Tension in Ado-Ekiti as masquerades terrorise residents
Among the Yoruba people, masquerades are regarded as long dead relatives from the world beyond. And annually, the dead come back to visit their children on earth, with plenty of gifts while they in return pray for the wellbeing of the living. But, recent developments in Ado-Ekiti, the capital of Ekiti State, have revealed worrisome activities of masquerades in the city. Today, masquerades have turned themselves to terrorists who make life miserable for the residents whenever they go on rampage, attacking, molesting, looting and leaving sorrow, tears and blood in their trail. ODUNAYO OGUNMOLA, in this report, examines steps taken by the government, traditional institution and the police to check the menace.
- Monarch goes tough
The Yoruba hold masquerades in utmost reverence. Traditionally, masquerades appear in the open at specific periods of the year and play prominent roles in the celebration of cultural festivals.
Masquerades also appear in public when a new Oba is to be installed. Their performance and public display are often something to behold for the people. And indeed, the approach of a masquerade festival is something that the people often look forward to with relish.
But, for residents of Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, the fear of masquerades has become the beginning of wisdom. Recently, a festival that people once looked eagerly forward to has become a thing to dread, as masquerades have turned themselves to terrors at private homes, junctions, newsstands, pubs, markets, shops and other public places.
For the residents, August and September of every year have become months that leave unpleasant memories because of the incessant attacks by masquerades and their followers.
A masquerade group usually involves a long line of young boys and girls with blood-shot eyes welding clubs, sticks and cudgels who reek of alcohol and smoking cigarettes and marijuana.
Motorists and motorcyclists who decline their request had their vehicles and bikes vandalised and their passengers attacked. The attacks, which were reported to the palace by victims and other concerned residents, have increased dangerously in recent times.
Apart from inflicting serious injuries on the hapless residents, the masqueraders also go round looting goods of traders in the main market and neighbourhhod markets and collecting illegal tolls from motorists and motorcyclists plying the road.
And anyone who declines their request is flogged, manhandled and brutalised. They carry out attacks on traders at the markets and steal their ware in the ensuing melees.
Bewildered residents are wondering why youths and others in their prime would find such dastardly lifestyle attractive.
The crisis got to a head last week when some masqueraders unleashed terror on traders at Erekesan market. The masqueraders were arrested, following injuries inflicted on their victims.
But the masqueraders bit more than they could chew when they allegedly staged an attack on St. Andrew’s Anglican Church in the Oke Ila area of the city. The alleged attack on a church sparked an outrage.
According to sources, the suspected masqueraders stormed the church on Friday night during a prayer vigil and smashed the head of a worshipper with broken bottle and leaving the victim in a pool of blood.
The vicar in-charge of the church, the Venerable Zacchaeus Olu Ibitoye, described the masqueraders’ attack on the church as “barbaric and sacrilegious”, saying God’s sanctuary must be hallowed and respected.
Ven. Ibitoye disclosed that the case was reported to the police station, after which the culprit was arrested, while the victim was rushed to an undisclosed hospital after losing much blood. He added that palace chiefs visited the church on a fact-finding mission.
The vicar disclosed that the incident was also reported to the Bishop of Diocese of Ekiti, Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), the Right Reverend Christopher Omotunde.
Ven. Ibitoye said: “This is sacrilegious and barbaric. We want the indigenes of Ado-Ekiti to know that the town is home for everybody and not for the natives alone. We have reported the issue to the police and I think the boy who committed the offence has been arrested.
“We have also reported the case to the Bishop of Ekiti Diocese, the Right Reverend Christopher Omotunde, the Ewi –in-Council and the Odogun of Ado Ekiti in particular, who they said was in charge of the masquerades and they all condemned the action.
“Our church leaders had met and we will meet later to take a definite position on the matter before proceeding to Ewi’s palace where the suspect will be tried traditionally before other things shall follow.
“That was the first time we will be witnessing such attack and we wonder why a church that is supposed to be a place of refuge could be subjected to attacks by masquerades.”
But, the Odogun of Ado-Ekiti, High Chief Obayemi Aladetoyinbo, refuted the claim that the attack on St. Andrew’s Church was carried out by his masqueraders, insisting that suspected armed robbers and cultists were behind the attack.
Giving his own account of the incident, High Chief Aladetoyinbo disclosed that the attack occurred at about 5am on Friday, a day preceding his festival and that it would be wrong to have fingered his people as being behind the wicked act.
The chief absolved masquerades under his control and explained that he had reported to the police several times about the activities of cultists in the Oke Ila area, who he said are involved in day and night robbery, and wondered why nothing has been done to abate the situation.
He said: “I have even taken time to report the activities of the cultists during a meeting of Ado-Ekiti Security Advisory Committee, comprising the chiefs and security agents about the activities of these cultists who have taken over Oke Ila area.
“At times, they will be shooting into the air sporadically in the daylight and this is becoming so bad and I think they were responsible for the attack and this is condemnable.
“They stole money, bags, phones that Friday and we were holding our own preparation on Saturday when they came here. What happened at the church was not a masquerade issue, those boys had gone there to lay siege to people who went for vigil.
“We invited the governor of our state, Mr Ayodele Fayose to our festival and I don’t think we could invite the governor and at the same time be fomenting trouble.
“The masqueraders that came from Oke Ila are not my own masqueraders. There is no masquerader that can come out before 5.00 am. I myself that is here, my life is in danger because the boys are always there smoking Indian hemp.”
The Odogun, who wondered whether the suspected cultists are above arrest, also disclosed that the Ewi is concerned about the menace of masquerades at a time the city is witnessing physical, social and economic developments.
The Odogun added: “We use to hold advisory committee meeting at the palace and we also hold security committee meeting at the palace attended by the police, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agencies (NDLEA), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Department of State Services (DSS) and we present our experiences.
“There was one time I was forced to report a set of hoodlums at the police station, but the police gave my identity and they came back to attack me. I made this known at the security meeting in the palace.
“I told the Kabiyesi that I want to hands off because I am tired of all these. I presented a letter to the (former) Inspector General of Police when he visited Ekiti earlier in the year and came to the palace on the Omo Onile issue that they should henceforth he charged with armed robbery.
“We are known for peace here; we don’t know anything about the attack on the church. Those boys do things with impunity, they have become law to themselves because there was a time they wounded the Acting Police Area Commander.
“The cultists here wear blue whenever they are performing their rituals here, so the attack on the church was not a masquerade issue, it was robbery because they had laid siege to the people who went for vigil at the church.”
However, following the violence, the Ewi of Ado-Ekiti, Oba Rufus Adeyemo Adejugbe, Aladesanmi III, ordered the arrest of masquerades and the young ones following them.
The monarch also announced a temporary ban on masquerade festival in the city until September 15 when his traditional cabinet, the Ewi-in-Council, holds a meeting to review the situation after which a final decision will be taken.
Oba Adejugbe also called on the state Commissioner of Police, Etop James, to give effect to the order by arresting any masquerade sighted in any part of Ado-Ekiti and its environs, regretting that their activities have constituted nuisance and threat to the people.
Oba Adejugbe also followed up his action with paid adverts on the radio channel of the Broadcasting Service of Ekiti State (BSES) in which he warned his chiefs against flouting his order.
He warned that chiefs would henceforth be held responsible for the breach of public peace carried out by any masquerade traceable to their quarters.
The monarch went a step further by placing a public advert, which read in part: “In view of the information at our disposal about the activities of the masquerades in Ado-Ekiti metropolis in recent times, the Ewi-in-Council hereby place temporary ban on masquerade festival until we meet on Thursday, September 15 to review our action.
“Our revered monarch, Oba Rufus Adeyemo Adejugbe, places high premium on peaceful coexistence among the residents of Ado Ekiti and we hereby urge the police to arrest any masquerade sighted in the capital city until a contrary directive issued.
“We also warn that all the chiefs, particularly the quarter chiefs should ensure that the directive is effected in their sections for they will be held liable for any masquerade found to have emanated from any section of the town.”
The state government also followed up with another paid advert on the state radio and television, banning activities of masquerades, saying their action has become a security risk to residents.
The residents have also added their voices to call to put the masquerades in check. They appealed to the Ewi and the police to check the violence by masquerades and their followers.
A trader, Mrs. Titilope Adebayo, said: “We are always the victims of the masquerades who raid the markets and attack us for no just cause. They have turned the issue of masquerades to illegal activities that they use to steal our goods.
“Why are they troubling us? it is from our business that we feed our children and send them to school. Instead of these boys to go and find some good jobs to do, they are hiding under masquerades to steal and attack harmless people.
“We are in full support of Kabiyesi’s order that egungun festival is banned in Ado-Ekiti. Ado-Ekiti has become a big city and nobody should use egungun festival to perpetrate robbery and violence.”
Another resident, Tope Arowosafe, urged security agencies to enforce the ban because the city needs peace to attract more investors and tourists.
He said: “The Police and other security agencies should henceforth arrest any masquerade seen anywhere in Ado-Ekiti and they should also extend their dragnet to other communities in the state.
“This becomes necessary because we need peace to attract investment and tourists to our state. Those boys should go and find something worthwhile to do rather than terrorising people in the name of masquerades.”
The Police spokesman, Alberto Adeyemi, disclosed that some suspects have been arrested in connection with the attacks. He, however, declined to mention the number of suspects arrested so far.
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