- One feared killed, 12 seriously injured
Indigenes of two neighbouring communities in Ife North Local Government Area of Osun State for two days last week, clashed over an age-long land dispute, killing one person and inflicting gunshot injuries on several others.
The people of the two communities, Ipetumode and Asipa, were said to have for some time been nursing some grievances against one another over disputed parcels of land before the inter-communal violence broke out.
The face-off was said to have started on Wednesday last week before it degenerated the next day to a full-scale war as indigenes of the two communities freely used dangerous weapons such as guns, machetes and assorted charms against one another.
It was gathered that some youths of the two communities had during an Inter house sport competition at a community high school located a stone throw to the Asipa community, engaged themselves in a freefor-all before the violence festered and spread into the hearts of the two feuding communities.
The face-off was said to have started on Wednesday last week before it degenerated the next day to a full-scale war as indigenes of the two communities freely used dangerous weapons such as guns, machetes and assorted charms against one another
And within a twinkle of an eye, the fighting became a full-blown war.
Some unidentified youths were said to have set a popular market, Akinola, located in Ipetumodu community, ablaze while firing guns indiscriminately on Thursday night. The town’s civic centre was also destroyed during the violence.
Bu the time the violence subsided, no fewer than 12 persons were left critically injured.
An indigene of Asipa community, who pleaded anonymity, said many people were seriously injured in the clash.
A resident of Ipetumodu, said on the phone that another resident of the town was shot in the chest.
The eye witness, who simply identified himself as Ajayi, said that 13 pellets of bullets were extracted by doctors in a hospital from the body of another resident injured during the violence.
He said, “It is very sad that this clash is happening in a town that boasts of a Special Adviser on Media to the, Mr. Femi Adesina and the wife of a former inspector general of police, Mrs. Olufunke Balogun. It’s pathetic that they are not doing anything to arrest this crisis. Many people have been seriously injured while one is dead now. Is it until their houses are burnt before they’ll do something?”
One of the traditional chiefs of Ipetumodu, Chief Adedeji Asalu, accused Asipa community of causing the crisis.
Asalu also lamented the burning of Ipetumodu’s main market.
He said, “The people of Asipa community are responsible for the clash that ensued in our community, starting with the school riot and the community clash that made us to lose our commercial market. Nine people from our community were shot by them (Asipa community) and this is not their first time they’ve attacked us. We’ve had several cases of such attacks.”
Disclosing that the mayhem was as a result of a land dispute between the two communities, a traditional high chief of the Asipa community, Chief Julius Ojerinde alleged that the Ipetumodu people were aggrieved for losing the parcels of land to them due to a White Paper released by the state government.
Ojerinde said, “The people of Ipetumodu community can tell so many lies. They are not sincere at all. The reason for the attack is because they are aggrieved because of the White Paper issued by the state government on a land dispute that favoured us.
“They only used the disagreement at the venue of the Interhouse sport competition to unleash their grievances and three of our people were shot and critically injured.”
When contacted, the Osun State Police Commissioner, Mr. Fimihan Adeoye, denied that anyone was killed during the fighting between the indigenes of the two neighbouring towns.
Adeoye said that those who sustained injuries were rushed to the hospital and had been treated.
He added that some persons were arrested but declined to disclose the number of suspects in police net.
The police boss said efforts were being made to make the two communities see reasons why they should allow peace to reign.
“We have deployed our men to the two communities and we are appealing to them to be reasonable and allow peace to reign in their domains. Arrest has been made. Nobody is in the hospital as I speak. Those that were hospitalised had been discharged after being treated,” he said.
