Scores of female traditional worshippers from across Egbaland on Friday staged a spiritual procession in Abeokuta, Ogun State, calling for the safe release of schoolchildren and teachers abducted in Oyo State.
The worshippers, dressed in traditional white attire and carrying religious paraphernalia, moved through several sacred sites in the city as part of what they described as a spiritual intervention aimed at securing the victims’ release within seven days.
The procession was led by the Yeye Olokun Agbaye and Olori of Ilawo Kingdom, Her Royal Majesty Omolara Fashola-MacGregor, who described the exercise as a collective appeal to ancestral deities for mercy, protection, and peace across Yorubaland.
Key locations visited during the procession included the Olumo Rock shrine, the Lisabi Agbongbo-Akala shrine, the Sodeke warrior shrine, and the Itoku shrine in Abeokuta, where prayers and traditional rites were performed.
According to the leader, the initiative was necessitated by growing insecurity in the country and the need for both spiritual and communal intervention to complement government and security efforts.
She noted that the prayers were not only focused on the abducted schoolchildren and their teachers but also on all victims of kidnapping across Nigeria.
The traditionalist appealed to President Bola Tinubu, Yoruba monarchs, and other traditional institutions to intensify efforts toward restoring peace and stability, stressing that ancestral blessings and spiritual guidance were vital in addressing the nation’s security challenges.
The group expressed hope that their prayers and rituals would contribute to the safe return of the abductees within the seven-day timeframe.
