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A Community of Ikare Akoko in Akoko North Local Government Area (LGA) of Ondo State has endorsed the Lagos-based son of the late Chief Priest of its deity to succeed to him.

The famous Chief Priest of Ilepa community deity, well known in the State for keeping and preserving till date the traditional practices, including blood sacrifices to their gods in keeping with the culture and traditions of their forefathers, Apena Ismaila Bayo Ejiko, passed on recently, precisely Saturday, August 20, 2016, after being at the head of all the community cultural and traditional priests for over 30 years.

Rising from a meeting in the community yesterday, exactly a month after his burial, having been buried on August 22, 2016, to decide on his successor and carry out other necessary rites to put his reign behind them, the community elders and traditional chiefs picked his eldest son, Akeem Oluwaseun Ejiko, to succeed his father as the next chief priest of their deities.

The 43-year old Akeem, who is said to be based in Lagos, according to family sources in the community, is married with children. He was said to be home for his father’s burial with his wife, Mrs. Olubukola Ajoke Ejiko, after which they returned to Lagos.

Described as quiet and urbane, a friend of his in the community, who simply identified himself as Dipo, told our correspondent that Akeem, known for what he is, will not accept to serve in that position and the elders will not tolerate it.

“It’s trouble in waiting for the young man because the highly traditional and cultural elders of this community will not accept his refusal to serve and as we know them to be, they will do everything possible to get him to accept to serve in that position.

“We hear Akeem and his family are now very good Christians in Lagos, if that’s true, I don’t know if he will accept to return home to combine the practices of that highly bloody cultural position with his Christian faith, let’s see how the elders would get him to accept it but I know that they would want to force it on him, by all means, possible on the argument that he was anointed by the gods but it remains to be seen how it plays out,” Dipo stated.

In agreement with Dipo’s position, a member of the community’s traditional Council of Chiefs, Elder Olayinka Obada said: “To be picked by the gods for such a role is spiritual and the greatest honour that can be bestowed on any member of this community and it’s not a thing that can be rejected.

Akeem grew up here, he knows our tradition, his father was the village Apena (Chief Priest) for many years, he grew up with him, so, he can’t turn down an assignment given to him by the gods, to do so is heresy, they will not only go after him, they will hunt him down.” 

It’s not known, if Akeem, who is said to work with the MTN mobile network in Lagos as a contract staff under A4 Technologies & Telecoms Ltd and his family, are already informed of the development but it was learnt that as is the tradition, the community elders will send a delegation to him to inform him and extract a word from him on when he is coming home to begin preparations for his installation and final return to fully assume the position