From Lateef Dada, Osogbo
Despite the peace accord signed by the people of Olobu in Irepodun Local Government and Ifon in Orolu Local Government of Osun State, no fewer than ten villages were allegedly prevented from going to their farms.
Farmers in Ilobu who took to the street in protest on Wednesday accused the Ifon community of harassment, intimidation, and looting of their farm produce.
The duo of Ifon and Ilobu had taken daggers against each other where some people were killed and properties worth millions of naira were destroyed before the intervention of the state government.
Speaking at the protest, Basiru Adegbenro alleged that indigenes of Ifon are intimidating them with guns and other dangerous weapons, saying “After the fight, people of the Ifon community have been intimidating and harassing us. They burn our cash crops, loot farm produce, and destroy our houses in the villages in Oyo State.
“They invaded Waale, Agana Amoo, Abebi, Oloso, Ojeyemi, Idi-Iroko, Bara, Toolu, Ikimon and Bada villages. They have turned us homeless and hopeless. We are poor now, we can hardly feed our family because the farm is the source of our livelihood,” Adegbenro said.
Also, the National Publicity Secretary of the Ilobu Development Union, Tairu Babatunde, stated that people of Ilobu who had farms in villages under the Orolu local government are facing the same plight.
He appealed to the state government and security operatives to beam their searchlight on the area before it snowballed into another communal clash.
When contacted, the Secretary of Ifon Board of Trustees, Jide Akinyooye, said “We didn’t stop anybody. It is those who fought Ifon who didn’t have the confidence to go back. The Ilobu people had approached a court in Oyo State for alleged malicious damage.
However, the Special Adviser to Governor Ademola Adeleke on Boundary matters, Bukola Onifade berated the claims that some lands belonged to Oyo state, saying, “Osun State owned the land they claimed it belonged to Oyo State.
“The people of Ilobu want to cede those lands to Oyo State. They have applied to a court for that. We have also warned people of Ifon not to chase anybody out of their land,” Onifade said.