One person have reportedly killed in a fresh communal clash between Ifon in Orolu local government and Ilobu in Irepodun council area of Osun State.
Though, it was gathered that about 30 people were also shot during the crisis.
It was gathered many more, especially children and women, have been displaced in the ongoing land dispute.
Several houses and shops were also razed in the attack in the early hours of Friday.
It was learnt indigenes of the communities have been attacking themselves in villages and disputed land in the area before the fresh clash on Friday.
Speaking, the spokesperson to the Olufon of Ifon, Adekunle Yusuf accused Ilobu people of causing the fresh crisis.
He said: “It is very obvious that the Ilobu has made several attempts and we have reported to security operatives on different occasions, from the 13th to the 20th of this month we’ve written petitions to the Governor and also the security agencies, we have done different things to ensure that we settle this amicably.
“All of a sudden in the middle of the night yesterday around 11 o’clock we started hearing sporadic gunshots again.
They started burning our people’s houses, killing our people and all that.
“We are people who have entertained the disputed measure that the governor is putting in place and of course, you can go ahead and do your investigation, it’s the people of Ilobu who have been threatened to withdraw from the peace committee.
“They attempted to attack members of the committee and they alleged the committee leaders of different things.
They are trying all those things to ensure that the is no peace , and this is because they were already prepared to unleash an attack on our people.
“Defiantly there are casualties, as I am speaking with you I can’t ascertain the number of our people they’ve killed already and I can’t even say this is the number of the houses they have destroyed they throw a woman inside her house and set the house on fire.
“They affected areas like akinponroro, gangs, odo oje, and all those border areas of our community. They even burnt government-owned primary health care in the akinponroro area.
But the Otun Jagun of Ilobu, Chief Leke Ogunsola denied attacking residents of Ifon.
He alleged: “The truth of the matter is that they started about 5 days ago that is on Monday to attack our people on the farms at Gbere Onireke, and Opapa they attacked one Liasu Ishola who is a Baale of Opapa on Tuesday and they attempted to kidnap him from his house at Opapa but he called for help and the farmers around and the bricklayers who were helping him to rebuild his collapsed building rescued him from the hoodlums from Ifon Osun.
“On Wednesday, they went to Gbere Onireke to attack one Oseni Salawudeen and members of his family and one Prince Gbadamosi where he was working on his farm, he was shot but was lucky to survive the gunshot, so and we cried to the police but they said they could not go inside the bush and as a result of that we mobilize our people to go to the farm to bring the carcass of the motorcycles that were burnt and they are currently at the police station.
“Very late in the evening yesterday, they went to Oke- Ebutu at Ilobu started destroying peoples’ house when they were at Tarawi in the mosque so people ran for their dear lives and since that time they have started burning houses in different parts of Ilobu right from Ganga community in Ilobu, Apinponroro community, Olobu market, Elentere area in Ilobu, and Oke-Ayepe community in Ilobu.
“Yesterday, in the evening they went to a place called Oke-Ekutu, they destroyed all the houses and set one on fire. They went to Akipanroro, Ganga and Oke-Ayepe, they started burning and shooting our people. Mostly children and women were caught in this attack, they caught us unawares.
“Our children and women are displaced now, we are extracting bullets in the palace through local means, they have brought about 30 to palace for us to remove the bullets in their body, they are still bringing more. Children and women are mostly affected.”
Osun Police spokesperson, Akeem Adeoye, when contacted said police have been deployed to the area to restore peace and order.
He said: “In respect to resumption of hostilities in ilobu and ifon, the osun state command has deployed men to restore peace and order. thanks for your cooperation”.
Echezona Okafor.
