Friday, January 17, 2025 - Even as the Osun State Government declared a dusk-to-dawn curfew on Thursday, a student of Westland Polytechnic, Ilobu, was reportedly shot dead amidst the ongoing communal crisis between the Ifon and Ilobu communities in Osun State.
The violence, which has escalated in recent days, continues to disrupt
peace in the affected areas.
According to the National President of the Ilobu-Asake Development
Union, Olufemi Salako, the incident allegedly occurred at about 11 am when
armed individuals, purportedly from Ifon-Osun, invaded the Ganga and Oke-Ima
areas of Ilobu.
Eyewitness accounts suggest the attackers fired indiscriminately,
causing panic and further worsening tensions.
Salako confirmed that the fatal shooting reportedly took place hours
before the state government imposed a curfew in response to the deteriorating
situation.
Efforts to resolve the conflict are ongoing, with community leaders and
government officials urging calm. However, tensions remain high, and the
security presence has been intensified to prevent further loss of life.
In a statement released to journalists, Salako said: “The people of
Ilobu hereby use this medium to report to the Osun State Government, Security
Agencies, and the world at large that hoodlums and invaders from Ifon-Osun have
today, Thursday, 16th January, killed a student of the Department of Computer
Science, Westland Polytechnic, Ilobu.
“The attackers this afternoon shot an innocent and harmless student of
the Polytechnic located in the Oke-Ima area of Ilobu. The armed-to-the-teeth
hoodlums stormed Ganga and Oke-Ima on Thursday morning at around 11 am and
started shooting at every living and non-living object in sight. The student,
whose identity is yet to be confirmed, is one of their victims.
“For emphasis, Oke-Ima is less than two kilometres from the palace of
the Olobu of Ilobu, and the community houses eminent personalities, including
the former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Lasun
Yusuff. This shows that the invaders knowingly entered the inner streets of
Ilobu.”
Calling on the Osun State Government to immediately summon the Olufon of
Ifon, Oba Peter Ipadeola, to answer for the killings and destruction of
property, Salako said the patience of the Ilobu community is being stretched to
breaking point.
When contacted for a reaction, the Secretary of the Ifon-Orolu
Progressive Union, Jide Akinyooye, dismissed the allegations.
“They are not being truthful. We didn’t go to their town. Hoodlums sent
from Ilobu today seized and destroyed three motorcycles belonging to Ifon
people. Our people in Ifon didn’t go to Ilobu to attack anyone.
“Security agencies should look into the allegations with a view to
arresting the perpetrators. For emphasis, I can tell you that we didn’t attack
or shoot anyone. Hoodlums from Ilobu should be asked questions regarding
whatever incident occurred,” Akinyooye said.
Efforts to obtain a statement from the Osun State Police Command proved
unsuccessful, as calls to the Public Relations Officer, Yemisi Opalola, went
unanswered. A response to a text message sent to her was still pending at the
time of this report.
Local authorities have confirmed the death, describing it as another
tragic outcome of the ongoing hostilities. The crisis has claimed multiple
lives and displaced residents, with security agencies struggling to restore
order.
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