Photo: The Abobaku, Man To Be Buried Alive With The Late Ooni
Photo: The Abobaku, Man To Be Buried Alive With The Late Ooni This is Abobaku, the man earmarked to be buried alive with late Ooni of Ife today Friday as a mark of respect to the monarch and in consonance with the culture there. Unconfirmed reports from Ile-Ife indicate that the designated person to be buried alive alongside the monarch, known traditionally as the Abobaku, took to his heels for dear life. In Ile-Ife culture, the Abobaku is a person selected by the traditional chiefs to live and die with the king and is treated well and showered with a lot of care and gifts while alive. Apparently, the incumbent Abobaku ran away following the confirmation of the death of the Ooni earlier this month. Despite denials of the death by the Traditional Royal Council of Ife, he refused to wait for confirmation and has been at large ever since. According to Yoruba tradition, a king does not die alone and his burial rites include being buried with other people. An Abobaku lives his li...