Taofeeq Osunmakinde, the Obawure of Ifetuntun in Ife South Local Government Area of Osun State, has cried out to the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to come to the aid of the community over incessant clashes on boundary disputes between his community and another community in Ijebu.
Osunmakinde, who spoke with journalists in Akure, the Ondo State Capital, urged the IGP to investigate and apprehend the perpetrators of unrest stemming from the ongoing border and boundary dispute between Ife and Ijebu over the 30-mile land area known as Ifetuntun.
He said, “We are appealing to the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun. We have submitted petitions with evidence to his office, as well as to the Osun State and Federal Governments, to come to our aid. We are law-abiding citizens and cannot take the law into our own hands. We seek justice and government intervention.”
The monarch, who explained the history of the community, emphasised that Ifetuntun had existed for a long time as a government-reserved area where he served as a chief, known as “Baale”.
Osunmakinde recounted that in 2001, during President Olusegun Obasanjo’s Administration, a conflict erupted between the settlers of Ifetuntun and the Ijebu, prompting the Federal Government’s intervention. He said the Office of the Surveyor General of the Federation demarcated the borders, allowing both communities to coexist peacefully until now.
Also, he noted that between 2008 and 2009, a chieftaincy inquiry in Osun State included Ifetuntun, affirming its status as a town. He said he was crowned as monarch in 2010 by the late Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuade, and the then-Governor of Osun State, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, presented him with a certificate and staff of office.
He noted that while Ifetuntun had existed before 2010, this recognition of the throne solidified their peaceful way of life, which has persisted since.
The monarch highlighted that Ifetuntun had experienced the rule of nine military and civilian administrations without significant conflict or disarray in the community.
However, he recounted that in 2016, they faced their first attack led by a forest guard from the Ministry of Natural Resources. According to him, they hired thugs who burnt homes and caused damage estimated at ₦2 billion.
The monarch said several arrests were made while the principal suspects disappeared, and the matter was eventually settled out of court through intervention from the Ooni of Ife and the former Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s Administration.
The monarch alleged that a group of hoodlums had been harassing residents along the federal road connecting Ife South to Ijebu West. He said the hoodlums have been extorting money from passersby, claiming to be acting on behalf of the state government.
The monarch expressed concern that some top government officials are threatening to level Ifetuntun within the next 24 hours, noting that armed hoodlums are beginning to take control of the community while Amotekun, acting on behalf of the Commissioner, is victimising law-abiding citizens.
