By Joshua Tosin Ogunsakin 
There was chaos in Oke Agbe Akoko, located in Akoko North-West Local Government Area of Ondo State, as masquerades and traditional worshippers reportedly invaded a mosque and the residence of the Chief Imam, assaulting members of his family.
The incident, which occurred last Thursday, saw the traditionalists allegedly force their way into the mosque in the town centre, where they unleashed violence on the Chief Imam’s wives and children.
Eyewitnesses told The Nation that some residents attempted to intervene but were overwhelmed by the masquerades and their followers, prompting widespread panic as people fled for safety.
A local resident, who witnessed the attack and requested anonymity, said no clear reason had been given for the invasion.
However, he hinted that the Islamic cleric was known for speaking out against idol worship in the community.
“We have been living in palpable fear since the attack happened. Everyone is just too scared,” the resident said.
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, Ayanlade Olayinka, said he could not immediately confirm the incident but promised to investigate and provide an update.
Meanwhile, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) confirmed the incident and condemned the invasion in strong terms, describing it as “barbaric, irrational and evidence of increasing anti-Muslim hostility” in parts of the Southwest.
In a statement issued on Monday, MURIC’s Executive Director, Prof. Ishaq Akintola, called on security agencies to arrest and prosecute those responsible for the attack.
“To add salt to injury, the king of the town imposed fines on the Muslim victims, after the attack allegedly because the Muslim women ‘screamed and cursed the masquerades while they were being beaten instead of crying and begging’.
”The Imam and his wives were therefore ordered to bring nine goats, seven sheep and 200 pieces of kolanuts as fines not later than Monday 16th June, 2025 (today) or they would all be banished from the city while no one should practice Islam in the area henceforth. Nothing was said about the masquerades who attacked the women,” the statement read.
The Muslim group also described the action of monarch as ‘a miscarriage of justice’, saying his judgement stands in contradistinction to the principles of natural justice.
He added that the country is now in a 21st-century and supposed to be in a democracy for “crying out loud” while also aurging that “it is crude, archaic, parochial and draconian.”
“This fine must not stand. We demand justice for the muslim victims,” it said.
MURIC has called on the Ondo state government to intervene and halt what it described as the “excesses” of the town’s traditional leadership.
“We urge the Ondo State Government to curb the excesses of the king of OkeAgbe Akoko. Nothing must happen to the Imam, his wives and children. That banishment order must be rescinded.
“Besides, a case of assault occasioning harm has been established. We urge the Ondo State Police Command to arrest and prosecute the attackers. They are neither anonymous nor ghosts because their leaders are well known.”
The group, however, commended the local police for enabling Muslims to observe Jumu’ah prayers peacefully the day after the attack but warned against sweeping the matter under the carpet.
”The masquerades of Oke Agbe have just confirmed our fears about the fate of Muslims in the South West. Yorubaland has become another Siberia for Yoruba Muslims. It is persecution galore. The number of cases reported to MURIC on a daily basis is alarming, the statement added.