Osun monarch petitions IGP over boundary dispute

A traditional ruler of Ifetuntun, in Ife South local government area of Osun, the Obawure of Ifetuntun, Oba Taofeeq Osunmakinde, has petitioned the Inspector General of Police, Mr Kayode Egbetokun, over frequent clashes and threat to the peace of the community over boundary dispute.

The monarch who raised the alarm over the incessant clashes over a boundary dispute between his community and another community in Ijebu cried out to the IGP to intervene before it escalates to a communal clash.

ALSO READ: Ondo, Ekiti meet to resolve boundary disputes

Speaking in Akure, the state capitalnon Friday, the monarch urged the Inspector General of Police to investigate and arrest the perpetrators of unrest stemming from the ongoing border dispute between Ife and Ijebu which is over 30-mile land area known as Ifetuntun.

According to the monarch, who explained that Ifetuntun existed for a long time as a government-reserved area where he served as a chief, known as “Baale.”

He however, recounted that in 2001, during President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration, a conflict erupted between the settlers of Ifetuntun and the Ijebu, prompting federal government intervention.

The monarch recalled that the office of the Surveyor General of the Federation demarcated the borders, allowing both communities to coexist peacefully until now.

He noted that between 2008 and 2009, a chieftaincy inquiry in Osun State included Ifetuntun, affirming its status as a town, while he was crowned as monarch in 2010, by the late Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuade, and the then-Governor of Osun State, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, presented him with a certificate and staff of office.

He explained that while Ifetuntun had existed before 2010, this recognition of the throne solidified their peaceful way of life, which has persisted since, saying, Ifetuntun has experienced the rule of nine military and civilian administrations without significant conflict or disarray in the community.

The traditional ruler said that in 2016 they faced their first attack led by a forest guard from the Ministry of Natural Resources, which according to him, hired thugs who burned homes and caused damage estimated at N2bn.

The monarch said several arrests were made while the principal suspects disappeared, and the matter was eventually settled out of court through intervention from the Ooni of Ife and the former Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s administration.

The monarch alleged that a group of hoodlums had been harassing residents along the federal road connecting Ife South to Ijebu West, saying the hoodlums have been extorting money from passersby, claiming to be acting on behalf of the state government.

The monarch expressed concern that some top government officials are threatening to level Ifetuntun within the next 24 hours, noting that armed hoodlums are beginning to take control of the community.

He said “We are appealing to the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun. We have submitted petitions with evidence to his office, as well as to the Osun State and Federal Governments, to come to our aid.

“We are law-abiding citizens and cannot take the law into our own hands. We seek justice and government intervention.“