Osun: Ife group accuses Modakeke indigenes of attacking villages, killing residents

A group in Ife, a twon in Osun State, has accused Modakeke indigenes of attacking villages and killing villagers.

The Chairman of The Ife Intellectuals, Ademuyiwa Adeniran, in a statement signed by the Secretary of the group, Kolawole Jimoh Oladipo, enumerated how the bandits invaded Ife communities, killed indigenes, stole valuables and forcefully took over 100 villages

“The latest round of wanton killings of an Ife chief and two others, with two more persons feared killed (but corpses not found yet), allegedly carried out by Modakeke bandits is the height of the incessant attacks on both the persons and properties of the Ife people. The situation is so tense presently that there is a need for the trigger-happy and machete-wielding suspected Modakeke trouble seekers to be checked.

“The following are instances of the murderous and thieving activities of these marauders that the peace-loving and law-abiding Ife people have endured till now,” the statement read in part.

Ademuyiwa also alleged that Modakeke had terrorised, maimed, killed and forcefully taken over Ife villages.

He also added that the sacking of some Ife village heads and the murder of Chief Adesoji Adedire of Wanisanni village and two others, with two more persons missing till now along that axis on Tuesday, March 19, 2024, is the latest in the acts of aggression against Ife.

Reacting to the allegations made by the Ife Intellectuals, the Modakeke Think Tank (MTT) under the chairmanship of Kola Olabisi said the statement is false.

Olabisi also called on the Inspector-General of Police to direct the state Commissioner of Police to work closely with the state government to investigate, arrest and arraign the sponsors and foot soldiers of the avoidable mayhem in the overall interest of the two communities who have been cohabiting peacefully for ages.

He said “While we are not foreclosing the existence of any likely misunderstanding among some individuals in both Ile-Ife and Modakeke, it is wicked and treacherous for the affected persons to elevate such infractions into communal affairs in order to whip up undue sentiment and subsequently rocking the lingering existing peace between the two communities.”

He appealed to those whose preoccupation in the two communities is to cause disharmony, tension, and crisis to redirect their priority by focusing on profitable ventures that would improve the existing peace in Ifeland.

While sympathising with the victims of the heinous crimes in the two communities, Olabisi enjoined them not to drag the communities into a personal rift as there is a need for continuous peace in Ifeland which is the antidote for meaningful development rather than the promotion of avoidable turmoil.