Time for ceasefire in Ifon, Ilobu and Erin Osun

THIS week, following the protracted violence in the areas, the Osun State governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, visited the conflict zones of Ilobu, Ifon and Erin-Osun to assess the situation firsthand. During his visit, the governor ordered the immediate distribution of relief materials to the displaced residents from the communities. He also directed law enforcement to hunt down the perpetrators of the violence and charge them to court forthwith. The governor, who instructed the state Commissioner of Police and the Director of State Services to summon the traditional rulers, chiefs and ring leaders from each town for questioning, said: “We are also taking stern measures to stop this ugly incident from recurring. The monarchs and chiefs of each town will be grilled and be made to sign peace undertaking. This is really sad. I thank the security services for restoring peace. The 24-hour curfew imposed is working. We need to put a permanent end to this needless destruction of lives and properties. I have ordered distribution of food and relief materials to the displaced. We will ensure accountability. Those behind the mayhem will be brought to book. We have gone around and as you can see, all the security agencies are here and the curfew imposed has been very, very effective because we went around all three communities of Ilobu, Ifon, and Erin Osun.

“This crisis has lingered for a long time and when I first came in as the governor, I told them that if they fought all the time because of land, there would be no development in the town; people would be scared of coming here and once they hear Osun, they would not know it is just a section of the community (that is involved in crisis); they would run away.  What I am saying in essence is that there is no need for fighting because of land and things like that. We have put a lot of things in place that will ensure by the special grace of God that peace will be permanent. I have given a directive that all the culprits be brought to book and I am not going to take nonsense anymore because it’s getting too much. My people are dying, houses are being burnt and that is not acceptable.”

Last week, two people were reportedly killed while dozens of others were severely wounded in the communities following the renewed crisis. The violence reportedly erupted in the middle of the night on Thursday, March 20, when hoodlums armed with sophisticated firearms and dangerous weapons including charms, cutlasses, clubs and arrows allegedly set up war camps. Shops and houses were razed. Many sustained gunshot wounds and families were displaced. Naturally, there have been divergent stories from the opposing camps. Hear Akeem Adekunle Yusuf, spokesperson for the Olufon of Ifon, Oba Peter Akinyooye: “We started hearing sporadic gunshots around 11 o’clock last night. They began burning our people’s houses and killing our people. We cannot confirm the number of casualties and destroyed homes as of now.”  On the other hand, Chief Adegoke Ogunsola, Otun Jagun of Ilobu, said that the latest conflict began when Ilobu people were attacked on their farms. Ogunsola alleged that even the neighbouring Erin Osun community joined in the assault, with countless numbers of homes burnt down. On his part, Akeem Adeoye, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, said the command had drafted its men to the communities to restore order.

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No doubt, the conflict has already done incalculable damage to families and businesses. It is time to stop the carnage. Regardless of the factors behind the crisis, human life is paramount and cannot continue to be taken cavalierly. We call for sober reflections among the warring camps. The resort to carnage and killings may be a culmination of bottled up emotions, mutual suspicion and distrust, as well as the loss of confidence in the government, its agencies and the traditional thrones, but the resort to self-help can only advance the cause of destruction. Self-help cannot help now or in the future. Certainly, behind the crisis lie the worsening moral decadence in the country, the culture of impunity, crass ignorance, unbridled culture of indiscipline and disdain for the virtues of piety. The government must take note of these factors while taking steps to stem the carnage. Violence easily destroys things that took many years to build, and cannot be the way to resolve the crisis in the affected communities. The combatants must realise that after their huffing and puffing, they will still end up at a roundtable to resolve their differences amicably, and on the basis of give- and-take. The violence must stop: it cannot be cheering news that people are still being maimed, killed, and rendered homeless.

As a proverb says, one can only know the beginning of rebellion; no one knows how it will end. Enough of the bloodshed, sorrow and pain being witnessed in the communities. In this regard, the Osun State government should work closely with the security agencies and bring the violence to a halt. We also use this opportunity to call on the government to act fast on state policing because no matter how talented and resourceful the security agencies are, they will always confront problems rooted in the maximal ethnic, linguistic and religious complexity of the Nigerian society. A stitch in time still saves nine even in 2025.