By Ade Oyeyemi
The Onidogun of Idogun in Ose Local Government Area of Ondo State, Oba Moses Ekundayo Bakare, has died after reportedly collapsing and spending about 24 hours in a coma.
The traditional ruler was said to have collapsed on Wednesday and was rushed to a hospital, where he remained unconscious until his death on Thursday evening.
His death comes nearly a year after a crisis erupted in Idogun in October 2025, when some residents allegedly assaulted him in an incident that circulated widely on social media.
Following the incident, the monarch reportedly left the community and remained away until his death.
In response to the crisis, the Ondo State Government set up a panel of inquiry to investigate the circumstances surrounding the alleged attack and submit its findings. However, the panel’s report has yet to be made public.
The state Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Idowu Ajanaku, who is also an indigene of Idogun, confirmed the monarch’s death and extended the government’s condolences to the royal family and residents of the community.
Ajanaku said he was informed of the development by chiefs in Idogun. He also appealed to residents to maintain peace and avoid actions capable of triggering fresh violence during the mourning period.
Meanwhile, reports from the community indicated that some residents opposed to the late monarch prevented his remains from being taken into Idogun on Thursday.
The residents reportedly barricaded a road with logs of wood, forcing those conveying the body to return it to a mortuary in Owo.
The circumstances surrounding the monarch’s death and the reported obstruction of the movement of his remains had yet to be fully clarified as of the time of filing this report.
