Why Isese Law Must Be Recognized in the South-West: A Call for Legal Recognition and Protection of Indigenous Faiths

A renewed call has been made for the legal recognition of Isese Law across Yorùbá-speaking states in Nigeria. This call becomes increasingly important in light of recent events affecting indigenous religious practitioners and traditional institutions.

The appeal highlights the urgent need for constitutional and governmental acknowledgment of indigenous religious systems—not just in words or symbolic celebration, but in formal legal frameworks that grant equal protection and rights to practitioners of the ancestral Yorùbá religion.

Despite the increasing visibility of Isese practices and festivals, especially across Lagos, Oyo, Ogun, and Osun States, there remains a significant gap in legislative protection. There are no enforceable laws that ensure the rights of practitioners to practice freely, to maintain their sacred spaces, or to guarantee the traditional procedures during critical life transitions such as birth, marriage, and especially burial.

A clear example of this systemic vulnerability was seen during the burial of the late Awujale of Ijebu, Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona. Despite being a royal custodian of Yorùbá heritage and tradition, the burial rites were conducted under Islamic practices, sidelining core traditional protocols. This is not just an isolated incident but a symptom of the broader marginalization of indigenous religious frameworks under the influence of foreign religions and a lack of legal protection.

If there had been a codified Isese Law, it would have safeguarded the burial rites of traditional rulers and prevented the distortion or override of indigenous customs. It would also grant Isese adherents recourse when their rights are violated or their sacred practices are suppressed.

Legal recognition of Isese will also:

1. Allow for the creation of traditional courts or councils in line with ancestral values

2. Empower communities to reclaim and protect sacred lands, groves, and temples

3. Prevent the destruction of shrines and desecration of symbols by fanatical groups

4. Ensure the inclusion of Isese festivals and practices in state calendars with public holidays

5. Grant traditional leaders and custodians legal power to enforce cultural protocols

6. Protect Isese children in schools from religious discrimination

7. Encourage cultural education, language preservation, and tourism that benefits the economy

There is no reason Isese Law cannot be part of the legal ecosystem in Nigeria. Just as Sharia law has received state-backed implementation in the North, Isese law can serve as the moral and spiritual compass of the South-West—rooted in ancestral wisdom, justice, and communal order.

It is time the South-West houses of assembly, traditional councils, and religious leaders come together to design and push a bill that will enshrine Isese Law within the framework of the Nigerian Constitution—protecting not only the faith, but the identity and destiny of the Yorùbá people.

This is not just a spiritual issue; it is a matter of cultural survival and legal justice.