The Ikenne township in the Ikenne Local Government area of Ogun State was for a better part of Saturday engulfed in a crisis as some youth insisted on celebrating the annual Oro festival despite the government’s ban.
PUNCH Metro gathered that the crisis had been building for some days now with the youths holding protests in the town and telling whoever cared that they would celebrate the annual festival with or without the government’s approval.
The crisis was said to have however taken a new dimension on Saturday morning as the youths came out and began burning tyres across the major road in the town insisting that the Oro festival would be celebrated.
This was said to have led to a face-off with the police who had been monitoring the situation to ensure that there was no breakdown of law and order.
Some viral videos watched by our correspondent posted on social media showed flames of fire billowing from burnt tyres in some places in the town.
A voice accompanying one of the videos had said, “Ikenne on fire and this is because the youths are being prevented from celebrating Oro festival.”
A youth who pleaded anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media told our correspondent that they had for days been expressing their bitterness over the cancellation of the festival just as it occurred last year.
The source said, “It has been an ongoing crisis for some time now because the town is polarised over the obaship tussle.
“I guessed the government is mindful of the fragile peace in the town and wouldn’t want anyone to hide under one festival to unleash mayhem. So, it said that the festival should not be celebrated just like what happened last year.
“Some youths are however hellbent on celebrating the festival and this is what caused the face-off with the police.”
The Commissioner of Police, Abiodun Alamutu, confirmed the incident to our correspondent on Sunday.
The CP said the state command was on top of the situation and had arrested 20 suspects and impounded two vehicles in connection with the pandemonium.
Alamutu said, “We are very much aware of the situation, it is a fall-out of the longstanding obaship crisis in the town and recently, the court dismissed the person currently on the throne but the judgment had been appealed.
“So based on the tense atmosphere, the local government which is the consenting authority for the festival said that it should not be celebrated so that it won’t lead to any breach of peace. We did the same thing last year but some youths who are being misguided decided they must have their way.
“We have arrested 20 of them, impounded two vehicles and everyone will soon be brought to the state command at Eleweran, Abeokuta to answer for their misdeeds.”
