Over 100,000 Displaced, N2 Billion Property Lost in Osun Communal Clashes
Following the violent clashes between Ifon and Ilobu communities over a long-standing land dispute, uneasy calm has returned to the affected areas after Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, imposed a 24-hour curfew. The crisis, which later spread to Erin-Osun, resulted in the deaths of three people, while 30 others sustained gunshot injuries. Reports also indicate that over 100,000 residents have been displaced, with properties worth over N2 billion destroyed.
In a decisive move to quell the unrest, Governor Adeleke held a crucial meeting with the traditional rulers of the warring communities—the Olufon of Ifon, Oba Peter Akinyooye, and the Olobu of Ilobu, Oba Ashiru Olaniyan. At the meeting, the governor sternly warned that he would issue dethronement letters to the monarchs if the violence continued.
“The governor threatens to suspend the traditional rulers of the affected towns if violence resurfaces, while those who signed peace undertakings will face legal consequences should communal clashes erupt again,” stated Olawale Rasheed, the governor’s spokesperson.
According to the Otun Jagun of Ilobu, High Chief Leke Ogunsola, security operatives—including the military, DSS, and other law enforcement agencies—have been deployed to enforce the curfew. “For now, everywhere is calm. The 24-hour curfew is very effective,” he confirmed.
However, there were reports of an attempt to defy the curfew when some individuals tried to set houses ablaze in Bobamu-Ori-Oke and Ayedaade areas of Ilobu. “They were immediately dispersed by security forces,” Ogunsola added.
At the peace meeting, both the Olobu of Ilobu and the Olufon of Ifon received stern warnings, with Governor Adeleke making it clear that any resurgence of violence in their domains would lead to their immediate suspension.
In the aftermath of the destruction, the Olufon of Ifon, Oba Akinyooye, urged all displaced persons from Ifon, Ilobu, and Erin-Osun to return home and embrace peace. “I appeal to all indigenes to allow stakeholders to restore unity and the spirit of community we once enjoyed,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Executive Director of Project Implementation at the Federal Housing Authority (FHA), Abuja, Mr. Oluremi Omowaiye, has called on the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to provide urgent relief for displaced persons.
“More than 72 hours after the crisis began, no government agency has set up camps or provided any form of aid for the victims,” Omowaiye lamented. He also appealed to Vice President Kashim Shettima, who oversees NEMA, to intervene swiftly.
Similarly, the state Chairman of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Adewale Adebayo, urged well-meaning Nigerians to extend support to those affected.
With tension gradually easing in the crisis-hit communities, all eyes are now on the Osun State government and federal agencies to provide the much-needed humanitarian response for the displaced victims.
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