Osun Obaship tussle: Soldiers withdrawn as peace returns to Ikire

The soldiers deployed to quench the unrest in Ikire, the hometown of Osun State deputy governor, Gboyega Alabi, were withdrawn yesterday as peace returned to the community. The ancient town boiled when irate youths took advantage of the EndSARS protest and attacked the traditional ruler of the town, Oba Olatunde Falabi, over the Obaship tussle […]

The soldiers deployed to quench the unrest in Ikire, the hometown of Osun State deputy governor, Gboyega Alabi, were withdrawn yesterday as peace returned to the community.

The ancient town boiled when irate youths took advantage of the EndSARS protest and attacked the traditional ruler of the town, Oba Olatunde Falabi, over the Obaship tussle in the community.

It took the intervention of the military to restore law and order in the community, but the indigenes later complained over what they called high-handedness by the soldiers.

The youths in the community were said to have attacked one of the soldiers and set one of their operation vehicles ablaze, and this led to the high-handedness of the soldiers.

The Deputy Governor replaced the burnt military operational vehicle with a newly acquired Hilux van to calm the tension.

He said “The state government regrets the fracas in which military operatives who came to restore peace were brutally attacked.

“However, we are grateful for the timely intervention of Governor Adegboyega Oyetola, coupled with rare understanding and cooperation of the military authority.

“We are happy that finally, peace has returned to Ikire and we want the warring parties in the town to maintain absolute peace and decorum, in order not to heat up the polity’’.

Some residents of Ikire said they were happy that the soldiers had left their community and that they would now be able to move freely.