1 Feared Killed In Fresh Communal Clash Between Osun Communities

One person has been reportedly killed in a renewed hostilities over land ownership between Ifon-Orolu and Ilobu communities in Osun State.

Meanwhile, Osun State government has directed immediate security operations to restore peace between the warring communities and further urged the constituted peace committee over the matter to revive the lost peace in the areas.

Residents of the feuding communities were thrown into panic again on Thursday evening, when sounds of gunshots rented the air while houses were set ablaze in the early hours of Friday.

In their defence, spokespersons of the warring communities accused one another as the architects of the renewed hostilities.

The Otun Jagun of Ilobu, Chief Adegoke Ogunsola, claimed that it was the people of Ifon Orolu that launched attack on his people on Monday, saying that the attack lingered on till Thursday when it escalated.

He narrated how his people in Gbere Onireke, Opapa, Oke- Ebutu Ganga, Apinponroro, Olobu market, Elentere, and Oke-Ayepe all within Ilobu community were attacked by Ifon people.

He added that a new twist to the crisis was that Erin Osun people also joined and attacked their people, burning about 10 houses at Oke- Ayepe and Ayedaade communities.

But the Spokesperson to Olufon of Ifon, Mr. Akeeb Adekunle, alleged that the crisis had been brewing since last week following a series of attacks on the indigenes of Ifon by Ilobu, which were reported at the police station without any succor.

He alleged that although hostilities started since Monday but the incident escalated last night when hoodlums from Ilobu allegedly invaded some of the disputed areas, especially Apenponroro, burning a Primary Health Centre and residential buildings.

He further claimed that an old woman was killed in the community and her body burnt in her house while also claiming that their people were running for dear lives at the time of this report.

However in a statement issued over the renewed crisis, Governor Ademola Adeleke enjoined the joint security task force to step in immediately and stop the clashes.

The Governor who lamented the repeated breach of peace deals among the warring communities, warned that his administration will take stringent action on the buffer zone between the two communities unless hostility stopped immediately.

At the time of filing this report, Governor Adeleke was holding security and political engagements to find a lasting solution to the crisis.