The entire citizens of Ilobu have cautioned some individuals from Ifon-Osun to stop blackmailing the judiciary.
The Ilobu Youth Assembly in a statement by its National Secretary, Engr Kolade Onaolapo, described the protest by some individuals from Ifon-Osun led by one Jamiu Adejumo against the bail granted to two indigenes of Ilobu by the Osun State High Court, as incitement against the judiciary and contempt of the court.
Onaolapo said “the gathering disguised as a protest against the grant of bail to some Ilobu indigenes, was nothing more than a mischievous ploy, a campaign of calumny designed to blackmail the judiciary, attack Osun state government, mislead the public, and malign our peace-loving community. In their usual fashion, these agitators from Ifon did not hesitate to concoct spurious, malicious, and provocative allegations, linking Ilobu community to a heinous crime currently before the Osun State High Court.
“The Ilobu Youth Assembly strongly condemns this attempt to rewrite history, incite hatred, and criminalise our community for a crime we neither committed nor supported.”
The Ilobu Youth Assembly countered narrations that the grant of bail to two of those in detention was influenced by Ilobu people.
“We must also emphasise that the Judiciary is an independent arm of government. Judicial decisions, including the grant of bail, are not made by Ilobu people, but by judges of competent jurisdiction, applying the law. To suggest that the judiciary was manipulated by Ilobu is contemptuous of the court, misleading to the public, and a dangerous attempt to intimidate judges. If the “Concerned Citizens of Orolu Kingdom” have genuine grievances, the appropriate channel is the National Judicial Council (NJC) or other lawful mechanisms, not blackmail through the media.
We are no strangers to this propaganda of the Ifon people. It should be recalled that all the clashes in the last two years started with similar press conference by Eesa of Ifon in 2023.
Ilobu Youth Assembly said Ilobu community is commited to peaceful coexistence with our neighbours, while also calling on the Special Adviser to Governor Ademola Adeleke, Mr Nurudeen Kareem, who is an indigene of Ifon-Osun to use his office to promote peace and not to witch hunt Ilobu people.
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