CAN Summons Pastor Over Osun Shrine Incident, Monarch Orders Church Shut

The Osun State chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria has summoned a cleric, Pastor Ezekiel, over his alleged role in the invasion of the Osun-Osogbo Grove, where shrines were reportedly desecrated.

The state CAN chairman, Pastor John Adeleke, confirmed on Wednesday that the association had invited the pastor, though he was yet to respond. Adeleke distanced CAN from the act, stating that Ezekiel neither informed nor sought permission from the association before the incident.

“We condemn that attitude, and we say we are not part of it. We do not send him, nor did he inform us before doing so. We totally separate ourselves from that act,” Adeleke said.

He called on all parties to remain calm and allow for an amicable resolution, noting that Christians, Muslims and traditional worshippers have long coexisted peacefully in the state.

Meanwhile, the palace of the Olojudo Alayemore of Ido-Osun, Oba Olayinka Jokotola, has ordered the immediate sealing of Pastor Ezekiel’s church in the community. A statement from the palace said the cleric had refused to honour invitations and accused him of attempting to incite religious unrest.

“We see the act as an invitation to religious crisis, which has never been recorded in our kingdom, and if not checked properly, may jeopardize the peaceful coexistence among the three religions in Ido-Osun and Osun State at large,” the statement read. “The Kabieesi Alayemore has ordered that the church be sealed immediately and indefinitely.”

The crisis began after a video circulated online showing a group of pastors inside the Osun-Osogbo Grove. In the footage, a man in white robes, accompanied by others, was seen touching parts of a shrine and making declarations considered provocative by traditionalists. A confrontation ensued before the clerics were escorted out.

In a subsequent video, masked individuals claiming to be traditionalists stormed the pastor’s church in Ido-Osun, where they slaughtered a dog and splattered its blood inside the premises in what they described as a retaliatory act.

The Traditional Religion Worshippers Association has submitted a petition to the Osun State Police Command calling for a probe, while the state government has held a peace meeting with representatives of the groups involved.