The headquarters of the Ilejemeje Council area of Ekiti, Eda Oniyo, a border hamlet in Ekiti State, is tense due to an armed robbery that left the council secretariat and some residents injured. The perpetrators are thought to have arrived from a nearby town in Kwara.
The Eleda of Eda Oniyo, Oba Julius Awolola, the traditional ruler of Eda Oniyo, informed our correspondent that some of the thugs had also attacked some of the locals on their fields. He also mentioned that one of the farmers who were hurt was being treated at the hospital.
“People from Obbo-Ayegunle, a Kwara State community, have been farming on our land, but the government of Ekiti State wants to use the land for youths and deployed equipment there preparatory to beginning work. That was what provoked them to attack us.
“They came on bikes. I was even at my farm at that time. They went to vandalise our (Ilejemeje) local government Secretariat and then attacked some of our people who were already on their farms. A car parked at the roadside was vandalised, and three motorcycles were set ablaze. One of the farmers beaten has been hospitalised,” the monarch said.
The traditional ruler, who said tension was already brewing in the community, said that the state government, following the incident, had appealed for calm and advised residents against reprisal attacks.
Awolola said, “The government has sent soldiers and policemen to the community. They pleaded with our people not to retaliate. Soldiers and policemen are still at the Council Secretariat now. I learnt Amotekun would join in the security endeavour.”
After expressing dismay, Mr. Alaba Dada, the Chairman of Ilejemeje Local Government, stated that security personnel had been called to the town to defuse the situation.
Dada suggested that the governments of Ekiti and Kwara resolve the land dispute to maintain peace and good ties.
There have been other hoodlum attacks on Ekiti villages, including this one.
Remember that in August 2023, a group of thugs attacked some All Progressives Congress chieftains in the area, destroying goods valued at millions of naira and causing the injuries of four people, including a businessman named Chief Bode Olayinka.
According to sources, the incident was related to the local elections scheduled in December throughout the state’s local government districts and council development zones.
