Yoruba and cult: OPC members, cult group clash at Osun shrine

Members of the Oodua People’s Congress on Friday clashed with some youths suspected to be members of a secret cult who allegedly came to disrupt the Osun Festival.

Our correspondent gathered that the youths stormed the entrance of the Osun Grooves to disrupt the ceremony, but the OPC members resisted them.

One of the youths identified as Yusuf, however, became unconscious after he sustained machete cut on his head as a result of the clash.

Some worshippers, who spoke to our correspondent, said the hemp-smoking youths came to harass the peace-loving people at the shrine.

Some good Samaritans later took the injured youth to the hospital for treatment.
A National Coordinator of the OPC, Otunba Gani Adams, told journalists that the determination of the people made the Osun Festival to bounce back stronger this year.

He said, “Osun Festival has proved to Africans in the Diaspora that it is an event which is one of the best in the world. There was a challenge last year because of the Ebola virus, but Osun Festival is celebrated with pomp this year. You can see it from the large turnout of the people here.

“We are appealing to the Federal Government to invest in the development of tourist sites. With this, the nation will generate more revenue.”

The Osun State Governor, Alhaji Rauf Aregbesola, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Moshood Adeoti, said the state would generate fund from the festival.