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Olubadan cautions against violence as Egungun festival begins
As the yearly Egungun festival begins tomorrow, Monday, in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Saliu Akanmu Adetunji has called for peaceful conduct from all sets of masquerades and their followers in the course of the 3-week long festival.
Oba Adetunji who maintained that the annual Egungun festival was a celebration of Ibadan custom and tradition, warned that the festival should not be turned into an avenue to unleash terror and violence on the people.
The monarch in a press statement signed by his Director, Media and Public Affairs, Adeola Oloko and made available to journalists Sunday evening stated that the law enforcement agents had assured the people of their readiness to maintain law and order by arresting and prosecuting those with intent to cause mayhem during the festival.
“As a monarch, my appeal to our people is to celebrate the festival within the ambit of the law.
“Also, I will like to persuade our people to avoid use of dangerous weapons like guns, daggers, machetes and broken bottles not only during the egungun festival but also after it as the long arm of the law would not spare any merchant of violence”, he stated.
DAILY POST recalls that only last year, about 18 vehicles were destroyed around Akuro and Igbonna Area, Ibadan when some masquerades and their followers engaged street urchins in a free-for-all.
It was gathered that the festival was ealier slated to begin on June 4, but was shifted till July 2 due to unfavourable security reports.
