One person was shot on Friday night as the celebration of Odun Oba and Olosunta traditional festivals in Ikere-Ekiti turned violent.

The Odun Oba Festival celebrated by the Ogoga, Oba Adejimi Adu Alagbado, reached its peak yesterday with paying of homage and celebration of the New Yam.

The climax of the festival also marked the commencement of the weeklong Olosunta festival by Olukere, Ganiyu Ayodele Obasoyin.

Soldiers, riot policemen and men of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps have mounted guard in Odo Oja area, which was the battleground to prevent a reoccurrence of violence in the town.

Olukere and Ogoga are trading accusations on who caused the violence which started Friday night and continued till early hours of yesterday.

Ogoga alleged Olukere’s thugs attacked the Oloris (palace queens) on Friday and wounded some of them during a traditional dance to some locations in the town.

Olukere alleged security men working for Ogoga invaded his (Olukere’s) palace at about 1.00am yesterday shooting sporadically.

Obasoyin also alleged the billboard mounted in Odo Oja area to advertise the Olosunta Festival was vandalised by Alagbado’s loyalists.

Police Public Relations Officer, Caleb Ikechukwu, Deputy

Superintendent of Police could not be reached for comments at press time as his phone was switched off.

He was yet to respond to a text message sent to him.

•Excerpted from The Nation report

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