Ode-Irele (Irele) is a town in Ondo State of Nigeria, West Africa.[1] It is the administrative headquarters for the Irele Local Government Area. Ode-Irele is located 10 kilometres (6 mi) by road west of the town of Okitipupa.

There is a king in Ode-Irele called the Olofun(HRM Olarewaju Lebi). He is the paramount ruler of Ode-Irele Kingdom. He is a first class King by ranking. He comes from the Oyenusi Ruling house. There are three ruling houses in Irele. These are the Orunbemekun, Jagboju and Oyenusi Ruling houses.[2]

On 15 April 2015 a group of young men broke into the inner sanctum of the shrine to Molokun, the god of the land, in Ode-Irele.[3] Their objective was apparently to obtain certain items of spiritual power.[4] This was followed by the deaths of twenty youths in the community due to methanol poisoning from drinking a locally distilled brew containing unidentified herbs.[5][6] Chief Moses Enimade, the king of Ode-Irele, believes that the deaths were in punishment for the sacrilege.[3][4]

Notes and references

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  1. ^ Ode-Irele (Approved - N) at GEOnet Names Server, United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
  2. ^ "Another Ondo monarch deposed". Nigeria News. 28 June 2010. Archived from the original on 21 April 2015.
  3. ^ a b "Ondo mysterious disease is spiritual, local chief reveals mystery behind deaths". Omojuwa. 18 April 2015. Archived from the original on 28 May 2015. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  4. ^ a b "Ondo deaths: Youths committed sacrilege, says Chief". Nigeria News. 18 April 2015. Archived from the original on 22 April 2015. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  5. ^ "Disease Outbreak in Ondo State is Punishment from the 'gods'". Nigeria News. 21 April 2015. Archived from the original on 21 April 2015.
  6. ^ Winsor, Morgan (21 April 2015). "Nigeria's Mysterious Epidemic Linked To Contaminated Alcohol And Methanol Poisoning, Not Ebola". International Business Times. Archived from the original on 22 April 2015. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
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06°29′23″N 004°52′09″E / 6.48972°N 4.86917°E / 6.48972; 4.86917