town turned himself to be the god of the community, but before his transmogrification, he assigned duties on how sacrifices would be made to him.

He assigned duties on how libation of palm wine will be poured, how meat would be provided and how divination Kola nut would be made during the yearly sacrifice.

For the festival, participants, indigenes and members of the three ruling houses will wear intricately colored dresses as others will wear white. Traditional rhythmic drum and music will spice up the joyful atmosphere of the town which terrain consists of hills, mountains, dense forest, vegetation and gullies.

However, the 2024 festival of Oroke or Olua experienced conflict which made the celebration go awry for some sections of the community.

The Nation learnt that crisis started when the head of Elemu ruling house whose duty was to pick date for the festival informed Aworo-Olua who later informed the king. However, the king, Owa of Otan-Ayegbaju, Oba Lukman Fadipe, had reservations for the said date because he claimed that it will clash with the activities of other religions.

It was gathered that the Head of Elemu proposed May 23^rd and 24^th 2024 but the king made adjustment to 22^nd and 23^rd which the priest for the festival, Aworo-Olau agreed to.

The festival held on 22nd and 23^rd led by the king and Aworo-Olua, Chief James Egunfemi. But other ruling houses who ought to be part of festival kicked against the date.

The Elemu and other ruling houses held another Olua Festival on Thursday on the ground that according to the tradition, it must be held on the market day of the community which the king failed to consider while making date adjustment.

It was learnt that while the other section of the community were holding the Olua Festival according to the edict of the tradition, they were attacked by thugs which led to scores injured.

A source in the community Shina said: “There were gunshots during the attack on Thursday during the Olua Festival. Many people were hack by the thugs. I learnt that those thugs were brought into the town by one of the chiefs who was not pleased with the ruling houses conducting another Olua festival after the one that Kabiyesi and Aworo-Olua championed a day before. They felt it is sacrilegious to hold two Olua Festivals in within one year.”

One of the injured adherents Tosin Akintunde explained how he and seven of his friends were attacked and injured severely.

According to him: “We were at the Olua’s forest on Thursday when I was hacked by thugs. I was equally stabbed to the extent on my chest. I nearly bleed to death. About seven of us were taken to hospital for treatment while others were detained in police station. They claimed that what we are doing is a taboo. They are wrong, we are right.”

Spokesperson of Elemu and Onigbo Ruling Houses, Prince Tunde Adeleke explained that it is the duty of the head of Elemu ruling house to pick date for Olua festival and he would communicate it to Aworo for the king to prepare.

His word: “However, the king and Aworo connived with each other to adjust the date to an earlier date which is a taboo. The festival must be held on the market day of our community.”

He added:“It is an abomination for us to join the festival on the day they fixed, so we observed that festival on the date fixed the Elemu which was a day after the theirs.”

Adeleke alleged that Aworo-Olua led thug to the forest where they were holding the festival to attack worshippers and adherents, saying, “one of our people was shot and was nearly killed while other were severely injured. Police also arrived at the scene to make arrest. They arrested Chief Elemu, Jerome Omotoso, Chief Onigbo, George Adeyemi and Rodiat Kazeem at the Olua Forest. These people arrested were above 80-year-old.”

He alleged that policemen took side against them which made them to detained the chiefs for about two days before they were released.

“The Osun State Government must quickly intervene before it snowball into major crisis. The actions of the king and the priest are sacrilegious which have great consequences on the town if the needful is not done on time.”

However, Aworo-Olua, Chief Egunfemi denied involvement in mobilizing thugs to the other Olua Festival conducted by Elemu ruling house.

He said, “I stand for peace and want peace to reign in our community. The law is above everybody, there shouldn’t be crisis. The history of Otan-Ayegbaju is not complete without Olua festival because it need to do with the origin of the community.”

He explained’ “Any reigning Oba in any community in Yoruba land is the chief custodian of the tradition and culture and has total prerogative which can’t be challenged. The Kabiyesi has the right on whatsoever that goes on in his domain, he made appeal that he want Friday and Sunday which for other religion to be respected to avoid inter-religious crisis. I believe any reasonable person should agree with him. So we all agreed 22^nd and 23^rd May 2024 but the other section felt it is not pleasing to them, then they went to organised theirs.”

Oba Fadipe alleged that the Elemu and Onigbo houses are the one fanning the ember of discord in the town by holding separate festival which is a taboo to the culture.

According to him: “I am in charge of the custom and tradition in this community. Aworo is the priest who should led the festival joined by me. It is unfortunate that those people gathered themselves to cause conflict in the town. I adjusted the day because I don’t want it to clash with other religious activities. One of the two days they shifted it to fall on Friday.

“Those involved are miscreants. Their action is sacrilegious because they entered the front through a route that tradition stated it that we should exit. This has grave consequences on the town. I am in charge of the community and any other person who want to object to my command and the verdict will be dealt with by law of the land.”

“We only reported them to the police who arrested them, we do not do take laws into our hands, security operatives are involved in our own festival. Any other festival without my permission is illegality and a taboo to the tradition of the land.”

Osun Police spokesperson Yemisi Opalola promised to get back to The Nation when contacted over the incident. (The Nation)

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