BREAKING: Osun community withdraws from peace deal over bias concerns

The Ilobu community of Osun State, on Wednesday, alleged compromise by some members of the resolution panel constituted by the government to resolve the agelong communal crisis involving the town, Ifon and Erin communities.

The government had set up the panel, following a consistent crisis over boundary disputes in the affected communities.

The Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Oyetunji and the Chairman of the State Boundary Commission, Justice Moshood Adeigbe (retd.), were appointed by the government as chairman and co-chairman respectively of the 100-member panel.

The panel also included 25 members each from Ifon, Ilobu and Erin-Osun communities.

The panel had reportedly commenced sitting with the towns presenting papers before it until Tuesday when the Ilobu community threatened to discontinue its participation.

The community, in a letter addressed to Governor Ademola Adeleke, signed by the Bara of Ilobu, Chief Ashiru Jimoh, and three others, obtained by The PUNCH, alleged that some members of the committee had been compromised.

The letter read, “The Chairman, Co-Chairman and a member, namely Special Adviser (Security) of the committee and some other members yet to be identified have, in the course of performing the assignment of the committee, been seriously compromised.

“Our genuine fears and complaints are also borne out of the outbursts of the chairman, co-chairman and counsel representing the Ifon-Osun community in the committee against Chief Adegoke Ogunsola, the counsel that represented the llobu community at the sitting of the committee on 3-1-2025 and the ways and manners the chairman and co-chairman of the committee handled the meeting of the committee that took place on the same date as if the committee is a court of law.

“The outbursts, to say the least, are suggestive of and taken as insults to the Ilobu community. Also, the Special Adviser to the Governor had, deliberately in many fora, before and after the setting up of this committee, propagated lies and some uncomplimentary remarks and cast aspersion about the existence and history of the llobu community, even before the committee commenced its assignment.

“Consequent to the above, therefore, our client hereby gives notice to Your Excellency of the withdrawal of llobu’s representatives from the committee from 4-1-2025 and subsequent proceedings of the committee, but assure Your Excellency of our client’s readiness to step down their objection and resume participation in the sitting committee when the government of Osun State addresses our complaint as demanded in this letter.”

In a joint communique, the people of Ifon and Erin communities opposed the call for the removal of any member of the resolution panel, expressing confidence in the committee to resolve the crises.

The two communities, in the communique signed by Mr Ademola Oyedokun on behalf of the Ifon community and Mr Suleyman Azeez on behalf of the Erin Osun community, provided details of the progress already made by the panel since it began work.

“We, the people of Ifon-Osun and Erin-Osun, categorically state that we vehemently oppose the halting of the work of the committee or the removal of any of the 25 members appointed by the government.

“We enjoin the state government to be decisive and resolute in following its own rules and regulations. Parties who had objections to any of the members appointed by the governor had the window of opportunities to do so before the 24th of January, 2025.

“We insist that no member already accepted by the communities should be removed. Should anyone be removed as demanded by the Ilobu people, no replacement will be acceptable to Erin-Osun and Ifon-Osun people,” the communique read.

Efforts to get the government’s reaction failed as calls put through to the telephone number of the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, were unsuccessful.

He had also not responded to the text message sent to him on the matter as of the time of filing this report.