Rage of witches in Ibadan?

Molete Area of Ibadan is perhaps one of the most notable spots, not only in the city, but also in Oyo State and even beyond. It is the abode of the then prominent politician, Alhaji Lamidi Adedibu and the headquarters of «Amala politics». Chief Adedibu, who during his lifetime was given many monikers like the «strong man of Ibadan politics», «Alaafin Molete», among others, made the area notorious. The untoward activities of commercial transport owners and workers added to the notoriety of the area. Molete was something else at that time.

But all that has changed or so it seems. Molete has shed a bit of its violence toga, but recent occurrences in the area are drawing attention to it. The area in a few days interval had recorded fatal accidents.

The current incidents would not be the first time such would happen. Four years ago, in October, 2014 a petrol tanker was involved in an accident close to the flyover spilling almost all its contents of 33,000 litres of petrol. The resulting fire took several lives and razed shops and other properties.

The Oyo State governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, who was out of the country at that time quickly returned. Saddened by what he saw, he instructed that all makeshift shops under the flyover be pulled down while a barricade was erected to prevent trespassers and others from creating new makeshift shops in the area,

Several months after, another tragedy occurred. This time a tanker driver whose vehicle had brake failure drove into a mini market at the same Molete area as he tried to avoid crushing pedestrians. The driver, coming from the Challenge end of the road, reportedly swerved the vehicle into the Adedibu/AGIP filling station end of Molete and crashed into a shop. The day was a Sunday, which meant that there were very few people in the area and no casualties recorded, but the injured driver spent three months in a private hospital receiving treatment.

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Two weeks ago, another tragedy struck at Molete. This time it was an IVECO truck, which, in the early hours of that Friday, crushed a pregnant woman to death leaving many others injured. No fewer than 15 vehicles were reportedly damaged in the accident.

Again, brake failure was the cause, as the driver who had lost control of the vehicle tried to pull over near Saint Anne’s College. The vehicle rammed into several vehicles before eventually pulling to a stop at the Molete Bus Stop when it got stuck between two stationary vehicles. The victim was said to have been crushed beyond recognition, trapped inside a tricycle she was riding in.

Different opinions

The quick succession of these accidents led many people to begin to have different shades of opinion on what could be responsible for the fatal accidents. While some blamed it on ‘spiritual attacks’ as they called it, others blamed it on politicians and lack of political will to ensure strict adherence to environmental policies that forbid any form of trading activities close to major or even minor junctions, not just in Ibadan, but across major cities in Nigeria.

A pastor, Edward Archy, believed that spiritual powers are at work. According to him: “Witches are on the prowl, playing their parts in fulfilling scriptural writings (John 10:10) to those who haven’t given their lives (to Jesus). I am afraid things will only get worse unless we begin to look beyond the physical and become more spiritual. What is happening is beyond politics, it is sons and daughters of Lucifer on the prowl for blood.”

Another cleric, Evangelist J. Dewumi also believes that what is happening “is not ordinary.” He warned residents to pray in order to bring such tragedies to an end.

“There is a blood covenant made by some people with the devil and it needs to be broken. Has it ever occurred to people that the three accidents happened not far from one another? There are bigger roundabouts in Ibadan, but we don’t hear of such reports because shops are not erected close to junctions. What is happening at Molete is not natural. I hope our people can see this.

“These people have resorted to making blood vows and busy places are where such can be got in abundance through fatal accidents,” he added.

But the claim about likely demonic involvement was rife. It has even prompted some of the traders to embark on prayer sessions to fortify themselves.  For instance, traders at the Adedibu Market, close to the spots of the accidents, had observed a three-day prayer from Sunday, 20 January, 2019 through Wednesday 23 January, 2019, under the flyover. The prayer sessions cut across the traditional, Christian and Islamic religions respectively.

Speaking at the event, Iyaloja of Ibadan, Chief (Mrs) Oyinlola Isiat, said the prayers were organized to avert further tragedies and to restore the good fortunes of trading in the area.

Also speaking, Alhaji Oladimeji Adeyemo, Baale Oloja Molete, Chief Adekola Alarape, Otun Baale Molete, and Chief (Mrs) Monilola Ajagbe, Iyaloja Molete including other traders in the area unanimously blamed transport workers for the accidents, noting that they must be relocated to avert other tragedies.

“Hence we have taken measures to make these transport workers move down the roundabout. We have arranged stones and tyres to mark out the area where they are not expected to park. We implore police authorities to help us ensure that the transporters do not trespass from where they have been allocated now,” said one of the traders who identified himself as Bolarinwa.

Looking beyond the spiritual scapegoat  

A photographer in the area, Ade Fasehun, who spoke with Sunday Tribune debunked the insinuation of spiritual attack, blaming the incidents on the traders who have taken over the road.

“I don’t believe there is any spiritual activity going on, either by politicians as many are presently saying, or by wicked people in spiritual places. Such tragic accidents have become a normal occurrence in Molete and surely, there won’t be an end until the government acts. People are talking about Molete because it happened in quick succession, but they have forgotten that another near-fatal accident occurred at Efunsetan roundabout recently.

“Just few days before the Efunsetan area accident, Governor Ajimobi, had personally gone there to instruct traders to move their makeshift shops elsewhere or risk demolition. If not for that, the articulated vehicle that crashed into the garage would have helped those traders to demolish their kiosks and probably claim lives.

“Three weeks into the New Year, three fatal auto accidents had occurred in Molete. These accidents have nothing to do with witches or elections, it has everything to do with planning and adherence to traffic laws,” he said.

A Federal Road Safety Corps officer, who did not want to be identified, told Sunday Tribune that the corps’ investigations has revealed that irrespective of location, “major junctions or roundabouts that prevent articulated vehicles from easy navigation of roads, caused by unplanned structures, especially kiosks and shops that eat into road, are the major reasons why long vehicles are always involved in fatal accidents. Its either such trucks have brake problems or they are prevented from moving by cars, SUVs, even individuals who block the road and leave their cars to do other things in markets close to such junctions.

As it were, lives and properties had been lost in Molete area through accidents in the past four years. Government has tried to provide alternative markets for the traders but they would not move there. The question now is: whose fault is it when accidents continue to happen?