The Esa-Oke Community in Osun has appealed to the state government to intervene in the lingering chieftaincy and boundary imbroglio between Ido Ayegunle and the Community.
The crisis, which dated back to 1994, according to the chairman, Esa Oke Central Union (ECU), Otunba Bamigboye Yinusa Aremu, started when the late Owa Obokun of Ilesa, Oba Adekunle Aromolaran, installed Olojudo in Ido-Ayegunle, a land of about nine huts, an agrarian community, and an ancestral land of Esa Oke people.
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Addressing a press briefing in Abuja on Friday, Otunba Yinusa Aremu, said the crisis has lingered as a result of political interference and fifth columnists who are fanning the ember of discord to satisfy their own selfish agenda.
The ECU chairman urged Governor Ademola Adeleke to intervene by conducting an impartial investigation to get to the root of the matter and restore a lasting peace to the warring communities.
He said the narratives being peddled in the media (not Nigerian Tribune) that the June 19, 2025 crisis was engineered by the Owamiran of Esa-Oke Oba, Adeyemi Adediran and members of his cabinet were false while adding that his immediate elder brother has been a victim of abduction in the crisis. He added that three of his people were fatally shot and nothing was done despite the fact that the case was reported at a local police station.
According to Otunba Yinusa Aremu, Timileyin Ajayi should stop parading himself as a king in Ido Ayegunle as it has no traditional or legal backing saying he (Ajayi) is a native of Ilesa with no connection to Ido Ayegunle. He described Ajayi as a mere chief but who sees himself as a king.
He said, “There are false allegations that the crisis which broke out on Friday, June 19, was orchestrated by the Owamiran of Esa-Oke and members of his cabinet. I want to categorically state that the Owamiran of Esa-Oke has no involvement in the crisis. Neither the people of Esa-Oke nor any members of the Owamiran’s cabinet know anything about it.
“People should know that already three of our people were shot, and the case was reported at the local police station, but nothing came of it. My elder brother, who returned from the United Kingdom to farm, was abducted. Were it not for the intervention of local youths and the DPO, who knows what would have happened?”
“The said Olojudo of Ido-Ayegunle, Timileyin Ajayi, is a native of Ilesa, being paraded as the king of Ido-Ayegunle. But in truth, he is not a king, just a chief. He refers to himself as Oba of Ido Ajegunle, but that title has no legal or traditional basis.
“We want peace. Lives have already been lost, but the primary goal is to prevent further violence in all the affected areas and in Osun State. The truth is, politics has polluted this matter. What should have been resolved locally between the two communities has been made worse by third-party actors. But by God’s grace, we believe the situation will be brought under control,” he added.
The High Chief Bajimo of Esa Oke, Yemi Omojadegbe, while corroborating Otunba Yinusa Aremu’s submissions, asked for a lasting and permanent peace from the state government saying development can only thrive in the atmosphere of peace.