Tension is rising in Bembe, a community in Ayedade Local Government Area of Osun State, following alleged moves to annex the town to Ikire in neighbouring Irewole Local Government Area.
The traditional head of Bembe, Chief Abas Omojare, alongside community leaders Chief Oderemi Kazeem, Adewuyi Okunlade, and Gafaru Alansi, raised the alarm in a petition through their counsel, Barrister Zakariyau Apo, addressed to the Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), Zone XI.
The petition, a copy of which was made available to The Nation, accused some individuals from Ikire of making attempts to incorporate Bembe into their town, describing the move as illegal and provocative.
According to the petitioners, their forefathers are the original landowners of Bembe and have peacefully managed the community “from time immemorial.”
They explained that portions of land in Bembe were, in the past, granted to the ancestors of one Maita and other settlers from Ikire for farming and residential purposes on tenancy and permissive occupation terms—not ownership.
“The said partition was never a grant of ownership but merely for occupation, farming, and residential purposes. The grantees were expected to respect the overlordship of our clients’ family and community as the customary landowners,” the petition read.
However, the petitioners alleged that in recent times, Maita and his associates have begun challenging the authority of Bembe’s traditional rulers, recruiting Ikire indigenes living in Bembe to undermine the community’s peace and leadership.
“They have made inciting and provocative statements, claiming ownership of Bembe land and issuing threats to drive away the lawful and indigenous people of the community,” the petition added.
The petitioners lamented that the development has created tension, disrupted peace, and instilled fear among residents.
“This reckless behaviour has already sparked tension in the community, and if not urgently checked, it may degenerate into loss of lives and destruction of property in Bembe,” they warned.
They urged the AIG to intervene swiftly and call the suspects in order to prevent a potential communal clash between indigenes of Bembe and settlers from Ikire.
𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁𝘀𝗔𝗽𝗽 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹 𝗧𝗼 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗟𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘀 𝗔𝘀 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗗𝗿𝗼𝗽!
