Osun Osogbo Festival Holds Amidst Alleged Plan To Kidnap Votary Maid

The Osun Osogbo Annual Festival held on Friday amidst speculations that the Votary Maid, ‘Arugba’, could be kidnapped.

There have been rumours of an alleged plan to abduct the Arugba on or before the Osun Osogbo Annual festival, but on the day of the festival, the atmosphere that surrounded the Osun groove was peaceful and the devotees were up and about doing their normal worship.

There was, however, a show of moderate security presence as an armoured personnel carrier was parked by the road side with four police vans on standby through the ‎route which the Votary Maid is expected to pass to the groove.

‎As early as 10 o’clock in the morning, the, Arugba, who was accompanied by the Osun worshipers and thousands of faithful, culture and tourism enthusiasts had proceeded to the groove for the celebration.

At the event ground, the Governor of Osun State Rauf Aregbesola, who was represented by a former Commissioner for Culture, Tourism and Home Affairs, Sikiru Adetona, called on the Federal Government and other stakeholders to latch on the benefits presented by the groove.

He emphasised that the government could incorporate tourism benefits of the groove and other festivals in its diversification plans.

He said: “Religion and culture should be properly propagated.

“Our culture has to do with our integrity, but we unfortunately do not celebrate our culture the way we should”.

Also, the Director General of National Commission for Museum and Monuments, Mr Yusuf Abdullah, lauded the organisers of the event for the facilities put in place to ease the entire process.

“The Federal Government appreciate the potential of culture to promoting tourism particularly the Osun Osogbo Festival which has been adopted as a world tourist centre by the UNESCO.

He said: “I can assure you that the government will continue to support it as well as support other festivals nationwide”.

Earlier, the Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Olanipekun, prayed for the peace and prosperity of the state and Nigeria in general.

Sex video: UNIOSUN lecturer accuses former colleague, others of blackmail

The embattled lecturer at the Department of Languages and Linguistics of the Osun State University, Ikire Campus, Dr. Olabode  Ojoniyi, has accused one of the lecturers of the university, who was recently dismissed for an alleged misconduct, as the person who allegedly contracted the 400 level female student, Mercy Ikwue, to blackmail him.

The female student, who secretly recorded sexual activities involving her and Ojoniyi recently released the video, which has been generating reactions.

But our correspondent gathered from some students of the university that Ojoniyi, on Friday, posted an open letter on the platform of the Great Linguistics Whatsapp Group, where he accused the female lecturer and the Provost, Adeyemi College of Education, Ondo, Prof. Olukoya Ogen, as the architects of his problem.

The embattled lecturer, in the letter entitled, “Open letter to Nigerians and the whole world on the alleged “UNIOSUN lecturer in sex scandal video” also accused Professors Alebiosu O. C and Akintayo D. I of UNIOSUN of connivance with his sworn enemies.

The letter read, “I am Olabode Wale OJONIYI, the man in the eyes of the storm of Femi Makinde’s  “UNIOSUN lecturer in sex scandal video” published in The Punch of 11th August, 2016.

“While I have instructed my Lawyers to take appropriate legal steps on the said report in The PUNCH of yesterday, 11th August, 2016, I am using this medium to inform Nigerians and the whole world that I am ready for an open live television media investigation of the said allegation against me provided that the said lady in the report, Ikwe Ejiro Mercy, will be invited and present.”

“…I am here pleading with well-meaning Nigerians and any reputable television media organisation to quickly organise and call for this open media investigation panel on this case. I sincerely look forward to this open panel. Thank you.”

Ojoniyi said he had contacted his lawyers to institute a legal action against Punch on the story, saying he was ready for a live interview by any television station on the matter.

When contacted whether he wrote the letter, Ojoniyi refused to pick calls put across to his telephone line by our correspondent and the chats sent to him via whatsApp were marked read but the lecturer refused to reply the questions raised.

Meanwhile, one of the lecturers accused by the embattled lecturer, Prof. Alebiosu, when contacted on the telephone by our correspondent, said Ojoniyi was making spurious allegations to exonerate himself.

Alebiosu, who was the chairman of the Staff Disciplinary Panel set up by the university to investigate allegations of unlawful adjusting of students marks by some lecturers, said his panel set free the female lecturer because eight persons had the password to the computer from where the marks were adjusted and it would be wrong to pin it down on her.

He explained that after that, another evidence was brought against Dr. Amao and she was eventually sacked due to the fresh evidence against her.

He added that Prof. Ogen brought the sex video before the panel as an evidence against Ojoniyi.

Alebiosu said Ojoniyi admitted that he was the one in the video and he was advised to go and make peace with those in his department because he (Ojoniyi) was at war with virtually everybody.

Alebiosu said, “Prof Ogen, who is now the chief executive of the Adeyemi College of Education came to testify and showed the video that has unfortunately gone viral as a testimony against Ojoniyi.

“My panel was investigating allegation of mark adjustment and we reported the new evidence to the management and advised him to go and make peace with those in his department. He confirmed he was the one in the video.”

Source: Punch