Oke-Osun community groans over harassment by thugs

Kobaope community at Oke-Osun in Osogbo, capital of Osun State was a quiet place where dwellers experience nature and a good measure of serenity over the years until recently when  it was ‘occupied’ by  armed thugs. A dispute between a private tertiary institution in the community, Fountain University, Osogbo (FUO) and its host community exposed […]

Kobaope community at Oke-Osun in Osogbo, capital of Osun State was a quiet place where dwellers experience nature and a good measure of serenity over the years until recently when  it was ‘occupied’ by  armed thugs.
A dispute between a private tertiary institution in the community, Fountain University, Osogbo (FUO) and its host community exposed the area to danger and subjected the inhabitants to incessant attacks and harassment by the suspected hoodlums.
The Chairman of the Association Landlords and Residents at Oke-Osun, Imam Abdulkabir Ayatullah Adepoju, who led a protest by the dwellers of the area, accused the management of Fountain University of sponsoring the thugs to harass residents and landlords due to the land dispute.
Adepoju lamented that despite  a pending case in court on the disputed land, the university authorities resorted to self-help and allegedly used armed thugs to terrorise the community under the pretext of defending its territory.
He said lives of the residents were in danger and called on the university authorities to withdraw the suspected thugs and allow peace to reign in the area pending the determination of the case in court.
“Apart from the open harassment and molestation in the community, the wave of burglary and robbery in our community, have multiplied recently in the aftermath of terrorists’ invasion by Fountain University,” Adepoju alleged.
 But the university management debunked the allegation and claimed that some locals trespassed into the land belonging to the university and exposed the university students and staff to danger.
The Chairman of the Governing Council of the university, Professor Isiaq Olorode explained that when the locals encroached into the land legitimately acquired by the university, the institution decided to construct a fence round the university land, but that some individuals attempted to stop the construction of the fence.
 “The land was acquired by Fountain University legitimately and we have our Certificate of Occupancy but we are surprised that some individuals were building their private houses on the university land and that was why we started constructing our fence but they brought thugs to stop the construction work,” Olorode said.