Osun Govt Warns Oluwo Over Inflammatory Rhetoric Capable Of Igniting Religious, Inter-Town Conflict
The Osun State Government has issued a formal caution to the Oluwo of Iwoland, His Royal Majesty Oba Abdulrasheed Adewale Akanbi, over recent statements and pronouncements described as capable of igniting religious confrontation, inter-town conflicts and disruption of communal peace.
The caution was contained in a letter dated November 2026, signed by Wale Alliyu for the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, and addressed to the monarch at the Oluwo Palace, Iwo.
According to the government, it has observed with worry and anxiety the monarch’s well-publicised statements, noting that the persistence of such crisis-inciting activities and likely disruptive conduct against peaceful interfaith cohabitation has reached a level the administration can no longer ignore.
The state government reminded the Oluwo that within the context of the Nigerian Constitution, every citizen has a right to freedom of religious association, a right that cannot be abridged. It stressed that as a traditional ruler, he is bound by the Constitution to respect the rights of his constituents to hold religious beliefs, and must not conduct himself in any way that can foment religious crisis through serial attacks on people of other faiths.
The government further noted that just as the traditional stool should not be used to incite religious war, its occupants should be mindful not to erode the traditional values, culture and tradition of the society they preside over. It stated that the role of a traditional ruler is essentially the preservation of cultural values and tradition, and pursuing a reform with potential to create community violence is a development no responsible administration will tolerate.
It expressed shock and disbelief at several statements and public utterances credited to the monarch without denial, saying his activities are raising communal tension, sowing seeds of communal and religious discord, and increasingly discrediting the traditional values of his people and Yoruba society. These developments, it said, constitute serious threats to the peace, unity and stability of Osun State and his immediate domain.
In view of the observations, the government directed the Oluwo to stop forthwith any further attacks on people of other faiths, stressing that all citizens have the right to religious freedom of their choice. He was also directed to refrain from further attacks on fellow traditional rulers to forestall likely inter-town confrontation.
The monarch was further urged to work to preserve the culture and tradition of his people which the stool he occupies symbolises, and to be guided by the norms and regulations of behaviour as spelt out in the Chieftaincy Laws and resolutions of the State Council of Obas.
The government added that the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs will monitor compliance with the cautionary notes, while the State Council of Obas has been directed to watch and act on recent developments within Iwoland.
