Ilobu/Ifon/Erin Crisis: Olobu Calls For Genuine Peace

• Gives Recommendations To End Aged Crisis

The Olobu of Ilobu, Oba Ashiru Olatoye Olaniyan has called for genuine and permanent resolution to the crisis rocking Ilobu, Ifon-Osun and Erin-Osun.

Oba Olaniyan in a statement on Thursday, said he’s sad by the continuous killings and destruction of properties that has characterised the community in the last few years.

The monarch recounted how he inherited culture of accommodation, hospitality and peaceful co-existence with Ifon-Osun and Erin-Osun communities, stating that as an elderly traditional ruler, he has not only guard but also nurture the culture.

Oba Olaniyan, while commending the efforts of the government in bringing relief materials, called for arrest of perpetrators of the heinous crimes which has rendered his subjects homeless and took their means of livelihoods.

He expressed sadness over the loss of 30 lives and unquantifiable property.

Read the full text here:

TOWARDS ACHIEVING GENUINE PEACE
BEING STATEMENTS OF HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS, OBAASHIRU OLATOYE OLANIYAN II, THE OLOBU OF ILOBU, IREPODUN LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF OSUN STATE ON THE PROTRACTED CONFLICTS ROCKING OUR THREE COMMUNITIES OF ILOBU, IFON-OSUN AND ERIN-OSUN IN IREPODUN AND OROLU
LGAS

INTRODUCTION

As a beneficiary of such a rare grace of spending more than 50 years on the throne as Olobu of Ilobu, headquarters of Irepodun Local Government Area of Osun State, I, Oba Ashiru Olatoye Olaniyan, have lived to witness the growth and progress we had recorded as a people in the three communities of Ilobu, IfonOsun, and Erin-Osun in Irepodun and Orolu Local Government Areas.

I inherited the legacy of accommodation, hospitality, and peaceful co-existence
from my forebears and I have lived all my life not only to jealously guard this culture but also to nurture it. Even when my subjects consistently accuse me of holding them back from quenching fire with fire, the people and leaders of our
neighbouring communities of Ifon-Osun and Erin-Osun have also been mistaking my pacifist nature for cowardice. But I have continued to maintain that peace must always be absolute and inviolable.

Indeed, peace isn’t the absence of crisis but the careful management of the crisis, and this tradition of crisis management is what I have continued to cultivate as an elderly traditional ruler. However, today, I am deeply saddened by the events of the past 18 months that have now drawn us many decades backwards due to the greed, ambitions, and overzealousness of a few individuals who lack a sense of history and see leadership as a tool of oppression. Thus, with misty eyes, a heavy heart, and a huge sense of responsibility, I send out this message to the people of Ilobu, Ifon-Osun, Erin-Osun, the entire Osun State, and Nigeria as a whole.

To the people of these three communities, and particularly the people of Ilobu who have consistently remained on the receiving end, I feel your pain, anguish and agony. I have watched in horror how you have been butchered and more than 30 of you killed just in 18 months, and how your houses have been set on fire, your goods razed, stores vandalised and means of livelihood violently destroyed. I plead with you to still maintain peace as we have been instructed by my forefathers. May we all rise above the challenges of this moment. You will soon receive the grace of God to reclaim your losses.

I also take this moment to thank the Government of Osun State and the Nigerian government, the security operatives and men of the Joint Task Force including the Nigerian Army, the police, DSS, NSCDC, NIS, Amotekun Corps, and every peace-loving Nigerian and non-Nigerian who have continued to contribute to the efforts to halt these spates of hostilities.

Ilobu Community never expected any bloody communal attacks to occur again amongst the three communities of Ilobu, Ifon-Osun and Erin-Osun since the Osun State Government is making efforts to settle the land/boundary dispute permanently. But the violent attacks on our community betrays common sense.

I have watched in silence how fake news, misinformation, disinformation, and outright lies have been deployed to stoke this fire, especially by a few individuals who have used social media to rewrite history and turn victims into attackers and vice versa.

It is therefore important to briefly set some records straight through a peep into our common history as co-communities, and how despite a series of provocations, Ilobu has maintained discipline and sought judicial intervention rather than resorting to self-help.

BRIEF BACKGROUND

Conflicts are societal but our ability to quickly nip them in the bud and strong and fair interventions of the government and the judiciary had prevailed in the past.

A series of court judgements that could be traced to as far back as in the ’70s and other evidence including copious excerpts in historical books such as The History of the Yorubas by The Rev. Samuel Johnson (edited by Dr. O. Johnson), have affirmed the position of Ilobu as the first settler in the area now known as Irepodun and Orolu Local Government Areas.

The records of many first institutions such as churches, mosques, and educational
institutions have also corroborated this fact. The prominence of Ilobu sons and daughters whether in civil or public service have also continued to give credence to this.

As a community that loves peace, even before I ascended the throne, our people had always been in the habit of subjecting every conflicting matter to judicial interpretation, and have always stood by the judgements of the courts.

This led to the judicial determination and pronouncement of the cases in Suit No. OY/20/70 – Oba J.O. Akinyooye II, the Olufonof Ifon-Osun, for himself and on behalf of Chiefs & People of Ifon-Osun V. Oba Aminu O. Siyanbola, the Olobu of Ilobu (later substituted with Prince Salami Adesina and Prince Kola OyewumiSiyanbola), Appeal No. FCA/I/1978, (Appeal in Suit No. OY/20/70), Suit No. HOS/40/2015 – His Royal Majesty, Oba A.A. Magbagbeola (Olufon of Ifon-Osun) & Anor. V. Governor of Osun State, Suit No. HOS/22/86 – Jimoh Adigun V. Oba Ashiru Olaniyan (Olobu of Ilobu), Appeal No.CA/I/153/98 (Appeal in Suit No. HOS/22/86), Suit No. HOS/70/84 – Chief Raji Oyedele & Others (for themselves & on behalf of Gbobamu Family members of Ilobu) V. Oba Yesufu Omoloye (Elerin of Erin-Osun). The cases referred to above were all decided in favour of Ilobu.

DESPITE EVIDENCE, ILOBU STILL AT THE RECEIVING END

By population, modernity, and indices of development, Ilobu had always been superior.

When Irepodun District Council was created in 1962, Ilobu was made the headquarters. Later, the District Council was suspended. But in 1976, Irepodun Local Government Area was created and Ilobu was made headquarters.

Irepodun Traditional Council was also created and by the instruments which created the Traditional Councils in Oyo State, later in Osun State, the President of Irepodun Traditional Council is to be rotated amongst the three leading traditional rulers, namely Olobu of Ilobu, Olufon of Ifon-Osun and Elerin of
Erin-Osun.

At the inception of Irepodun Local Governmen, the allocation of wards reflected the pre-eminience of Ilobu. There were fifteen wards altogether. Ilobu, Ifon-Osun and Erin-Osun were allocated eight, four and three wards respectively.

However, in 1996, during the military administration of the late General Sani Abacha, the unthinkable happened. Ilobu’s eight wards were reduced to six without any justification, and Erin-Osun’s wards were increased to five from three, while Ifon-Osun had its four wards increased to 10 and was announced the headquarters of the newly created Orolu Local Government Area.

Rather than resorting to self-help, Ilobu has continued to pursue the path of peace to seek justice, and 29 years after, the status quo ante has remained, yet the people of Ilobu have remained peaceful.

As a people, Ilobu has continued to seek justice through constituted authorities. In fact, as recently as during the administration of former Governor Rauf Aregbesola, after more than two years of engagements by relevant stakeholders including leading monarchs who
were part of the committee set up by the government over the conflicts among the three communities, verdicts were presented and gazetted. Even when Ilobu knew that it deserved more than what it got, we swore to abide by that decision. However, our neighbours have failed to keep to these terms spelt out in the verdict.

Have we taken advantage of the opportunities to lord it over our neighbouring communities? Hell no Instead, we have always pleaded with the community and our sons and daughters to remain hospitable and accommodating to everyone.

Ilobu has produced sons and daughters who have occupied prominent positions in government, who otherwise could have used their positions to oppress these communities, but we have remained peaceful.

This community to the glory of God has produced numerous prominent political figures including a former Deputy Speaker of Nigeria’s House of Representatative, the immediate past clerk of the National Assembly, and the late Chief of Army Staff, General Taoreed Lagbaja, who died in his prime recently. Surprisingly, while the whole nation mourned the death of the patriotic General, the people of Ifon-Osun rolled out the drums to celebrate his untimely demise.

I have taken the time to show all these so that the public would know that the enemies of our peaceful co-existence have desired to plant the seeds of discord among us and despite our efforts to downplay this, they have continued to wet the seeds for the eventual germination that have led to the heinous crimes now committed between Thursday, 20 and Sunday, 23 March, 2025.

I have read the accusations against me from one of the palaces of my neighbouring towns and appeals made by another, such allegations are not only unconscientious but also ill-intended. But should we still allow the already tense situation to be further violated? It is not right to keep dancing on the graves of the dead, and many who are now homeless and being fed under canopies in different locations.

MY REQUESTS

We recognise the efforts of the government, and I thank Governor Ademola Adeleke and his cabinet members and other government officials who visited the three communities on Monday to assess the situation. You must have seen the carnage yourselves and the kind of hardship my people have now been thrown into. The physical damage is all you have seen, many are currently going through emotional torture as they have been plunged into financial debts and health crises.

In the immediate, may I therefore plead with the government to accede to the following requests:
1. Arrest and diligent prosecution of the perpetrators of these heinous crimes.

2. Provision of relief materials to the people to support their come-back efforts.

3. Provision of cash and food support to these individuals who have lost everything they have built all their lives.

4. Increased surveillance and close monitoring of activities of certain individuals and groups to avoid actions that could spark fresh violence.

5. A review of the 24-hour curfew so that the people could gain access to what is left of their ruins and leave the canopies where they currently take shelter but which cannot prevent them from the rains. More importantly, a good number of our people in the three communities are peasant farmers and traders who live on daily incomes, their survival under further restrictions remains our great concern.

We must all note that this is not the right time and space to convey my recommendations for long-term solutions to the lingering crisis. At the appropriate time and space, we will continue to offer the wise counsel not just as an Oba, but as an elder with longer years of experience and orientation.

Long live Ilobu
Long live Ifon-Osun,
Long live Erin-Osun
Long live Osun State
Long live Nigeria.

Signed
His Royal Majesty
Oba Asiru Olatoye Olaniyan
Olobu of Ilobu