Land Tussle: Community Tells Ekiti Govt. To Evacuate Citizens From Osun

Yusuf Oketola

INDIGENES of Ila-Orangun, Ila local government area of the State of Osun, have called on the Eki State government to evacuate ci zens of the state from Ila over a land dispute in the area.

The Ila indigenes said they would no longer tolerate alleged inten onal encroachment of Ila-Orangun land by some OkeImesi farmers.

Calling on Governor Ademola Adeleke and his counterpart from Eki State, Abiodun Oyebanji, to as a ma er of urgency intervene in the land tussle between Ila and OkeImesi farmers, the Ila indigenes said Eki farmers would be forced out of the land if no ac on is taken urgently.

The indigenes, at a mee ng a ended by all the tradi onal chiefs, religious leaders and sociocultural groups at Orangun’s palace on Monday, said the Supreme Court of Nigeria had in a suit No SC. 411/64 ruled that Orangun of Ila is the original owner of that land, while Oke Imesi people are tenants in their present farming loca on.

The land in ques on according to the Obanla of Ila-Orangun, His Highness, Oba Samuel Otoola is between Orangun and Oke-Imesi at a place where Osun River joins with Oruro river.

O toola accused some farmers of Oke-Imesi of disobeying the court order by inten onally encroaching the land.

Also speaking, the Baamofin of Ila-Orangun, Dr. Olusegun Durotolu, emphasised that the Supreme Court had stated it clearly that Oke-Imesi people were tenants of Orangun in their present farming loca on.

Durotolu added that evidences of payment of Isakole to Orangun of Ila by Oke-Imesi people were contained in Archive Evidence, in File No 1131,

Volume II.

He explained further that in 1978 the matter was resolved by the Military Government and there was a mee ng between Ila Orangun and Oke-Imesi people where the land in ques on was finally returned to Ila Orangun people.

He said: “Past efforts to resolving this lingering boundary issue are yet to yield frui ul results and we therefore appeal to the Eki State government to evacuate their people from Orangun’s land in Osun State, otherwise, our community would force them out of our land, except they are willing to recognise the over lordship of the Orangun of Ila and are willing to pay all the arrears of Isakole owing the Ila community.”

However, the Orangun of Ila, Oba Abdulwahab Kayode Oyedotun and Orangun in Council resolvef to ensure that the ma er is handled peacefully for amicable resolu on.