Communal Clash: Adeleke imposes 24-hour curfew on warring communities

Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has imposed a 24-hour curfew on Ilobu, Ifon, and Erin-Osun communities with immediate effect. This is meant to curb the further spread of the communal crisis that has been ongoing in the communities. In a statement signed by the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, the governor expressed […]

Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has imposed a 24-hour curfew on Ilobu, Ifon, and Erin-Osun communities with immediate effect.

This is meant to curb the further spread of the communal crisis that has been ongoing in the communities.

In a statement signed by the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, the governor expressed dissatisfaction with the resurgence of the crisis in Ilobu and Ifon which has now extended to Erin-Osun community.

Adeleke had initially imposed a curfew of 6 PM to 6 AM daily, but due to the escalation of the crisis, he has extended it to 24 hours and directed the joint security team to maintain surveillance and ensure strict compliance with the curfew.

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According to the statement, “His Excellency, Governor Ademola Adeleke is saddened at the escalation of the communal clashes between Ilobu and Ifon communities.

“To ensure that the crisis is curbed in the environment, the Governor has approved that the curfew be extended to Erin-Osun community and the curfew time is now 24-hours daily, effective immediately (today March 22, 2025) until further notice.”

Adeleke has further directed that the joint security team comprising the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Police, Nigerian Immigration Service, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NDLEA and AMOTEKUN among others to continue to maintain their usual 24-hour surveillance and forestall breakdown of law and order.

The Governor also directed that an immediate stakeholders’ meeting, including the Olufon of Ifon, HRM Oba Peter Oluwole Akinyooye, HRM Oba Ashiru Olatoye Olaniyan, the Olobu of Ilobu, and other stakeholders from both communities, be held Saturday, 22nd March 2025, to discuss further resolutions of the conflict.

He urged everyone to shun communal crisis and embrace peaceful co-existence as brothers and sisters.

Meanwhile, the Ilobu community has called on President Bola Tinubu, the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun and the Director of the Department of State Security, Adeola Ajayi, to come to their aid as the incessant attacks from neighboring communities have continued.

The National President of IDU, Pastor Olufemi Salako, said the carnage that has claimed several lives, displaced over 100,000 people and destroyed properties worth over N2bn.

He said “We call on the Federal Government to come to our succor in protecting our community, we are defenseless and we don’t know what happens again tomorrow.

“We also wish to call for succor from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) for the affected individuals and businesses. Videos of how our community has been overrun by the combined efforts of the Ifon-Osun and Erin Osun communities, are online.

“We again call on the Osun State Government to act and prevent further carnage, intelligence from Ifon-Osun revealed that they are prepared to sustain the attack for days. The reign of Oba Peter Ipadeola Akinyooye has been bloody, catastrophic and his main focus seems to be attempting to wipe off Ilobu.”