Alafin: Traditional Priests Furious With The Open Display Of Monarch’s Corpse

Traditional Worshippers have condemned the open display of the late Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi’s corpse during the Muslim prayer session, which they said was against the tenets of traditional respect for a dead king.

The traditionalists, in an interview with Vanguard by their chairman in the state, Surveyor Adefabi Dasola and secretary, Mogaji Dr Fakayode Fatunde, respectively yesterday, noted that it was rather disappointing to have seen the corpse of the revered Alaafin being displayed all over the internet adding that it was saddening and they wanted it to be on record that as a body, they are protesting the act, saying they we did not want their children and grandchildren to question them in the future that they did not act or talk.

The chairman said: “The same disparaging act was witnessed during the burial of late Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Saliu Adetunji and we made our minds known as well, this is a trend that must stop or we will all be contributing towards the total annihilation of our tradition and culture, our Yoruba monarchs and kingmakers should please make efforts at remedying this malady.”

“However, we extol the Ṣàngó devotees for being tolerant to allow the Muslims and Christians to do the initial prayers before the final rites commenced, it is a good sign of religious tolerance that we have been advocating.”

The traditionalists mentioned that the late Oba Adeyemi never minced words in condemning the open display of any Yoruba Oba’s remains for any purpose while he was alive and even went against an attempt by the Ogun State House of Assembly to alter the State’s burial rites procedure, to weaken the power of traditional religion and practitioners in taking the needed roles at the burial rites of any deceased king.

He enjoined all Yoruba monarchs to emulate the late traditional ruler in promoting traditional religion, which he said, is the basis of their crowns.

“We also use the opportunity to enjoin all the Ọba in Yorùbáland to emulate Ọba Lamidi Adeyemi in the promotion of Yorùbá Traditional Religion which is the basis of the crowns on their heads.”

They condoled the children, widows, Oyo indigenes, the Yorubaland in general and the Sango devotees worldwide, who just lost one of their members.

The chairman also lauded the Sango devotees in Oyo town for tolerating the Muslim and Christian worshippers for the initial prayers before taking over the last traditional rites.

The maturity shown by the Sango worshippers would go into history as worthy of emulation, asking all traditional worshippers to start different appeasements to smoothen the late Alaafin’s transition to the great beyond.

“In fact, Oba Adeyemi was a true devotee of Ṣango and that was why he joined the ancestors on Sango Worship day.”

“It is rather disappointing to have seen the corpse of our revered Alaafin being displayed all over the internet, it is saddening and we want this to be on record that we as a body are protesting this act, we do not want our children and grandchildren to question us in the future that we did not act or talk,” he said.

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