…recounts efforts to maintain peace
The Executive Chairman of Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State, Hon. Wale Awelewa, has called on the Osi and Epe Communities to renounce violence and embrace peace.
Awelewa emphasized that the two communities share a common heritage, and as such, should maintain their historical ties of peace and love.
The Chairman made this statement in the wake of a recent communal clash between the two towns, emphasizing the need for peace and unity.
He expressed his deep disappointment and concern over the loss of lives and destruction of properties during the clash, revealing that the Commissioner of Police (CP) has pledged to conduct a thorough investigation to ensure that all those responsible are held accountable.
Speaking in Epe-Opin on Sunday during Holistic Infos investigative tour to the communities, Hon. Awelewa recounted his efforts to maintain peace and order in his local government, while giving a summary of the event
“On Friday, March 14, 2025, a group of Epe farmers approached me, reporting that a group of youths from Osi Town allegedly invaded their farmland along Obbo-Ayegunle-Etan Road with bulldozers. The farmers claimed that the intruders are destroying their cashew, yam, and cassava crops while creating layouts on the land.
“As the Chairman of the local government, I went straight to the palace of the Olosi of Osi Town, urging him to intervene by calling these youths to order for peace to reign.
Surprisingly, this action continues on Saturday, the following day with the perpetrators chasing the farmers with cutlasses. So I called the DPO, to wade into the matter, however, upon arrival at the scene, he met over 40 youths armed with guns, cutlasses and other weapons declaring that, no one who could stop them except the Olosi. The DPO subsequently visited the Olosi to explain the situation and the monarch assured that, they will stop.
“At this juncture , I reached out to the Owalobo of Obo-Ayegunle, Vice Chairman of the Ekiti Traditional Council, as well as other prominent traditional rulers, including the Owalobo of Obo-Ile, Owaleruku of Eruku, Alara of Isare, and Asolo of Isolo-Opin to help appeal to the Olosi to intervene and restrain the youths.
“On Monday, we discovered that the perpetrators persisted with their activities, prompting me to revisit the DPO. However, I found him in the process of packing his belongings, as he had been transferred and was handing over to his replacement. I briefed the newly appointed DPO on the entire situation, and he promptly sprang into action.
“On Wednesday, the DPO and his team visited the site, where he said they encountered approximately 80 youths, armed and defiant. The youths reportedly boasted that no one, not even the Chairman, could stop them, and that only the Olosi had the authority to intervene.
“I reached out to the Olosi again, this time over the phone, and he suggested that I ask the Epe people, who own the land, to clarify the boundaries of their farmland so that the layout could continue. However, I realized that this option was not feasible as it could lead to further conflict if the farmers were to return to the land.
To address the situation, I filed a complaint with the Area Commander and then visited the Police Headquarters in Ilorin to meet with the Commissioner of Police. They assured me that they would invite the Olosi for a discussion. Additionally, I deemed it necessary informed the Governor of the state about the developments through a letter and also copied the Commissioner for Local Government.
“While I was still in Ilorin attending to other matters, I received a distress call from the DPO informing me that a young boy was found dead on the disputed land. I immediately rushed back to Ekiti and urged the police to conduct a thorough investigation into the boy’s death.
“Tragically, on my way home, I witnessed Osi youths launching an attack on the homes of Epe farmers who cultivate the land. They invaded the residence of an 80-year-old farmer, and also targeted the home of Chief Julius Abiodun, injuring his children and destroying his property, they vandalized the newly built Civil Defence office, smashing all the window glasses.
“I realized the crisis was escalating rapidly, and the DPO was no longer equipped to handle it. To address the situation, I decided to seek reinforcement from the Area Command in Omu-Aran. However, my journey was disrupted when my car was attacked at Osi garage.
“The youths, armed with cutlasses and planks, threatened my life. I was perplexed by their hostility, as my role as Chief Security Officer of my local government was to maintain peace, not take sides in the land dispute.
“To save my life, I had to take an alternative route and flee. Upon returning home, I received disturbing news that Osi youths had invaded Epe streets, wielding guns and cutlasses, and shooting indiscriminately. My immediate priority was to contact the DPO and ensure that no lives were lost in the chaos.
“[3/31, 7:54 AM] Opeyemi: Communal Clash: Ekiti LG Chair, Awelewa urges Osi, Epe Communities to Eschew Violence
…recounts peace efforts
The Executive Chairman of Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State, Hon. Wale Awelewa, has called on the Osi and Epe Communities to renounce violence and embrace peace.
Awelewa emphasized that the two communities share a common heritage, and as such, should maintain their historical ties of peace and love.
The Chairman made this statement in the wake of a recent communal clash between the two towns, emphasizing the need for peace and unity.
He expressed his deep disappointment and concern over the loss of lives and destruction of properties during the clash, revealing that the Commissioner of Police (CP) has pledged to conduct a thorough investigation to ensure that all those responsible are held accountable.
Speaking in Epe-Opin on Sunday during Holistic Infos investigative tour to the communities, Hon. Awelewa recounted his efforts to maintain peace and order in his local government, while giving a summary of the event
“On Friday, March 14, 2025, a group of Epe farmers approached me, reporting that a group of youths from Osi Town allegedly invaded their farmland along Obbo-Ayegunle-Etan Road with bulldozers. The farmers claimed that the intruders are destroying their cashew, yam, and cassava crops while creating layouts on the land.
“As the Chairman of the local government, I went straight to the palace of the Olosi of Osi Town, urging him to intervene by calling these youths to order for peace to reign.
Surprisingly, this action continues on Saturday, the following day with the perpetrators chasing the farmers with cutlasses. So I called the DPO, to wade into the matter, however, upon arrival at the scene, he met over 40 youths armed with guns, cutlasses and other weapons declaring that, no one who could stop them except the Olosi. The DPO subsequently visited the Olosi to explain the situation and the monarch assured that, they will stop.
“At this juncture , I reached out to the Owalobo of Obo-Ayegunle, Vice Chairman of the Ekiti Traditional Council, as well as other prominent traditional rulers, including the Owalobo of Obo-Ile, Owaleruku of Eruku, Alara of Isare, and Asolo of Isolo-Opin to help appeal to the Olosi to intervene and restrain the youths.
“On Monday, we discovered that the perpetrators persisted with their activities, prompting me to revisit the DPO. However, I found him in the process of packing his belongings, as he had been transferred and was handing over to his replacement. I briefed the newly appointed DPO on the entire situation, and he promptly sprang into action.
“On Wednesday, the DPO and his team visited the site, where he said they encountered approximately 80 youths, armed and defiant. The youths reportedly boasted that no one, not even the Chairman, could stop them, and that only the Olosi had the authority to intervene.
“I reached out to the Olosi again, this time over the phone, and he suggested that I ask the Epe people, who own the land, to clarify the boundaries of their farmland so that the layout could continue. However, I realized that this option was not feasible as it could lead to further conflict if the farmers were to return to the land.
To address the situation, I filed a complaint with the Area Commander and then visited the Police Headquarters in Ilorin to meet with the Commissioner of Police. They assured me that they would invite the Olosi for a discussion. Additionally, I deemed it necessary informed the Governor of the state about the developments through a letter and also copied the Commissioner for Local Government.
“While I was still in Ilorin attending to other matters, I received a distress call from the DPO informing me that a young boy had lost his life on the disputed land. I immediately rushed back to Ekiti and urged the police to conduct a thorough investigation into the boy’s death.
“Tragically, on my way home, I witnessed Osi youths launching an attack on the homes of Epe farmers who cultivate the land. They invaded the residence of an 80-year-old farmer, and also targeted the home of Chief Julius Abiodun, injuring his children and destroying his property, they vandalized the newly built Civil Defence office, smashing all the window glasses.
“I realized the crisis was escalating rapidly, and the DPO was no longer equipped to handle it. To address the situation, I decided to seek reinforcement from the Area Command in Omu-Aran. However, my journey was disrupted when my car was attacked at Osi garage.
“The youths, armed with cutlasses and planks, threatened my life. I was perplexed by their hostility, as my role as Chief Security Officer of my local government was to maintain peace, not take sides in the land dispute.
“To save my life, I had to take an alternative route and flee. Upon returning home, I received disturbing news that Osi youths had invaded Epe streets, wielding guns and cutlasses, and shooting indiscriminately. My immediate priority was to contact the DPO and ensure that no lives were lost in the chaos.
I contacted the officer in charge of the military personnel attached to Oro-Ago Camp, who informed me that he had been posted out and thereby linked me with the new officer in charge. The military reinforcement came on time to safe the situation from degenerating further.
As the council chairman, my priority was to safeguard lives and property of all residents across the 10 wards of Ekiti Local Government Area. This warranted all the painstaking efforts by me to nip the situation in the bud abinitio before it could have degenerated into attacks and counter attacks from the two warring groups.
“I urgently appealed to the Epe youths to refrain from taking matters into their own hands, emphasizing the importance of allowing security agents to handle the situation. In response, the Commissioner of Police deployed reinforcements from Ilorin, Offa, and Omu-Aran to Epe and Osi, and normalcy was successfully restored to the area.
“On Friday, I urged the security secretary to convene an emergency security meeting to address the escalating crisis because the situation had severely impacted the community, disrupting businesses and daily life.
“To restore normalcy, we organized two critical security meetings with the Commissioner of Police, security personnel, and the obas of Ekiti Local Government. The first meeting took place at the local government Secretariat in Araromi-Opin, followed by another at the palace of the Olosi” the Chairman narrated.
I contacted the officer in charge of the military personnel attached to Oro-Ago camp, who informed me that he had been posted out and thereby linked me with the new officer in charge. The military reinforcement came on time to safe the situation from degenerating further.
As the council chairman,.my priority was to safeguard lives and property of all residents across the 10 wards of Ekiti Local Government Area. This warranted all the painstaking efforts by me to nip the situation in the bud abinito before it could have degenerated into attacks and counter attacks from the two warring groups.
“I urgently appealed to the Epe youths to refrain from taking matters into their own hands, emphasizing the importance of allowing security agents to handle the situation. In response, the Commissioner of Police deployed reinforcements from Ilorin, Offa, and Omu-Aran to Epe and Osi, and normalcy was successfully restored to the area.
“On Friday, I urged the security secretary to convene an emergency security meeting to address the escalating crisis because the situation had severely impacted the community, disrupting businesses and daily life.
“To restore normalcy, we organized two critical security meetings with the Commissioner of Police, security personnel, and the obas of Ekiti Local Government. The first meeting took place at the local government Secretariat in Araromi-Opin, followed by another at the palace of the Olosi” the Chairman narrated.