4 injured in Osi, Etan communal clash

Four people have been reported hospitalised following severe injuries they sustained during a communal clash between the two communities of Osi and Etan, both in the Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State.  The clash, which started on Saturday night, according to information from the people within the area, was as a result of the […]

Four people have been reported hospitalised following severe injuries they sustained during a communal clash between the two communities of Osi and Etan, both in the Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State.

 The clash, which started on Saturday night, according to information from the people within the area, was as a result of the age-long dispute between the two communities. The dispute has been recently heightened by the siting of the Kwara South campus of the state-owned university, Kwara State University (KWASU), at Osi.

 The decision of the state government to locate the KWASU campus at Osi had been condemned by surrounding villages, with some of them arguing that Osi should not lay sole claim to the land on which the campus would be built.

 An eye-witness from Osi, who spoke with our correspondent yesterday on telephone, expressed concern that the clash might be renewed. At the time of filing this report, the major market at Osi had been forced to close following rumours that the two communities were spoiling for a fresh confrontation.

 Osi is a border town to Odo-Owa, which recently had its own clash with another neighbour, Ilofa, over the right to be the first to sell new yam at the common market, a development that led to the suspension of the traditional rulers of the two communities.  “The whole thing started on Saturday but we all know it is because of the KWASU site. Since the campus was sited at Osi there has been no love lost between them and their neighbours, I hope you know.

 “So on Saturday, a lady from Osi had a function at Etan and she took a local artiste from Osi to perform for her.  Unfortunately, the people of Etan were said to have refused the artiste a chance, saying they had vowed not to allow anyone from Osi to perform in their village. That was how the confrontation started in the night, and as I am talking to you now, from the Osi side, at least, four people have been hospitalised at the New Era Hospital because they sustained serious injuries.

 “Everybody is jittery; the market has been closed abruptly. As a matter of fact, two people I spoke with just before you called said they were running away from the market. The situation is unpredictable and so we need the state government to step into the matter immediately. You can talk with the police to confirm,” the witness said.

 The spokesman of the Kwara State police command, Assistant Superintendent of Police Ajayi Okasanmi, however, said he was yet to be briefed on the development.