Gunmen are said to have slain Sikiru Onaolapo, a farmer from Olobu’s compound in Ilobu, Osun State, on Tuesday.
The incident was reported to have taken place on his property in the Oke Ekutu area, which is a site of ongoing conflicts between the Ifon-Orolu and Ilobu groups.
Disputes between the two groups that share a boundary have long been common in the Oke Ekutu area.
Disagreements over land ownership have increased tensions, and the recent murder has further strained ties.
Concerns about potential violence between the communities have been heightened by the occurrence, and in October 2023, the state administration declared a curfew from dawn to sunset.
The farmer’s body was taken to the Olobu palace’s entrance after he passed away, where a sizable crowd assembled.
As locals called for justice and action from the appropriate authorities, the solemn procession represented their sorrow and indignation.
In a video, mourning Ilobu people could be seen expressing their anxiety and fury.
In order to resolve the conflict and avert any retaliation, they urged security services and Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke to act quickly.
“Sikiru Onaolapo is the victim,” stated Leke Ogunsola, the Otun Jagun of Ilobu, in response to the murder. His hometown was Olobu’s Compound of Ilobu. He was shot dead when he arrived at his farm in Oke Ekutu this morning.
Ogunsola urged the state’s security forces to detain the murderer and conduct a comprehensive investigation into the incident in order to stop it from happening again in response to community pleas to reduce tension.
The Ilobu community has demanded that the security personnel arrest the culprit and carry out a comprehensive inquiry to determine the causes of the homicide, he continued.
The Ifon-Orolu Progressives Union’s Secretary, Board of Trustees, Jide Akinyooye, denied the accusation when asked his personal thoughts on the claims that Sikiru Onaolapo was murdered by an Ifon-Orolu native.
But in order to determine the circumstances surrounding the murder, Akinyooye insisted on a comprehensive inquiry.
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“I can tell you that we don’t have anyone bearing such a name in Ifon,” he added, adding that an investigation into the occurrence should be conducted.
We do know that certain people have been purchasing land in the areas that the Osun State Government has already taken over as a buffer zone, and that Olufon of Ifon was previously informed of this.
“Our king then issued a severe order that none of his subjects were to approach the region that the administration had already designated as a buffer zone. Thus, no Ifon native was responsible for this kind of behavior.
