Following the crisis rocking Oodua Peoples Congress, OPC, security agencies in Oyo state have barred all factions of the Yoruba pressure group from participating in this year’s Oke-Badan festival.
A source who spoke to TheDispatchng.com on the development said that security agencies in the State took the decision to prevent all factions of OPC from participating in the festival based on ‘security report’, which alerted the agencies on possible breakdown of law and order should the group participate in this year’s festival.
The source further added that the Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes (CCII) which is organising this year’s Oke-Badan festival has also informed the two factions of the OPC not to participate in this year’s Oke-Badan festival.
“It is true that both factions of Oodua Peoples Congress, OPC, have been barred from participating in this year’s Oke-Badan festival. Security agencies in the State took the decision based on ‘security report’, which indicated the possibility of breakdown of law and order should any of the factions participate in the yearly Ibadan festival”.
He added: “Security agencies and also the Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes, CCII have held meetings between the two factions of the OPC. They were told specifically not to participate in the forthcoming Oke-Badan festival to prevent breakdown of law and order in Ibadan.”
TheDispatchng.com further gathered that security agencies equally warned the two factions of the OPC not to hold any form of gathering in any part of Ibadan on the slated day of the Oke-Badan festival.