Tension escalated in Esa-Oke community in Owokun Local Government Area of Osun State on Monday, as an ongoing chieftaincy dispute led to a violent clash, leaving seven policemen and several residents injured after unknown gunmen attacked the community.
Eyewitnesses report that the assailants, dressed in black and arriving in a bus, ambushed the community, firing shots that struck both security personnel and civilians.
Some residents speaking anonymously, alleged that the attackers were hired hoodlums linked to the dispute over the appointment of a new monarch for Ido Ajegunle.
Osun State Police Public Relations Officer, Yemisi Opalola, confirmed that police officers responding to a distress call were ambushed on their way to Esa-Oke.
“Seven officers were shot, with one sustaining a neck injury. They encountered a barricade, and while attempting to clear it, gunmen opened fire. We have since deployed additional security personnel to the area,” Opalola stated.
The crisis follows the appointment of Prince Timileyin Oluyemi Ajayi, a UK-based telecoms expert, by the state government as the new Olojudo of Ido Ajegunle.
Esa-Oke residents strongly opposed the decision, arguing that Ido Ajegunle is a village under the authority of the Owamiran of Esa-Oke, Oba Adeyemi Adediran. They also protested that Ajayi is originally from Ilesa, and not their community.
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The dispute intensified last Friday, when Esa-Oke indigenes staged a peaceful protest against Ajayi’s appointment. However, tensions boiled over on Monday, when gunmen, reportedly en route to the Esa-Oke Police Divisional Headquarters, shot at civilians, leaving multiple people wounded.
Footage from residents showed at least five victims drenched in blood following the attack.
A local resident, Oladele, linked the violence directly to the chieftaincy conflict. “Those who opened fire were suspected hoodlums. They shot people while heading towards the police station. This is clearly connected to the appointment of an Ilesa indigene as the monarch of Ido Ajegunle,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Osun State Amotekun Corps and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) have confirmed the deployment of personnel to stabilize the situation.
