Amid escalating communal clashes and chieftaincy disputes in Osun State, Senator Ajibola Basiru, the National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has criticized Governor Ademola Adeleke, claiming he has lost control over the state’s security.
Reports indicate that several communities, including Ifon and Ilobu, Ido-Osun and Halleluyah, Ede and Ebedi, Esa-Oke and Ido-Ajegunle, Iragbiji, Igbajo, and Iree, have been embroiled in violent disputes over land and traditional leadership, leading to loss of lives and property over the past year.
Following a recent clash that left four people dead and seven policemen injured, Basiru, speaking to journalists in Osogbo, accused Adeleke of failing to maintain peace and security in the state.
“The governor is only giving residents false hope that he is in control, but he is not,” Basiru said. “The series of communal clashes characterized by killings, maiming, arson, and destruction of property clearly show his failure. Worse still, Adeleke himself is fueling these conflicts by approving controversial chieftaincy matters that disrupt previously peaceful communities.”
Basiru further asserted that the APC would restore stability to Osun State in 2026, claiming that Adeleke’s leadership had failed in multiple areas, including security.
However, in a swift response, Osun State Commissioner for Information, Kolapo Alimi, dismissed Basiru’s claims as politically motivated.
“It is quite unfortunate that Basiru is playing politics with this matter,” Alimi stated. “Governor Adeleke has personally visited the affected communities and set up panels of inquiry to address these disputes. The accusations against him are baseless, misleading, and laughable.”
As tensions continue in the state, residents and political observers are keenly watching how the government navigates the security challenges ahead.