The Onidogun of Idogun in Ose Local Government Area of Ondo State, Oba Moses Ekundayo Bakare, has died, following months of tension in the community over his reign.

The monarch reportedly collapsed on Wednesday and was rushed to a hospital, where he remained in a coma for 24 hours before passing away on Thursday evening.

The development comes nearly one year after a crisis erupted in Idogun in October 2025, when some residents allegedly assaulted the monarch in an incident captured in a viral video. Following the incident, the monarch left the community and remained away until his death.

Confirming the monarch’s death, the Ondo State Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr Idowu Ajanaku, an indigene of Idogun, expressed the state government’s condolences to the royal family and the entire community.
Ajanaku said the Ehares (chiefs) of Idogun had informed him of the monarch’s demise.

He urged residents to maintain peace and order, warning against any acts of violence during the period of mourning.

Also speaking, the Chairman of Ose Local Government Area, Mr C. K. Ojo, said he was aware of the recent developments in Idogun as of Wednesday night but had yet to receive official notification of the monarch’s death from the community’s chiefs.

Meanwhile, barely a week before the monarch’s death, some residents of Idogun reportedly marked the first anniversary of his absence from the community with an event themed “Celebration of the One Year Freedom.”

In a related development, reports from Idogun indicated that some opponents of the late monarch prevented his remains from being brought into the community on Thursday by blocking the road with logs.

The incident reportedly forced those conveying the corpse to return it to a mortuary in Owo.

The circumstances surrounding the reported obstruction and the next steps regarding the monarch’s burial remain unclear.