What happened to Mrs. T.A. Olorisha in Ilorin did not begin with fire. It began with whispers, warnings and an ultimatum delivered in broad daylight, months before flames finally consumed her home.
The arson attack on the traditional worshipper, now widely condemned across Nigeria, is emerging as the climax of a chilling campaign of intimidation against Isese adherents in parts of Kwara State.
Despite arrests announced by the police, fresh allegations that the suspects have been released have reignited public anger and fears of institutional failure.
According to the account given by Iya Olorisha, and corroborated by earlier reports published by Freelanews, the persecution started in November during Osun week.
She was summoned to Agbeyangi’s compound by Yekini, a meeting she attended with her son, Dare, unaware that it would mark the beginning of a dangerous ordeal.
On arrival, she met nine people already seated, including Islamic clerics and community figures.
Rather than address her directly, they instructed her son to listen carefully as they declared that the alfas in the area had resolved that nothing connected to Isese or Osun worship would be tolerated in Ilorin again.
She was told, bluntly, to desist from practising her religion.
Shocked but resolute, Iya Olorisha responded that she had practised her faith peacefully for years at Isale Koko without incident. If any cleric objected, she insisted, such a person should confront her openly rather than issuing threats through proxies.
That response, she said, angered them.
Instead of retreating, the group berated her for asking questions, insisting that obedience, not dialogue, was required. They warned her that she had long been marked for eviction and would have been forced out of Isale Koko already if she were not a landlord.
Her reply was firm. No one, she said, had the authority to chase her away.
Then came the threat that would later haunt the nation.
In the heat of the argument, one alfa reportedly stood up and declared that if her house was set ablaze, they would then see whether she would finally leave the community.
The threat was issued openly, without fear, and in the presence of witnesses.
When Iya Olorisha attempted to confront the cleric, she was restrained by her son and a police officer at the scene, who advised her not to fight but to report the matter to a superior officer. That superior officer, she said, reprimanded those involved.
Weeks later, the warning materialised.
Her house was set on fire in what police sources and Freelanews described as a targeted arson attack linked directly to her identity as a traditional worshipper.
The attack left her displaced, traumatised and stripped of the home she had built over years.
Following public outcry, the Kwara State Police Command announced the arrest of three Muslim suspects in connection with the arson attack.
However, Iya Olorisha has now raised the alarm that the suspects may have been released, a development that has sparked widespread outrage and renewed calls for accountability.
Human rights advocates say the case exposes a troubling pattern of religious intolerance against practitioners of indigenous African religions, who are often marginalised, threatened or attacked with little protection from authorities.
The Ilorin incident has reopened national debate about freedom of religion under Nigeria’s constitution and whether traditional worshippers enjoy the same protection as adherents of Christianity and Islam.
The relevant provision is Section 38 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).
Section 38(1) states that every person is entitled to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. This includes the freedom to change one’s religion or belief, and the freedom to manifest and propagate one’s religion or belief in worship, teaching, practice and observance.
Beyond Section 38, other constitutional provisions reinforce religious freedom:
Section 10 states that the government of the Federation or of a State shall not adopt any religion as a State religion. Nigeria is constitutionally a secular state, even though it is religiously diverse.
Section 42 prohibits discrimination on the basis of religion. No citizen should suffer discrimination, exclusion or disadvantage because of their religious belief.
As videos of Iya Olorisha recounting her ordeal circulate online, her story has become a symbol of resistance against religious extremism and selective justice.
Nigerians across religious lines are now demanding an independent investigation into the arson attack, the conduct of the police officers involved and the alleged release of the suspects.
For many, the charred remains of her home are no longer just evidence of a crime. They are a warning of what happens when fanaticism is tolerated and the law hesitates.
Ojelabi, the publisher of Freelanews, is an award winning and professionally trained mass communicator, who writes ruthlessly about pop culture, religion, politics and entertainment.
