The Ifon and Ilobu settlements in the local governments of Orolu and Irepodun are under a 24-hour curfew enforced by the Osun State Government.
The 24-hour curfew was implemented following conflicts between the two groups that resulted in the loss of life and willful destruction of property.
Kolapo Alimi, the commissioner for information and public education, noted in a statement on Friday that the curfew is in place to prevent future lawlessness in the two previously lawful and quiet areas.
According to the statement, “Governor Ademola Adeleke has decreed that a 24-hour curfew commences with immediate effect in Orolu and Irepodun local governments housing Ifon and Ilobu communities.
“Gov. Ademola Adeleke, in his official capacity as the State’s chief security officer, has ordered the immediate takeover of the disputed lands/areas by his administration in order to guarantee a lasting peace and order until the issues at hand are amicably resolved.
“In a similar spirit, the government has directed that the Osun State Government will make anyone or group of people seen or spotted doing one thing or another on the disputed lands/areas face the full force of the law.
The Adeleke administration has therefore ordered strict restrictions on both vehicular and human movement in the affected areas and communities until otherwise directed by His Excellency, the state governor and the chief security officer of Osun state. This is in strict compliance with the current 24-hour curfew.
In order to ensure a sustainable peace, His Excellency has instructed members of the Joint Security Task Force, which consists of the Nigerian Army, Police, and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, to maintain a constant watch on the two villages.
“As a government, the current administration is required by the Federal Republic of Nigeria’s constitution to safeguard the lives and property of the residents of Orolu and Irepodun local governments, as well as Osun State as a whole.
“The current administration will not, under any circumstances, participate in actions or statements that compromise the peace and order that have ruled Osun state for the past year since the start of the current administration.
The current administration continues to stress the necessity for peace and order to be restored in the two concerned local governments while expressing sympathy to the families of those who lost their lives following the recent crisis.
The statement ended, “Maintaining peace and order is our collective responsibility in Osun state.”
OBASANJO NEWS24 cites Adeleke’s announcement that the state government had acquired the disputed land piece in the first episode of the state government’s public education initiative, Ipade Imole.
