Controversies over the burial rites for the 30th Owa of Igbajo, Oba Adegboyega Famodun, turned violent on Monday as those opposed to the observance of royal passage rites clashed with supporters seeking to honour the deceased.
The fracas occurred inside Iloro Market in Igbajo, leaving one man, identified simply as Ifa, injured, while two others reportedly sustained bruises.
The Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, imposed a 24-hour curfew on Igbajo amid protests following the death of Oba Famodun.
A statement signed by Prince Adekunle Famodun on behalf of the family, obtained in Osogbo on Sunday, confirmed that Famodun “passed away on Friday, November 28, 2025, after a brief illness,” at the age of 67.
“As you may recall, Oba Adegboyega Famodun was installed and presented with the staff of office on November 24, 2022, by the former Governor of Osun State, Alhaji Adegboyega Oyetola. Although his position was disputed by a white paper issued by Governor Ademola Adeleke, the Osun State High Court reinstated him on January 30, 2025,” the statement partly read.
Before his appointment as monarch, Oba Famodun had served as the Osun State chairman of the All Progressives Congress.
The PUNCH had also reported on March 12, 2024, that the Osun State Government approved the appointment of Prince Ademola Makinde as the new Owa of Igbajo, replacing Famodun.
Violent clashes erupted in the town when supporters of the late Famodun demanded the closure of Iloro Market in his honour, while opponents resisted attempts to force traders who had opened for business to shut down.
Video footage shared on Facebook by user Taiwo Olaore showed unrest in the marketplace, with some people insisting that traders close as a mark of respect. Women dressed in white, bearing leaves, were seen rebuking traders and demanding immediate closure.
A resident of Igbajo, who preferred anonymity, said, “They wanted to do burial rites for Oba Famodun, but another set of people insisted that the late monarch was a prince and not a king. In order to perform the rite, Iloro Market must be shut for three market days. It was in the process of closing the market that the group opposed to the move mobilised and insisted that it must remain open. Three people were injured during the clash. One of them is known as Ifa. His pictures with blood-stained clothes circulated on social media. The market was later shut.”
Asked if the burial rites continued despite the curfew, the resident said, “The burial rites are ongoing. Although people didn’t come out after the governor declared a curfew, those performing the rites carried on with their duties alongside supporters of the late monarch.”
He added that there was a massive deployment of security personnel to prevent a breakdown of law and order.
When PUNCH Metro correspondent contacted him on Monday, the Osun Police Public Relations Officer, Abiodun Ojelabi, confirmed the incident, saying, “One person was injured in the fracas that occurred in the town early on Monday. Normalcy has returned to the community. Our personnel are on the ground, but as of this morning when I communicated, no arrest has been made.”
Meanwhile, Governor Adeleke, in a statement signed by the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, imposed a 24-hour curfew “with immediate effect until total peace is attained” following continued breaches of law and order in the community.
The governor warned that “anyone found or caught in any act that has the tendency of further plunging the town into chaos would be dealt with in line with the dictates of the law. Therefore, as the Chief Security Officer of Osun State, I hereby declare with immediate effect a total lockdown of the town pending the return to orderliness and harmonious coexistence in the hitherto peaceful and orderly Igbajo town. With effect from today, Monday, 1/12/2025, a contingent of all security personnel, comprising the Army, Police, DSS and NSCDC, should take charge by keeping 24-hour surveillance in Igbajo,” the statement partly read.
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