What Happened To "Abobaku", The Servant Required To Be Buried With The Alaafin Revealed

 

A longstanding Yoruba culture requires that when a king dies, his servant known as "Abobaku", the one who dies with the king, when translated, accompanies his master to the other side whenever nature called.

Interestingly, as the death of Late Alaafin Of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III saturated the Nigeria social media space, many questioned whether the Abobaku of the Late Alaafin would willfully submit his life and be buried alongside with the  remains of the king as the culture demanded.

In their explanation, Kehinde T E Ajayi and Falade Thaddeus Odunayo, stated that the Abobaku as required by the Tradition, lives his life as a king, eats whatever the king ate and ensures that the king is in good health. Dies when the king dies, and buried in same grave as the king.

According to report by BBC Yoruba,  the Late Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III actually had an Abobaku. BBC Yoruba claims that a source disclosed on Saturday, April 23rd that the Late Alaafin had an Abobaku but noted that the title has been changed from "Abobaku" to "Oloko ehin".

Read Also:Wizkid And Banky W's Fight Takes An Interesting Twist

The source added that by the longstanding tradition, the Oloko ehin (Abobaku) is required to die and be buried alongside with the remains of the Late king. He however revealed that tradition has been amended; according to him, rather than the Oloko ehin be buried alongside with the king, series of spiritual rites are carried out on him to prevent him from dying when the king died.