Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke has directed relaxation of the previous 24-hour curfew to 17-hour in Ifon, Ilobu and Erin communities recently embroiled in violent communal clashes.
With the new directive, curfew in the three communities starts at 2pm and ends at 7am the following day.
The relaxation of the curfew is to take effect from Friday, March 28, 2025, until further notice.
The spokesperson for the governor, Olawale Rasheed, made this known in a statement obtained on Friday.
The latest crises initially started as boundary disputes between the Ifon and Ilobu communities in the early hours of last Friday.
It later spread to Erin Osun the following day.
The development forced the state government to review the earlier 12-hour curfew to 24-hour restriction of movement in the affected towns.
Apart from casualties recorded, many houses were razed in the three communities forcing many of the residents to flee to Okinni, Osogbo and Ido Osun to avoid being killed.
However, Rasheed explained that the governor relaxed the curfew, “to alleviate the suffering of residents of the three towns and provide an opportunity for them to attend to their immediate needs.
“While commending the cessation of hostility so far, the Governor however expressed dissatisfaction with the report of another killing for which the police have made an arrest, warning that anybody or group of persons, found or caught masterminding any violent act will face the full consequences.”
The governor also tasked the joint security task force to maintain the usual 24-hour surveillance to ensure zero tolerance for any act of lawlessness.
Additionally, the governor further directed the state emergency agency to intensify the support services for the displaced people.
