The Osun State Government has issued a strong caution to the Oluwo of Iwoland, Oba Abdulrasheed Akanbi, over alleged inflammatory statements capable of igniting religious confrontation and inter-town conflicts.
In a letter dated November 2026, with reference number CD.17/1/VOL.VIII/377 and signed by Wale Alliyu on behalf of the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, the government said it had observed with worry recent well-publicised statements credited to the monarch.
The government, in the letter obtained by OSUN DEFENDER, said the monarch’s activities are raising communal tension, sowing seeds of communal and religious discord and discrediting traditional values, describing them as serious threats to peace, unity and stability of the state and Iwo domain.
According to the letter addressed to the Oluwo Palace, a copy of which was received by the monarch’s secretary on November 3, the administration noted that the persistence of such crisis-inciting activities and conduct against peaceful interfaith cohabitation had reached a level it could no longer ignore.
“The administration wants to put it on record that within the context of the Nigerian Constitution, every citizen has a right to freedom of religious association,” the government stated.
It added that as a traditional ruler, the Oluwo is bound by the Constitution to respect the rights of his constituents to hold religious beliefs.
“You cannot, and you must not conduct yourself in any way that can foment religious crisis through serial attacks on people of other faiths,” the letter warned.
It further noted that the traditional stool should not be used to incite religious war, and that pursuing a reform with potential to create community violence is a development no responsible administration will tolerate.
The government said it notes with shock several public utterances credited to the monarch without denial.
Consequently, it issued six cautionary notes to nip in the bud any likely outbreak of religious and inter-town conflict.
The government directed the Oluwo to stop forthwith any further attacks on people of other faiths, refrain from further attacks on fellow traditional rulers to forestall inter-town confrontation, and work to preserve the culture and tradition of the people which the stool symbolises.
It also urged him to be guided by norms and regulations as spelt out in the Chieftaincy Laws and resolutions of the State Council of Obas.
The ministry said it will be monitoring compliance with the cautionary notes, while the State Council of Obas has equally been directed to watch and act on recent developments within Iwo land.
