Ilobu Chiefs Cry Out Over Invasion Of Town By Armed Men

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The Olobu-in-Council has called on the Osun State Government and security agencies to promptly intervene in the alleged provocative acts by some armed men backed by Olufon of Ifon-Osun, Oba Peter Oluwole Akinyooye.

The council made the call on Wednesday during a press conference at the Palace of Olobu of Ilobu in Irepodun Local Government Area of the state.

The traditional Chiefs said the armed men have heightened tensions and created fears within the community, adding that their activities might spark another bloody clash between the two communities.

Speaking on behalf of Olobu-in-Council, the Bara of Ilobu, High Chief Ashiru Jimoh Alade, said there is a need for the authorities to call Olufon to order before the situation deteriorates further.

The Council charged the Commissioner of Police and other security agency heads to act swiftly on complaints regarding Olufon’s sponsored armed men who are allegedly terrorising Ilobu residents.

Chief Alade, said, “Some armed thugs, sometime in late September 2024, provocatively entered a part of the llobu Community at Apiponroro, disconnected electricity supply to part of Apiponroro Quarters, Ilobu and vandalized their cable under the pretext that the area, though is within llobu Community, but was connected to the nearest electricity transformer, which the people of Ifon-Osun claimed belongs them.

“When Olobu of llobu was inundated with reports of the use of self-help, extra-judicial process, brute force, destruction of farms and stealing of farms produce by armed thugs being sponsored by Olufon of Ifon-Osun to demand for the payment of annual tribute (Isakole), the monarch alerted the Commissioner of Police, Osun State and the Commander of Western Nigeria Security Network Corps (Amotekun Corps), Osun State Command about the afore-mentioned acts.

“The swift response by the Amotekun Operation Corps, Osun State Headquarters led to the arrest of one of the notorious thugs that are terrorising farmers of llobu origin, while Sikiru Mustapha (a.k.a “Agodo”) and others escaped, but the motorcycles they were using for criminal activities were seized. We urge the Amotekun Corps to please hand over the suspect arrested on Isangbe Road to the police for further investigation and prosecution.

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“On a daily basis, threats of violent attack against the people of llobu in villages and farm settlements are being issued overtly and covertly by the hit squads of Olufon of Ifon-Osun.

“Therefore, we want to use this medium to commend the recent intervention of the Osun State Government and security agencies in the state in the past few days to douse tension and apprehension of another bloody communal clash between the two communities of llobu and Ifon-Osun. However, the interventions so far have not deterred Olufon of Ifon-Osun from using self-help and brute force to claim what does not belong to him.

“Olobu of llobu, on behalf the people of llobu community, also appeals to the Commissioner of Police, Osun State, and heads of all other security agencies in the state to be more proactive and act quickly on various complaints of nefarious activities of the armed men and hit squad being sponsored by Olufon of Ifon-Osun who are now terrorizing the people of llobu and peasant farmers on the land of llobu in various villages on daily basis”