Fresh Communal Clash Brews Between Ife, Modakeke

• Residents Seek Tinubu, Adeleke’s Swift Intervention

The Modakeke community in Osun State has appealed to President Bola Tinubu and Governor Ademola Adeleke to intervene and stop frequent attacks on the town by suspected hoodlums.

The President of the Modakeke Progressive Union, a flagship group for indigenes of the town, Prof. Peter Olawuni, made the appeal in a statement made available to OSUN DEFENDER.

He said the intervention of the federal and state governments becomes necessary to deescalate tension after a signpost welcoming visitors to the town, around Urban Day Area, was pulled down by suspected hoodlums.

Olawuni said the latest incident occurred in the early hours of Tuesday, October 1, 2024, where a group of about 17 suspected hoodlums, coming from the Mayfair Area of Ile-Ife, pulled down the signpost, erected at the entrance to Modakeke Community.

He described the action of the perpetrators as provocative, adding that he had reported the development to the traditional Chief of Staff to Ooni of Ife, Chief Oyeyemi Oriowo, and the police to de-escalate the tension.

READ: Ife/Modakeke: Indigenes Call For More Surveillance In Troubled Areas

Olawuni said, “I called the DPO and he said he has informed the Area Commander. I came here to inspect what happened and I called the Area Commander too. We were told to handle the whole situation with intelligence and moderation; that was why we called a meeting at the palace yesterday.

“The demand of Modakeke community is to let peace reign in the community. I think it is becoming too much on us and we have experienced so many incidences in Modakeke.

“We have visited Governor Adeleke two times over the issue of security in both Ife and Modakeke. There was even a time we visited the deputy governor in his office and we declared that what they are doing here is provocative. The community is seeking immediate intervention of Governor Adeleke and President Tinubu.”

Speaking on the development, the Secretary of the Ife Development Board, Mr. Lawrence Omidiora, stressed that dialogue remained the only option to manage the situation.

Omidiora, who said violence should be avoided at all costs, insisted that it would be inappropriate to immediately conclude that the perpetrators of the act were from Ile-Ife.

He said: “I think if the incident should be true, I want to believe that some people are looking for a fight between the two communities. It would be very wrong for anyone to assume that the people who did it were from Ife. If someone harbours that kind of thought, it is because of the acrimony that existed in the past and perhaps suspicion.

“The truth of the matter is that we need to look for means to resolve the issue because fight will not cause any positive development in both communities. The situation will take care of itself if we allow development to take place.

“We will sit down together to sort our differences in that regard because there are routes belonging to both communities. We are looking at how to ensure that there is peace all the time,” Omidiora stated.