Gunmen kill farmer, escalating tensions in contested Osun community

According to reports, gunmen on Tuesday killed Sikiru Onaolapo, a farmer from Olobu’s property in Ilobu, Osun State.

It was learned that the incident took place on his farm in the Oke Ekutu area, which is riven by conflicts between the Ifon-Orolu and Ilobu groups.

There have always been conflicts between the two communities that share a boundary in the Oke Ekutu area.

Land ownership disputes have added to the tensions, and the recent murder has further strained ties.
The state administration declared a curfew from dawn to sunset in October 2023 in response to the incident, which has generated fears of potential violence between the populations.

After the farmer passed away, his body was carried to the Olobu palace’s entrance, where a sizable crowd assembled.

The community’s grief and indignation were reflected in the solemn parade, as locals called for justice and action from the appropriate authorities.

Video footage showed distraught Ilobu villagers voicing their dread and fury.

They urged security services and Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke to act quickly to ease the tension and stop possible retaliation.

In response to the murder, Leke Ogunsola, the Otun Jagun of Ilobu, declared, “Sikiru Onaolapo is the victim.” He was from the Compound of Ilobu in Olobu. He was shot dead this morning when he went to his property in Oke Ekutu.

In response to the community’s calls for a de-escalation of tension, Ogunsola urged the state’s security forces to apprehend the murderer and conduct a comprehensive investigation to stop it from happening again.

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“The Ilobu community demands that the security agents arrest the suspect and carry out a thorough investigation to unravel the issues surrounding the killing,” he continued.

When asked how he felt about the claims that an Ifon-Orolu native killed Sikiru Onaolapo, Jide Akinyooye, the secretary of the Ifon-Orolu Progressives Union’s board of trustees, denied the charge.

However, Akinyooye insisted on a comprehensive inquiry to determine the cause of the murder.

“An investigation into the occurrence should be conducted,” he stated, “but I can assure you that there isn’t someone in Ifon with that name.

We are aware that some individuals have been purchasing land in the buffer zones that the Osun State Government has already established, and that Olufon of Ifon was previously informed of this.

After that, our king issued a firm order for none of his subjects to approach the region that the administration had already designated as a buffer zone. Therefore, no Ifon native was responsible for this atrocity.