In a bid to bring lasting peace to the communal conflicts among the Ifon, Ilobu, and Erin-Osun communities in Osun State, the Council of Islamic Preachers, in collaboration with the State Amir and National Deputy Amir, Imam Abdullahi Olohunlomerue, has organised a Communal Conflict Resolution Dialogue in the affected communities.
The dialogue, which involved Islamic scholars, community leaders, representatives of the affected communities, political stakeholders, and government officials, aimed to restore harmony, peace, and orderliness in the three domains.
At the dialogue, held at Admus Hotel, Ede, Osun State, it was resolved that all efforts would be made to promote peace in their respective settlements. The communities assured their commitment to doing everything within their capacity to end the crisis, as the state governor pledged to identify and prosecute perpetrators.
In a communiqué issued at the end of the gathering, Sheikh Olohunlomerue, as a prelude to the dialogue, reiterated the collective responsibility of Islamic preachers to promote peace. He cited the precedent set by Sheikh Olayiwola during the Ife-Modakeke crisis and urged others to emulate it.
According to him, an enormous moral duty rests on Islamic scholars as societal custodians. He emphasised that their credibility lies in their conduct and urged them to promote the values of peaceful coexistence, patience, and sincerity.
The keynote speaker, Sheikh Muhammad Jamiu Oloko, from Saki, Oyo State, drew extensively from the Prophetic model of conflict management. He highlighted the need for scholars to embody patience, fairness, and the capacity to mediate with wisdom.
Sheikh Oloko warned against silence in the face of injustice and urged clerics to consistently preach peace, including within their internal religious circles. He also called for intra-faith cooperation, urging scholars to set aside personal egos in pursuit of the higher goal of communal unity.
In his submission, the Mufassir of Ifon-Orolu, Sheikh Nurain Abdu Raheem Adegoke, likened the dispute to a marital quarrel—deep, emotional, and resistant to external interference. He stressed that meaningful resolution must come from within the communities and expressed optimism that dialogue among stakeholders would soon yield lasting peace.
Dr Abdul-Azeez, Chief Imam of Ilobu, called for introspection among Islamic scholars, lamenting the proliferation of inflammatory messages within clerical ranks. He criticised the state’s peace committee, noting the absence of religious figures, which he believes undermined the credibility of the intervention.
The Mufassir of Erin-Osun, Imam Sokoto, condemned those who exploit religion to escalate conflict and challenged scholars to live by the Qur’an, not merely preach from it.
Other contributors, such as the Ajanasi of Edeland, linked the spiritual consequences of bloodshed to societal underdevelopment. He cautioned that a society that condones or tolerates violence invites divine judgment.
Governor Ademola Adeleke, represented by Alhaji Munirudeen Raji, confirmed the administration’s earlier mediation efforts and expressed renewed commitment to peacebuilding. The governor pledged to identify and prosecute perpetrators, reiterating that restoring peace is a non-negotiable goal of the government.
Meanwhile, members of the council visited the three royal fathers of Ifon, Ilobu, and Erin-Osun at their palaces, where the monarchs pledged, along with their subjects, to cooperate with the state government in ensuring tranquillity returns to their domains.
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