By Tola Gbadamosi

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Fracas broke out yesterday at Ijare town in Ifedore Local Government area of Ondo State over the celebration of new yam festival.

The Hope Metro gathered that crisis erupted over disagreement between the second in command to the Oba of the community, High Chief Wemimo Olofinloye and some sections of the community.

Though no life was lost, according to eye witnesses, but many were injured as some of them have been taken to an undisclosed hospital for treatment.

The disagreement was said to have brewed when the Sapetu organised his new yam celebration a day earlier before the annual commencement of the celebration.

It was gathered that a surbub community, Araromi-Omoladan, in the Ijare neighborhood, according to tradition, is the first in line to celebrate yam festival in the community.

Source said a week after the community’s celebration, Ijare community will now celebrate its own new yam festival.

Contrary to this custom, our correspondent gathered that High Chief  Wemimo Olofunloye decided to celebrate his own new yam festival ahead.

The development was said to have angered a section of the community who alleged the Sapetu of causing division in Ijare since the demise of their traditional ruler, the Olujare of Ijare, Oba Adegbemile Okotiribo who joined his ancestors about five years ago.

The Sapetu was said to have hired a musical group to entertain the gathering during the celebration. However, some angry residents were said to have attacked the musician, destroyed his musical instrument.

In an interview with the Sapetu, “he said yam festival was meant for today, tomorrow and next tomorrow because we don’t have a sitting oba, most of the activities are done specially. But major events have to take place today. We are just marking it for the sake of it as we do not have a sitting Oba.

But unfortunately some lesser chiefs with the backing of some hoodlums  came around and disrupted today’s activities.

I have called the attention of security agencies to our community. They brought security officers to control the ugly development and were driven away to ensure peace,” he explained.