A traditional ruler in Osun State, Oba Taofeeq Osunmakinde, has petitioned the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, over the threats by suspected armed hoodlums to raze his community.
Osunmakinde said the threat stemmed from a protracted boundary dispute between his community and neighbouring communities in Ijebu.
The monarch alleged that the hoodlums who had the backing of the state government have been harassing, extorting residents and passerby on the federal road connecting Ife South to Ijebu West.
Addressing reporters at the weekend in Akure, the Ondo State capital, the traditional ruler, asked the IG to investigate and also apprehend those sponsoring the hoodlums to cause an unrest hiding under the cover of the border dispute between Ife and Ijebu over the 30-mile land area known as Ifetuntun.
He expressed concern that some top government officials are threatening to level Ifetuntun within the next 24 hours, noting that the hoodlums are beginning to take control of the community.
“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,” he said.
Osunmakinde traced the history of Ifetuntun community, saying it is a government-reserved area where he served as a chief, known as “Baale.”
He recounted that in 2001, during President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration, a conflict erupted between the settlers of Ifetuntun and the Ijebu, prompting federal government intervention.
According to the monarch, 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.
Osunmakinde 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, who presented him with a certificate and staff of office.
The traditional ruler stressed that while Ifetuntun had existed before 2010, this recognition of the throne solidified their peaceful way of life, which has persisted since.
The monarch, however, highlighted that Ifetuntun has experienced the rule of nine military and civilian administrations without significant conflict or disarray in the community.
