Violence engulfs New Yam Festival In Ondo Community

At the Ibule-Soro community's annual new yam festival in the Ifedore Local Government Area of Ondo State, unrest broke out. There were intermittent gunfire during the event. The conflict between Oba Oluleke Ogunlade's supporters and detractors—whose selection procedure is being contested in court—was attributed as the catalyst for the crisis.

The new yam festival was scheduled by the monarch for August 25, which happened to be the first anniversary of his coronation. But some of the indigenous people took offense to this, believing that the celebration should take place on a fixed date.

Trouble began when natives opposed to the king chose to celebrate on Friday, claiming that this was the day the town's custom actually calls for. The community's indigenous members had left early in the morning to participate in the festivities before a military and police detachment showed up and scattered them.

According to a local who pleaded anonymous, police rushed the neighborhood, began shooting intermittently, then started blasting tear gas at everyone they saw. "They even fired tear gas into various houses where we have elderly people," the man stated. They detained people after breaking into multiple homes.

He claims that a number of the town's indigenous residents have been detained and brought to the LGA's headquarters, the police station at Igbara-Oke.

Ondo State Police Command Public Relations Officer Funmilayo Odunlami-Omisanya, however, stated that the situation has been brought under control. She clarified that the police had not taken sides in the conflict, but had been called to the community to uphold law and order.