High Chief Moses Enimade, the Oyewoga of
Ode Irele in Ondo State, says the recent
death of 20 youths in the town was caused
by sacrilege done to Molokun, god of the
land. Enimade, next in command to Oba
Cornelius Olanrewaju-Lebi, stated this
during interview in Irele on Saturday. He
debunked the rumour that the deaths were
caused by strange disease or Ebola virus. It
will be recalled that no fewer than 20
youths reportedly died of severe headaches
and blindness in the town recently. Enimade
contended that some stubborn youths
broke into the inner room of Molokun
Shrine on April 15. "Molokun is a deity of
the land, only the Chief Priest and High
Chief Gboguron are qualified to enter the
shrine.'' The chief said the youths entered
the shrine and made away with traditional
items in a bid to acquire extra-ordinary
powers and engage in money ritual. "They
were not qualified to enter the room
(shrine). They had to face death penalty'';
he emphasised. The Oyewoga said it he
could not remember the last time Malokun
or any other gods had to strike like this in
the area. According to him, there is no
community or town without its own culture
and tradition; what happened in Irele is the
judgement of the gods on stubborn youths.
"Even the Kabiesi himself is not permitted
to enter the Molokun Shrine's inner room
except the Chief Priest and High Chief
Gboguron. Sacrifice must be performed
before they can enter. "Because these
youths want to be rich at all cost, they
entered the sacred place and made away
with traditional items and 20 of them have
died as a result of their desperate acts, "We
have to appease the gods or else many will
still die and we have to bury them
according to tradition. Their corpses belong
to the gods and will be exhumed if buried
by their families.'' He restated that the
deaths were not caused by diseases or
ebola as widely speculated. "The death
caused by Molokun is characterised by
severe headache and blindness. "Proverbs
29:1 in the Bible say: `he that had been
reproved and hardened his neck shall
suddenly be destroyed without remedy; so
youths of nowadays must be careful''',
Enimade said. Some residents who spoke
appealed to the chief priest to make
necessary atonement to avert calamity in
the town. They said news of the deaths had
given the town and state a bad name. Mr
Sheed Osuolale said he was afraid when the
news broke. Mrs Esther Bantefa said the
news had given the town and the state a
bad name adding that the chief priest
should as a matter of urgency perform
necessary rituals. "Our people in Lagos and
other towns called us to get information if
it was Ebola outbreak'', she said. Mrs Tayo
Akinyelure said parents should warn their
children against going near shrines. "Many
youths do not believe in all these traditions
and customs. It is high time parents warned
their children against committing sacrilege'',
she said.
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