Veteran journalist and cultural tourism ambassador, Wale Ojo-Lanre, has issued a strong call to the Federal Government of Nigeria, urging urgent diplomatic engagement with the Brazilian government over what he described as the extortion and harassment of Yorùbá traditional religion practitioners traveling from Nigeria to Brazil.
Ojo-Lanre’s call follows a damning report by São Paulo-based journalist and cultural promoter, Adeyinka Olaiya, which exposed a growing crackdown on sacred Òrìṣà items by Brazilian Customs authorities. The report, titled “Òrìṣà-Customs Crackdown: Brazil Targets Yorùbá Charms and Ritual Materials at Airports – Demands Taxes from Èṣù” and published on May 23, 2025, revealed an intensified campaign by Brazil’s Federal Police to seize spiritual items carried by Nigerian travelers at airports, particularly in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.
According to Olaiya’s report, spiritual materials such as ẹku (rat), ẹja (fish), orógbó (bitter kola), àfoṣẹ (spiritual powders), olúgbòhùn (voice-calling charms), and òbí (kola nut) are being confiscated and treated as undeclared or taxable goods. These items, central to Ifá and Òrìṣà religious practices, are allegedly being seized under the pretext of enforcing customs and immigration laws.
“The issues raised by Adeyinka Olaiya are not merely administrative hurdles; they are a profound assault on the spiritual and cultural heritage of millions,” Ojo-Lanre said in a statement. “We cannot stand by while our citizens, who are legitimate practitioners of a revered global religion, are subjected to what amounts to spiritual discrimination and economic extortion.”
Ojo-Lanre further condemned the apparent criminalization of Yoruba spiritual practice, stressing that such actions contradict Brazil’s long-standing history of African religious influence and cultural exchange.
Bàbáláwo Antônio Akinlabi, an Ifá priest in Bahia, was quoted in the report as saying, “Customs officials now treat spiritual items as contraband… But for decades, these objects have entered Brazil as part of spiritual and cultural exchanges.”
While Brazilian authorities argue that the seizures are part of efforts to control untaxed commercial activity, cultural experts and practitioners disagree. Dr. Maria dos Santos, an anthropologist at the Federal University of Bahia, said, “These actions criminalize a living African tradition practiced by millions in Brazil. The state is not just seizing objects—it is seizing sacred links to ancestry.”
The global Òrìṣà items trade is reportedly a billion-dollar market, with many Brazilian adherents relying on Nigeria for authentic materials. Babaláwo Tunde Alara, an exporter based in Lagos, called for regulation, not repression. “If the Nigerian government steps in and helps formalize this sector, it will allow us to pay fair taxes and avoid persecution,” he said.
Ojo-Lanre stressed that the Federal Government must act swiftly to protect Nigerians and their heritage. “This is not about commerce alone,” he said. “It is about cultural sovereignty, religious freedom, and respect for the ancestral traditions that bind our two nations. The Nigerian government must engage Brazil at the highest diplomatic level.”
The crackdown has triggered outrage among Afro-Brazilian religious groups, many of whom are organizing protests and interfaith dialogues to challenge what they call “spiritual apartheid.”
Ìyálòrìṣà Regina Ogunbíyì of Rio de Janeiro questioned the double standard: “Would the government seize holy water from a Christian pilgrim? What they’re doing to Ifá and Òrìṣà followers is spiritual discrimination.”
Ojo-Lanre concluded with a warning: “The silence or inaction of the Nigerian government risks abandoning our traditional believers to unfair treatment. We must ensure that Brazil reconciles its laws with the living practices of its African-descended citizens, and indeed, all global adherents of the Òrìṣà tradition.”
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