Seven-day curfew begins in Ife for Ooni's burial

Burial rites which will herald the interment of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade Olubuse II continued on Thursday as town criers from the palace moved round the town and driving away traders from the markets and passersby on their path.

A resident, Wunmi  Adeoye, who witnessed the scene,  told our correspondent that the town criers beat their gongs as they moved round, warning residents not to come out tomorrow because movement would be restricted to enable the chiefs to carry out the remaining rites.

The town criers, according to him, who made the  announcement  in Yoruba  warned violators of the order  to be ready to face the consequences of non compliance with the directive.

He said, “Around 9:30am  some  persons from the palace came to Oja Titun and started beating traders and driving away traders. They said the people knew the burial  rites still continued and came out to dare them.
” They have shut down the market and they said the rites would continue for seven days.”

Speaking with our correspondent, a resident  who said she had visited Itakogun  Market  to buy some things  said some palace messengers went  round,  ordering traders to immediately close their shops and vacate the markets in compliance with the order.

At Sabo market mostly populated by non-Indigenes, the traders hurriedly closed their shops as the news of the immediate closure of markets got to them.

Some  residents frowned at the way the palace messengers flogged traders and those who crossed their path, saying they ought to have announced this on the radio that markets would be closed for seven days.
The announcement of movement restriction  caused confusion among those who were invited for the interdenominational service which would be held for the monarch before his remains would be interred at the palace.

However,  Chief Dejo Adejobi, when contacted by our correspondent on the telephone, said the restriction of movement for the rites would start from 4pm  for the next seven days.

He said, ” I understand you, but we cannot invite people for the service and still restrict their movement, the service will start by 10am and the restriction of movement starts from 4pm.

The interment,  which will take place inside the palace, it was gathered, would only be witnessed by those concerned.

The  gates  of the Ooni’s place we’re firmly shut as of the time our correspondent visited the palace on Thursday which the chiefs said was one of the signs that the Ooni had left the world.

Contrary to the situation in Ife on Wednesday, when the streets were deserted, residents trooped out on Thursday. Some of them, however returned home because of the fear already instilled in them by the town criers who drove traders out of the markets.

At the Obafemi Awolowo University, students  were seen moving around, unlike the previous day when the place was deserted .

Preparations were also in top gear for the burial of the Ooni as state workers were seen clearing the bush from Ife Junction to the main gate of the OAU.