THE plan by a group of persons to install a sultan in Edo State has sparked angry reactions from the people and government of the state on Thursday.
The Edo State Government and the Pan Niger Delta Forum were among those who condemned the arrangement to install a sultan in the state.
An online invitation by the group suspected to be from Fulani had slated the event for Saturday, August 21 and Sunday, August 22, with the venue at Rialto Hotel in Eyaen, a suburb of Benin City, the state capital.
Coronation of sultan in Edo sacrilegious, says Edo
In a statement on Thursday, the Secretary to the Edo State Government, Osarodion Ogie, assured the people that a firm and decisive action would be taken to prevent the actualisation of the “illegal and sacrilegious act”.
The statement reads, “The Edo State Government has been inundated with complaints from indigenes and residents of the state over the purported move to embark on the coronation of one Idriss Addano as ‘Sultan of Shuwa Arab of Edo State’.
“The Edo State Government wishes to state as follows: That whether or not this event is held at the said or any other location within the state by individuals who clearly have sinister motives and are trying to abuse the well-known Edo hospitality by their act of sacrilege, it will constitute a direct assault on the traditions, custom and culture of the people of Edo State.
“Under the Edo State Traditional Rulers and Chiefs Law, it is an offence for anyone to proclaim himself, or allow himself to be proclaimed as the holder of any traditional title not recognized under the said law and/or without the approval of the appropriate authorities.”
9Naija 