Strange disease in Ode Irele town of Ondo, punishment for sacrilege, says community leader

A community leader in Ondo State, Moses Enimade, the Oyewoga of Ode Irele, has explained the “mystery” behind a strange and unknown killer disease that has ravaged a town in the state, killing at least 14 people.

He said the disease came as punishment for the “sacrilege” committed against Molokun, the local deity in the area.

He made this disclosure on Saturday. 

No fewer than 14 people have died of severe headaches and blindness in the town since April 15, 2015 when the disease broke out.

There have been no explanation for the disease. Victims have tested negative to Ebola, the deadly and incurable virus that killed thousands across West Africa, including Nigeria.

He said some stubborn youth broke into the inner room of the Molokun shrine on April 15.

He said, “Molokun is a deity of the land. Only the Chief Priest and High Chief Gboguron are qualified to enter the shrine.”

The chief alleged that the youths entered the shrine and made away with traditional items in a bid to acquire extra-ordinary powers and engage in money ritual.

He said, “They were not qualified to enter the and they had to face the death penalty.”

According to him, there is no community or town without its own culture and tradition. He said that what happened in Irele was the judgement of the gods on the youth.

He said, “Even the Kabiesi himself is not permitted to enter the Molokun Shrine’s inner room except the Chief Priest and High Chief Gboguron. Sacrifice must be performed before they can enter.

“Because these youths want to be rich at all costs, they entered the sacred place and made away with traditional items and 20 of them have died as a result of their desperate acts. 

“We have to appease the gods or else many will still die and we have to bury them according to tradition. Their corpses belong to the gods and will be exhumed if buried by their families.”

He restated that the deaths were not caused by diseases or Ebola as widely speculated.

Some residents have appealed to the chief priest to make the necessary atonement to avert more calamity in the town, as they expressed sadness that the news of the deaths had given the town and state a bad name.

Source - NAN