THE tradition House of Oduduwa of Ife, Osun State, has debunked the news of the death of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade, saying the sources which had circulated the news were not authorised to speak about the true health of the traditional ruler.
The Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade was worldwide reported dead on Tuesday evening in a London hospital.
Addressing journalists at the palace of the monarch, the Lowa Adimula of Ife, Chief Joseph Ija-odola, and the secretary of the royal traditional council, Chief Adetoye Odewole, who spoke on behalf of other 16 chiefs that make up the Oduduwa House, stated that "as far as we are concerned, that news was a rumour."
They said if anything of such happened, they would be the first to know and break the news.
The chiefs, therefore, urged the people to discountenance the report.
They said the monarch had been rumoured dead on three occasions which were 1982, 2002 and 2004 and that this will be the fourth time his death would be announced.
As early as possible, sons and daughters of Ife had thronged the entrance of the palace to confirm the authenticity of the report.
Some of them who spoke with Tribune Online disclosed that as true sons of Ife, the news of Ooni's death cannot just be broken like that. They said as the source of Yourba tradition, there is a traditional laid-down process to announce the demise of the king.
A source disclosed that the monarch could not have died because a traditional high chief of Ife with the title 'Isoogun' must visit the palace to signal that the monarch is no more. This, the source said, had not happened
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