How Yoruba’s Oro cult serve as tool to minimise crime, insecurity
From Busari Olatunji Hussain
Oro is both a spirit deity and an “ancestral spirit” believed to reside in the forest. Its symbols are the Oro stick and the bull roared through which his voice is heard.
The worship of Oro spirit is wide-spread in Yoruba land, but more prominent among the Egba’s Ijebu’s and Aworis’s. oro cult is only for men and membership through initiation.
Its devotees believes it is one of the divine gods, people consult to assist in solving problems. The devotees believe that Oro actually came into the world to eradicate evil things or to correct abnormalities in the society and in humans. Oro is also known as the god of civil government.
During Oro activities, only members who are usually males participate. During oro outings, all females, old or young stay in-doors behinf closed doors. All the markets in the area are deserted. Oro activities might be for a day, three days, seven days, or twenty one days. Oro activities are performed both in the town and in the bush. In each case the performance of ceremonies is preceeded by a proclamation of confinement of all women and non-members. In the recent past, the consignment may last for a period ranging from between twenty four hours and three month
The ceremonies are preceded by a parade round the town where the members, dance, drum, drink and ceremonially swing the oro stick on their way to the Council Hall or Ile Osugbo (House of Oshugbo) Fundamentally, the reasons for these ceremonies have to do with abnormalities, criminal cases etc. that are causing unrest or affecting the peace and unity of the community, which need urgent solution for the continuity of peaceful co-existence of the entire habitat in the community.
Of all the Oro ceremonies, the most important is the banishment ceremony, which occur when a very serious offence is committed, such as terrorism, banditry, ritualism, unjust behaviours and excess execution of power by the ruling class in the community and so on. The house of the offenders would be taken over by the members of Oro cult. They will surround the house swinging their oro away either for banishment or for execution. When a person is banished, people will say that “nwon fi oro le eni nihi: (he is banished by means of oro). Through these acts the entire toen and the people are exsorcised and peace returned.
Oro ceremonies are performed in the Oro grove known as Igboro, “Igbo Oro”. Any intrusion into the ceremonies by non-members is punishable by death. When a criminal is decapitated by oro, the head is nailed to a tree near the home of the criminal as warning to others.
Fortunately majority of these criminals operate in the night and Oro cult group also performs most of their activities in the night. Then it will not be too difficult to curb and control these criminals and their activities.
Importantly, they can assist our security agents, to enable them get to all the hide outs of the criminals, because they know their territory better.
