Obafemi Jegede, a lecturer at the University of Ibadan has said monarchs being kidnapped did not complete their mandatory traditional rituals.

Jegede, who is also a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of African Studies, said this in Ibadan on Sunday.

“Let me state at this juncture that those traditional rulers who were kidnapped did not actually pass through the mandatory traditional rituals that could prepare them to withstand any evil.

“In an ideal situation, a king cannot be kidnapped and those who are kidnapped are those who failed to perform normal rituals.

“This also borders on the extent to which the processes leading to the selection of traditional rulers have been watered down.’’

He added that some of them may not be patient enough to complete the rituals.

He added, “You can never hear that the Oni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi or Alafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi are kidnapped, it is not possible, traditional rulers are supposed to be deities of their domains.

“They are meant to be immune against any form of evil.”

Azeez