…Governor Adeleke orders security operation take over
From Richard Akintade, Osogbo
Governor Ademola Adeleke yesterday directed immediate security operations to restore peace between Ifon and Ilobu communities, urging the peace committee to revive the peace deal.
In a statement issued over the renewed crisis and made available to our Correspondent in Osogbo, Governor Adeleke enjoined the joint security task force to step in immediately and stop the clashes.
The Governor who decried the politicization of the crisis tasked the task force to go after the ring leaders and ensure they face the full wrath of the law.
He further urged the peace committee to ensure immediate cessation of hostility to preserve lives and properties.
The Governor who lamented the repeated breach of peace deals among the warring communities warned that his administration will take stringent action on the buffer zone between the two communities unless hostility stopped immediately.
The Governor was holding security and political engagements as at the time of filling this report to find a lasting solution to the crisis which predates the administration of Governor Ademola Adeleke.
In their reactions with newsmen, Akeem Adekunle Yusuf who spoke on behalf of Olufon of Ifon said, “It is very obvious that the Ilobu has made several attempts and we have reported to security operatives on different occasions, from the 13th to the 20th of this month we’ve written petitions to the Governor and also the security agencies, we have done different things to ensure that we settle this amicably.
“There was a day we sent some police to the sight of the site of the scene, they even attacked the police, they shot at the police people.
“All of a sudden in the middle of the night yesterday around 11 o’clock we started hearing sporadic gunshots again.
“They started burning our people’s houses, killing our people and all that.
“We are people who have entertained the disputed measure that the governor is putting in place and of course, you can go ahead and do your investigation, it’s the people of Ilobu who have been threatened to withdraw from the peace committee.
“Defiantly there are casualties, as I am speaking with you I can’t ascertain the number of our people they’ve killed already and I can’t even say this is the number of the houses they have destroyed they throw a woman inside her house and set the house on fire.
“We have reported immediately to the appropriate authority and we are expecting the governor.
“They attacked areas like Akinponroro, Gangs, Odo-Oje, and all those border areas of our community.
“They even burnt government-owned primary health care in the akinponroro area”.
Also, Chief Adegoke Ogunsola, Otun Jagun of Ilobu who spoke on behalf of Ilobu said, “the truth of the matter is that, they started about 5 days ago that is on Monday to attack our people on the farms at Gbere Onireke, and Opapa, they attacked one Liasu Ishola who is a Baale of Opapa on Tuesday and they attempted to kidnap him from his house at Opapa but he called for help and the farmers around and the bricklayers who were helping him to rebuild his collapsed building rescued him from the hoodlums from Ifon Osun and on Wednesday, they went to Gbere Onireke to attack one Oseni Salawudeen and members of his family and one Prince Gbadamosi where he was working on his farm, he was shot but was lucky to survive the gunshot, so and we cried to the police but they said they could not go inside the bush and as a result of that we mobilize our people to go to the farm to bring the carcass of the motorcycles that were burnt and they are currently at the police station.
“Very late in the evening of yesterday, they went to Oke-Ebutu at Ilobu started destroying peoples’ house when they were at Tarawi in the mosque so people ran for their safety and since that time they have started burning houses in different parts of Ilobu right from Ganga community in Ilobu, Apinponroro community, Olobu market, Elentere area in Ilobu, and Oke-Ayepe community in Ilobu.
“The new dimension to the clash is that people of Erin-Osun also joined and attacked our people, burnt about 10 houses at Oke-Ayepe and Ayedaade community, so that is the dilemma we are facing in Ilobu community presently.
“Though, we are seeing some security agencies now but they have not been able to curtail the spread of the clash. So, we call on security agencies to move in to stem the tide of the crisis.
“For now we have not seen any dead body but people sustained injury from gunshots and they are currently in the hospital”.
