The Ijo Orunmila Apapo Odu Traditional House of Worship in the Ikorodu area of Lagos State has decried the alleged harassment and victimisation of Ifa Oracle worshippers by the police men, saying such harassment is a violation of their fundamental rights as enshrined in the Nigerian constitution.
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Founder of Ijo Orunmila Apapo Odu, Chief Ifaleke Awurela, said several cases had been reported to their temples, whereby policemen harass extort and coerce traditional worshippers to submission based on their religious association and affiliations.
Chief Awurela said this at a press briefing in Lagos to address stereotype of traditional worshippers in Nigeria ahead of their 2019 anniversary.
He alleged that the policemen perceived traditional worshippers as easy targets for extortion, adding that they were law-abiding Nigerians that deserved respect accorded other religion worshippers Christians and Muslims.
Also reacting, the National Youth Caucus Leader of Ijo Orunmila Apapo Odu, Olakunle Olawale, said Ifa worshipers did not engage in money rituals, adding that Ifa was against such demonic stance.
A woman leader in the worship centre, Mrs Awurele Abiodun, said contrary to the belief that the female gender had an inferior role in traditional religion; the Ifa spiritual system was gender-balanced.
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