Rumour made rounds among local residents in Ondo over the weekend, as fear and anxiety gripped them over the rituals involved in the traditional burial ceremony of the President of the Reformed Ogboni Fraternity in Nigeria.
Illustrative photo
There was a reported panic and anxiety among the residents of Akure, the Ondo state capital over the weekend as traditionalists across the country converged for the burial of the President of the Reformed Ogboni Fraternity (ROF) in Nigeria, Chief Araba Ajemoju.
It was gathered that there were rumours that many people especially strangers would be killed for rituals for the burial of the late traditionalist who was buried on Saturday at his residence located at Araromi area of Akure after public procession by other traditionalists.
The rumour went round the town as all the streets in the state capital were deserted while the parks were closed to avoid travelers from coming in from outside the state as many resident stayed indoor throughout the weekend while shops and commercial places were closed before 6:00pm since he died.
According to Vanguard, news had went round the state capital that a curfew had been declared from 5:30am to 6:30pm and without checking it’s authenticity, residents obeyed it for fear of the unknown as the development also prevented many people from their normal businesses as many were scared.
While speaking on the development, Femi Joseph the Police image maker, said the culture and tradition of the people should be respected, hence the need for people to co-operate with the traditionalists.
He assured that the security of all the residents of the town would be guaranteed. He added that lives would not be allowed to be lost, neither would there be crisis in the town despite the burial.