Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State has issued a stern warning to those involved in the ongoing conflicts between the communities of Ifon-Ilobu-Erin, urging them to refrain from using the crisis for political gain.
The Governor’s warning comes as he inaugurated a 100-member peace committee aimed at addressing the long-standing tensions in the region.
Governor Adeleke, represented by his deputy, Kola Adewusi, at the ceremony held at the Local Government Service Commission in Osogbo, stressed that the government would not tolerate any attempt to politicize the issue.
He made it clear that anyone found manipulating the dispute for political purposes would face legal consequences.
His words, “The administration frowns at any attempt to politicise the crisis. We particularly warn those masquerading under communal struggle for political agenda to stay away from the issue. We will no longer tolerate playing politics with the lives of our people.
“Among the terms of reference of the committee which has two weeks to present its report, include to look into the remote and immediate cause(s) of the dispute; determining, delimitating and marking the exact boundary(ies) among the three communities of Ifon, llobu and Erin-Osun; signing a truce with a view to nipping the dispute in the bud.
“The committee would also take appropriate decisions that will enable the government to achieve permanent peace in the areas, make recommendations to government on permanent delineation of the boundary(ies) and visits to the location (the disputed areas and other relevant areas that will enable the committee to determine the areas”.
