Ifon/Ilobu crisis: Five feared killed as Osun communities renew hostility

The relative peace that returned into the two communities of Ifon-Osun and Ilobu in Osun state was on Monday evening shattered again, as warring combatants of the towns engaged themselves in a fierce deadly battle that claimed lives of no fewer than five persons and injured many.

Though the state commissioner for Information, Barrister Kolapo Alimi, said that two people were known officially to have been killed, some inhabitants of the communities told our reporter that the death toll recorded so far in the troubled villages is now five. 

Investigations into the communities revealed that the warriors now shifted their battle grounds this time around to the boundary of Oyo and Osun states where they killed the five persons and razed down some houses, rendering occupants homeless.

It was gathered that fierce battles were carried out by men armed with guns, cutlasses, daggers, swords, arrows and many others in villages like Idiroko, Wale, Iranyin and so on.

Informed sources stated that apart from the three persons that were killed, about 20 people were wounded while many village dwellers ran for safety from their different abodes 

The reason for the resurgence of the crisis now being fought at boundary of Oyo and Osun states still remain cloudy as of the time of filing in this report but, it might not be unconnected with the rumour going round the state that the warring communities are still laying claims to some land where some villages in Oyo State were established.

Meanwhile, the state commissioner for Information, Hon. Alimi said remains of those that lost their lives had been deposited at the state University Teaching Hospital, Osogbo.

Hon. Alimi however hinted that heavy security operatives had been deployed to the two communities to maintain orderliness, adding that an urgent security meeting had been fixed to discuss on how to tackle the inhuman clashes headlong.

According to him, for now, there would be 24- hours surveillance of the security operatives in the warring communities while the government would ensure the incessant clashes between them is addressed accordingly. 

Investigations further revealed that many of those injured had been taken to undisclosed hospitals in the communities.

Speaking with our reporter, a staff of the State Teaching Hospital, who preferred anonymity stated that, two corpses are presently with the hospital but, they were made to understand that there were still three other dead bodies at the battle ground. 

In her reaction, Mrs. Kehinde Adeleke, the Civil Defence spokesperson, told our reporter that the Command had deployed their tactical operatives to the scenes to ensure peace in the area.