,,,Including Erin-Osun Town
The Ilobu Community has called for urgent intervention of President Bola Tinubu, the Inspector General of Police among other security agencies over the fresh communal clash between the community and Ifon Osun.
In a release signed by Pastor Olufemi Salako, National Presiden of Ilobu Development Union (IDU), several people were displaced, property worth billions of naira were destroyed while casualties were also recorded.
The release read in full: “It’s with heavy hearts and sorrow that we the people of Ilobu, headquarters or Irepodun local government in Osun State, call on the President of Federal Republic of Nigeria, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun and the Director of the Department of State Security, Adeola Ajayi to come to our aid as the incessant attacks from our neighboring communities are becoming nonstop.
“On Friday morning, we woke up to sporadic gunshots from the people of Ifon-Osun and Erin-Osun Communities. Greater parts of Ilobu Community at Ganga, Idire, Apiponroro, Olobu market, Ayedaade were seriously invaded, houses and shops were burnt down and people of Ilobu were attacked with guns.
“Very many people suffered gun shots wounds in the process. Children, women and the aged were seriously affected and thousands of people displaced from their homes and countless business outfits completely destroyed.
“Unfortunately, the Erin-Osun community has also joined from behind, confirming it is a pre-planned and pre-meditated attacks on Ilobu Community. So, this time around, it is not about Ifon and Ilobu fighting over disputed land, it is about the determination of Ifon-Osun and Erin-Osun Communities to completely exterminate Ilobu Community.
“The ongoing carnage and killing (it has not stopped), which has claimed several lives, displaced over 100,000 people and destroyed properties worth over N2bn, started on Thursday evening. The attackers became emboldened as our calls to the Osun State Government, Osun State Commissioner of Police and the Osun Security Network fell on deaf ears. The attacks and intrusion went for over 15 hours unchallenged.
“It may interest the whole world to know that this is the eighth time our community has come under violent attacks in the last 18 months and there seem not to end in sight. We have lost no fewer than 30 souls within this period, with over 100 houses burnt to ashes.
“We call on the Federal Government to come to our succor in protecting our community, we are defenseless and we don’t know what happens again tomorrow.
“We also wish to call for succor from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) for the affected individuals and businesses. Videos of how our community has been overrun by the combined efforts of the Ifon-Osun and Erin Osun communities, are online.
“We again call on the Osun State Government to act and prevent further carnage, intelligence from Ifon-Osun revealed that they are prepared to sustain the attack for days. The reign of Oba Peter Ipadeola Akinyooye has been bloody, catastrophic and his main focus seems to attempt to wipe off Ilobu.”
Meanwhile, Osun State Governor Senator Ademola Adeleke has approved that the curfew be extended to Erin-Osun town.
The curfew time is now 24 hours daily.
In a release signed by Oluomo Kolapo Alimi, Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, the Governor directs all security agencies such as the Military, Nigeria Police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corp NSCDC, Immigration, NDLEA, and AMOTEKUN among others to extend its security surveillance to the community.
All the security agencies are to ensure strict compliance to the curfew, which is now 24 hours daily until peace is restored.
The imposed curfew was necessary to forestall escalation of the crisis and breakdown of law and order due to the communal clashes in the communities.
According to the statement by Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Oluomo Kolapo Alimi, where Governor Adeleke was quoted as expressing dissatisfaction over the resurgence of the crisis in the warring communities. The curfew on Ifon-Ilobu Communities has now been extended to the Erin-Osun community until further notice.