Ifon-Ilobu-Erin communal Clash: Kolapo Alimi Denies Sending Fake Soldiers to Ilobu,
-Seeks public apology from Tairu Babatunde, PRO, Ilobu Descendant Union, for malicious publication
-Sympathises with victims, calls for calm, peace in the three warring communities
OSOGBO-24/03/2025
osunstate.gov..ng
While the current situation happening between Ifon-Ilobu-Erin Osun is sad, condemnable and avoidable, every right thinking person in the affected communities ought to strive for the avoidance of the carnage.
The killings and destructions in the concerned communities are uncalled for because we are brothers and sisters .We have an age long relationship of inter marriages. This brotherhood and sisterhood is what we should promote as opposed to killing and maiming of ourselves .It is despicable and uncalled for.
More unfortunate is the politicization of the conflicts, by using the conflicts to blackmail my humble self by some political jobbers hiding under the name of the conflicts.
It started about a year ago when the conflicts between Ifon and Ilobu escalated. Quickly, some politicians from the opposition in Ilobu, hiding under the name of fighting for Ilobu interest started blackmailing Oluomo Kolapo Alimi as the one supporting Ifon against Ilobu. These baseless allegations reverberate throughout the length and breadth of Ilobu.
It took Kolapo Alimi several efforts to disabuse the mind of right thinking people of Ilobu about these allegations.
The situation became worse now that Erin is involved, they reinvented their false claims that Alimi brought fake Soldiers to Ilobu.
Before I delve into the issues, let’s inform those that might not know or remind those that have forgotten the contributions of Kolapo Alimi to the Development of Ilobu.
My humble self, Kolapo Alimi , as a young boy, had a spell of almost ten years as a teacher in Ilobu Grammar School,Ilobu. I had a record of hard work which impacted positively on many Ilobu indigenes who are today doing well in their different areas of specialisation.
Thereafter, when I ventured into public service as a politician and eventually, a Commissioner, I, Kolapo Alimi appointed an Ilobu indigene as my Personal Assistant, (an unprecedented step in our political development in our areas). In addition, I have records of facilitating the employment of many Ilobu indigenes into Local Govts, Lautech (now Uniosun teaching hospital) and Civil Defence among other key offices in various establishments in Osun and beyond.
With all humility and modesty , I make bold to say that, I have assisted many Ilobu indigenes despite the fact that I am not an indigene of the town.
On politics, I stood firmly with Honourable Nasiru Olateju, an Ilobu indigene to become the member representing Irepodun/Orolu state constituency, in 2019. Let me stop at that for now.
It is then quite surprising and astonishing that some people will deliberately be out as a result of mischief and other reasons, particularly politics, to malign my person and integrity.
An example of such was a blackmail and malicious press release authored by one Tairu Babatunde, the Public Relations Officer of Ilobu Descendant Union (IDU) in which he alleged that I sent fake soldiers to Ilobu to carry out killings. This is a lie taken to the extreme of great mischief.
Ordinarily,I wouldn’t have responded the way I am currently doing because, anybody holding a public position, more so, who is into politics, should from time to time expect such backlashes from the political opponents.
However, in the instant case, the false narration is from, Ilobu Descendants Union, (ICU).
As we all know,Ilobu Descendant Union( I.D.U) is an umbrella body of all sons and daughters of Ilobu at home and diaspora.It is a very responsible and reliable organization.
If anybody, therefore, representing such a Union should write something of that magnitude, it should not be dismissed with a wave of hands as unimportant, hence the need to respond accordingly and appropriately the way I am doing using this medium.
The claim by Tairu Babatunde on behalf of IDU that I came with fake soldiers to Ilobu and ordered that people be shot,like I earlier said, is a big lie with no iota of truth in its entirety. I challenge the author to come out openly to substantiate it.
If we could recall, the current escalation of the crisis occurred around Thursday, by Friday morning, the Governor directed that the security meeting be held to take drastic steps to curb the situation. It was at that meeting that the need to declare curfew among other security measures were taken. And it was limited to Ifon and Ifon because the crisis then was between Ifon and Ilobu. Those in attendance at that meeting were, the Army, the police,the DSS, The Civic Defense and the Immigration.
On Friday night, around 11:30 pm, some people laid siege overnight in my house and there were gun shots here and there throughout the night . To avoid any bloodshed, I didn’t allow any of my security details to respond . The people that heard the gunshots on realizing that my house was under attack raised an alarm which eventually got to the attention of the special Adviser to the Governor on security matters who
accordingly called for reinforcement from security Chiefs . It was the combined team of police and civil Defense Corps that rescued me from my Erin Osun house to Osogbo with members of my family.
There was nothing like fake police/soldiers as erroneously claimed in the write up by Tairu Babatunde .In fact,there was even no need for it.
I want to state again and again,that I, Kolapo Alimi, with all honesty, did not ask any police or other security personnel to shoot or kill anybody at Ilobu or anywhere whatsoever as falsely written by Tairu Babatunde in his press statement being currently circulated in the social media.
It must be stated that the level of destruction in the three towns is not and should not be something somebody reasonably should be happy about or proud of.
On the issue of the imposition of curfew, this is the true story as against the lie fabricated again by Tairu Babatunde,the PRO of Ilobu Descendant Union( I.D.U), as I have stated above earlier, the initial curfew earlier declared by the Osun state government was between Ifon and Ilobu because the crisis at that time was between the two towns only. If we recall, the curfew was reviewed about three weeks ago when Ramadan started and the curfew was imposed on Ifon and Ilobu because the crisis was between the two communities.
To say that I was instrumental to the imposition of curfew on only Ifon and Ilobu with the exclusion of my Erin Osun where I hail from, as alleged by Tairu Babatunde in his press statement was another malicious blackmail which holds no iota of truth.
I have come to realize that some people are just out to cause problems. This is bad and unfortunate.
In conclusion, the effect of what Tairu Babatunde wrote has actually put my life and that of the members of my family in danger as many people believe that the write up emanated from Ilobu Descendant Union.( IDU)
To this end, I, Kolapo Alimi, is demanding an immediate public apology from Tairu Babatunde whose thought I strongly believe does not represent the thought of Ilobu Descendant Union ( IDU), for the false accusation .
Anything short of an apology will make the matter a subject of thorough investigation by the law enforcement agencies.
Signed:
Oluomo Kolapo Alimi
Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment,
Osun state.
