A former Ward Councillor, simply identified as Azeez, has been killed, while a former Deputy Speaker of House of Representatives, Hon. Lasun Yusuf, was rescued by soldiers from his house as a renewed communal clash between the people of Ifon and Ilobu in Osun State erupted on Friday.
The fight over boundaries between the two towns has become a recurring one, resulting in loss of lives and wanton vandalism and looting.
A resident of Ifon, who prefers anonymity, while confirming the death of Azeez during the Friday clash, said several petrol stations were set ablaze in the towns.
Governor Ademola Adeleke has declared a curfew from 6pm to 6am in the towns and directed soldiers and other security operatives to ensure 24-hour nonstop security surveillance.
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The governor summoned the traditional rulers of Ifon, the Olufon of Ifon, Oba Peter Oluwole Akinyooye, and his Ilobu counterpart, Oba Ashiru Olatoye Olaniyan, to a meeting at 12 noon in Osogbo, the state capital, on Saturday (today).
Adeleke lamented over the resurgence of the crisis in the warring towns and vowed to bring perpetrators to book.
He directed that the joint security team comprising the Nigerian Army, Nigeria Police, and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps to continue to maintain their usual 24-hour surveillance to ensure zero tolerance for any act of lawlessness.
The State Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Oluomo Kolapo Alimi, urged all sons and daughters of the two towns as well as their traditional rulers to follow the path of peace and harmonious coexistence.
Alimi said anyone or group of persons found aiding and abetting the pogrom will be dealt with accordingly.
The Pubic Relations Officer, Osun State Police Command, Akeem Adeoye, said the command has deployed policemen to the towns to restore peace and order.
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