Nation
Ilobu/Ifon/Erin-Osun Crisis: Concerned Monarchs Meet Peace Panel
Monarchs from the crisis-ridden communities of Ilobu, Ifon, and Erin-Osun have met with the Osun State Government’s peace committee in a renewed effort to find a lasting solution to the decades-long land dispute that has claimed numerous lives and destroyed property.
The three communities, located in Orolu and Irepodun Local Government Areas of the state, have long been at loggerheads over boundary disagreements, often resulting in violent clashes.
Despite Governor Ademola Adeleke declaring curfews in the affected towns on eight different occasions in the past two years, the measures have failed to permanently quell the hostilities.
However, in a significant development, the expanded peace committee set up by the Adeleke administration met with the monarchs on Thursday in Osogbo. The committee is chaired by the Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Olanipekun, and co-chaired by renowned human rights activist, Comrade Waheed Lawal. It also includes four other respected traditional rulers in the state.
For the first time since the committee’s formation, all three concerned monarchs — the Olufon of Ifon, Oba Peter Akinyooye; the Olobu of Ilobu, Oba Ashiru Olaniyan; and the Elerin of Erin-Osun, Oba Yusuf Omoloye — were physically present at the meeting and expressed willingness to cooperate with the government’s peace efforts.
Sources at the meeting confirmed that while some contentious issues remain unresolved, the committee was able to extract significant commitments from the monarchs, who pledged to adopt a “give and take” approach in the interest of lasting peace.
Speaking with journalists, the committee’s co-chairman, Comrade Waheed Lawal, stated that the panel had listened to the grievances of residents from the three towns and had also visited the buffer zones that have been central to the conflict.
“This committee is not just sitting in offices. We’ve been to the disputed areas and received written submissions from all the communities, which were endorsed by their respective representatives,” Lawal said.
“We’ve now met with the traditional rulers, and while we can’t reveal the full details yet, our final report will soon be submitted to the government. We are optimistic that these efforts will pave the way for a permanent resolution to the crisis.”
The peace initiative marks a hopeful step forward for communities that have been plagued by decades of conflict and uncertainty.