The Olobu-in-Council has called on the Osun State Government and security agencies to intervene promptly in the escalating crisis between Ilobu and Ifon-Osun communities.
New Telegraph reports that Ilobu is the hometown of the late Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. General Taoreed Abiodun Lagbaja and the headquarters of Irepodun Local Government Area of Osun State.
According to Olobu-in-Council, alleged provocative acts by Olufon of Ifon-Osun’s armed men have heightened tensions, sparking fears of another bloody clash between the two communities.
Addressing a press conference on Thursday at the Palace of Olobu of Ilobu Land, the High Chief Ashiru Jimoh Alade, the Bara of Ilobu Land who spoke on behalf of Olobu-in-Council, appealed to the state government and security agencies to call Olufon of Ifon-Osun to order before the situation deteriorates further.
Chief Alade commended the state government and security agencies’ recent interventions, stressing that more proactive measures are necessary to deter Olufon’s continued use of self-help and brute force.
The Council charged the Commissioner of Police and other security agency heads to act swiftly on complaints regarding Olufon’s sponsored armed men who are terrorizing Ilobu residents including farmers.
According to Chief Alade, Many lives and property were lost. We do not want such an unfortunate incident to happen again, hence the call on the Osun State Government to call Olufon of Ifon-Osun to order before he causes another round of bloody clashes between llobu and Ifon-Osun Community.
“Some armed thugs, sometime in late September 2024, provocatively entered part of llobu Community at Apiponroro, disconnected electricity supply to part of Apiponroro Quarters, Ilobu and vandalized their cable under the pretext that the area, though is within llobu Community, but was connected to the nearest electricity transformer, which the people of Ifon-Osun claimed belongs them.
“When Olobu of Ilobu was inundated with reports of the use of self-help, extra-judicial process, brute force, destruction of farms and stealing of farms produce, such Cocoa, Yams, Banana, e.t.c against the armed thugs being sponsored by Olufon of Ifon-Osun to demand the payment of annual tribute (Isakole), His Royal Highness, Olobu of Ilobu, alerted the Commissioner of Police, Osun State and the Commander of Western Nigeria Security Network Corps (Amotekun Corps), Osun State Command about the afore-mentioned acts.
“The swift response by the Amotekun Operation Corps, Osun State Headquarters led to the arrest of one of the notorious thugs that are terrorizing farmers of Ilobi origin, while Sikiru Mustapha (a.k.a “Agodo”) and others escaped, but the motorcycles they were using for criminal activities were seized. We urge the Amotekun Corps to please hand over the suspect arrested on Isangbe Road to the police for further investigation and prosecution.
On a daily basis, threats of violent attack against the people of Ilobu in villages and farm settlements are being issued overtly and covertly by the hit squads of Olufon of Ifon-Osun.
“Therefore, we want to use this medium to commend the recent intervention of the Osun State Government and security agencies in the state in the past few days to douse tension and apprehension of another bloody communal clash between the two communities of llobu and Ifon-Osun. However, the interventions so far have not deterred Olufon of Ifon-Osun from using self-help and brute force to claim what does not belong to him.
“Olobu of Ilobu, on behalf of the people of Ilobu community, also appeals to the Commissioner of Police, Osun State and heads of all other security agencies in the state to be more proactive and act quickly on various complaints of nefarious activities of the armed men and hit squad being sponsored by Olufon of Ifon-Osun who are now terrorizing the people of Ilobu and peasant farmers on the land of Ilobu in various villages on daily basis”
