A group of traditional religious adherents in Abeokuta, Ogun State, has embarked on a series of spiritual exercises, seeking divine intervention for the safe release of more than 40 pupils and teachers abducted from three schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State nearly three weeks ago.
The spiritual exercise was led by Dr Omolara Fashola-MacGregor, wife of the Olu of Orile-Ilawo, Oba (Prof.) Alexander Olusegun MacGregor, alongside other traditional worshippers who visited several sacred sites in Abeokuta, including the famous Olumo Rock, to offer prayers and invoke ancestral deities on behalf of the victims.
The gathering, held at an ancestral shrine in the Ogun State capital, was marked by expressions of grief and concern over the attack on the schools in mid-May, which resulted in the death of an assistant headmaster and the abduction of dozens of pupils and education workers.
Dressed in traditional regalia symbolising their religious beliefs, the worshippers performed a series of rites involving prayers, libations and spiritual supplications, calling for the safe return of the captives and divine judgment against those responsible for the abductions.
Speaking during the ceremony, Olori MacGregor said the spiritual intervention became necessary at a time when security challenges continue to threaten vulnerable members of society.
“The cries of these innocent school children have reached the heavens,” she said.
“We are invoking the spirit of our ancestors and the potent deities of our land to go into the deepest forests. May those who have taken these children find no sleep, no peace, and no safety until every single child and teacher is returned unharmed.
