Mysterious deaths in Ondo: The god is not to blame

Appeasing the god with water

 THE deaths in a remote community of Irele in Irele local government area of Ondo State were attributed to the action of  six boys who broke into the shrine of Molokun, the deity of the people  and desecrated it by stealing artifacts and sacred objects.

Sunday Vanguard learnt that the potency of  the god of the community was  tested when the thieves  unveiled the “ Agogo Ide”, one of the sacred objects in the shrine  covered with white apron.


A  source said even the worshipers and traditionalists in charge of the shrine do not look at the sacred object with naked  eyes.

“The Agogo Ide is never seen by anybody . But those who broke into the shrine unveiled the sacred object and this is an abomination hence the deaths  in the community,” the source said.

“Until the god is appeased, the deaths will continue. But the chief priest and traditionalists have consulted and asked women to appease the Malokun by pouring buckets of water in front of the shrine.”

Sunday Vanguard learnt that the boys underrated the god of the land and, like lightening, it struck, leaving many persons dead.

The thieves  reportedly moved the sacred objects from the shrine and sold them to a man who  resold it to some foreigners.

Reports had it that those who shared from the proceeds of the sales and who they gave the money to in exchange for goods and services died in turns.

Sunday Vanguard gathered that the Malokun shrine was broken into by the boys after they had protected  themselves   through the help of a  herbalist outside the community.

At the last count, about 30 persons, between  ages 25 and 40, died  horrible deaths because of their alleged connection to the abomination.

Those who died as a result of the alleged abomination  were said to have been initially afflicted with  blindness, elongation of  tongues and  unconsciousness.

The perpetrators, it was learnt, shared N100,000 each from the proceeds after which they reportedly went on  spending spree in the community.

High-Priest-Lemo

 The news of the desecration of the shrine was said to have been relayed to the traditional ruler of the town who invited the chief priest and other traditionalists to conduct a fact-finding visit to the shrine.

The breakage into the shrine   was   said to have been the first of its kind in the history of the community.

But Ondo State government  linked the deaths to an outbreak of a strange disease.

Already, the state  government and the World Health Organization have sent representatives to the community.

The Ondo government  deployed the Personnel Protective Equipment purchased during recent Ebola scare in the country to the area with their handlers.

The state Health Commissioner, Dr Dayo Adeyanju, who led government delegation to  Irele, said  the reason given by the natives  that the deaths resulted from the desecration of a shrine in the town could  not be scientifically proved.

Adeyanju confirmed that 12 persons died on the day the incident happened.

According to the Commissioner, the “presentation from the investigations carried out on the victims did not reveal symptoms of the dreaded Ebola disease.”

He said the state government had moved into the area to curtail the spread of the strange disease.

The preliminary report, Adeyanju said, showed that the victims complained of headache and later lost their sight before they finally gave up.

The commissioner,  who assured that government would do everything possible to control the  ailment, said the World Health Organisation (WHO) and other partners were already involved in the matter.

“Samples taken from the victims had been sent to Lagos for proper investigation while government had been engaging in advocacy to ensure that new cases are reported,”he stated, adding that concealment could be devastating.

Adeyanju asked relations of the victims not to bury the corpses of affected people at home.

He said that they should take those that are dead to the cemetery and to take precautions during burials.Meanwhile, residents are said to be moving out of the area for fear of the strange sickness  to Okitipupa and Ore.

•The shrine housing the Irele deity

The chief priest of Malokun shrine, High Chief Lemo, in an interview with Sunday Vanguard, said the breaking into the shrine by unknown persons was a sacrilege hence the deaths recorded in the community.

Also, one of the traditionalists in the town, High Chief Akingboye, confirmed that some persons had the effrontery to break into the sacred shrine and carted away sacred objects.

Akingboye said over 20 persons had died as a result of the sacrilege.

He pointed out that he is satisfied with the intervention of the state government.

Another community leader, Ayodele Omole, said the deaths in the community had created panic, forcing many to relocate to neighboring communities.

He pointed out that the solution to the problem was beyond the state  Ministry of Health,  adding that the appeasement of the god is the lasting solution.

A doctor at the General Hospital, Irele, Dr Segun Ayodele, said that what happened in the town was an outbreak of  a disease which killed people mysteriously.

Ayodele said the state government had deployed over 20 medical personnel to the community.

According to him,  Ayade and Irele communities were worst hit by the deaths.

The NEMA South -West Information Officer, Ibrahim Farinloye, said all relevant agencies had been mobilized to unravel the   mystery behind the deaths in the community.

Meanwhile, Governor Olusegun Mimiko, in a broadcast, said the state had witnessed a major health challenge.

“A yet to be named ailment whose causative agents, diagnosis and cure are also yet to be determined struck in locations in Irele Local Government Area of our state, killing 17 people and stoking panic and fear,”Mimiko said.

“In all, 17 deaths have been confirmed in Ayadi community and Ode Irele township and all the deaths were preceded by symptoms of sudden blurred vision, headache and loss of consciousness.

“It must be said that the team was despatched to the communities affected and the General Hospital as well as other health facilities, to gather needed information about the nature, scope and circumstances of the outbreak.   Key informants interview, hospital record search and patient interview were used to obtain information.

“I must state that the symptoms in this situation are not peculiar to any known epidemic and so have remained largely confounding.

“Specifically, it must be stressed, the symptoms observed in the two communities of Ayadi and Ode Irele bear no resemblance to those associated with the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD).”

Credit - Dayo Johnson, Akure
Vanguard News