The Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrosheed Akanbi, has commended the Islamic burial rites performed for the late Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona, describing it as a dignified departure from traditional practices where royal corpses are handled by secret cults.
The 91-year-old monarch, who passed away on Sunday, was buried Monday at his Ijebu-Ode residence under tight security that prevented traditionalists and Osugbo cult members from participating.
In a statement released through his press secretary, Oba Akanbi praised Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun and the Awujale’s family for upholding the late king’s wish for a Muslim burial, calling it “a foundation blessing to restore the glory of Yoruba stools.” The royal father strongly condemned the traditional practice where deceased kings’ bodies are taken by cult groups for rituals, stating: “No Yoruba monarch should be butchered like animals again. Kings are honourable men who sacrificed for their people – they deserve dignity in death.”
The Oluwo, who has been a vocal critic of traditional religious practices since ascending the throne a decade ago, proposed that future royal burials should follow either the monarch’s pre-death instructions or their family’s preferences.
He vowed to continue his campaign against “physical and spiritual oppression” of Yoruba kings in death, boasting that he had already liberated the Oluwo stool from such practices.
The remarks have sparked fresh debate about preserving cultural heritage versus modernizing royal traditions in Yorubaland’s ancient kingdoms.
