The Ekiti State Government has again warned residents of border towns to sustain the spirit of peace and brotherhood with their neighbours to avert bloodshed, saying the state cannot afford to engage in any volatile land dispute with their sister states.
The Deputy Governor, Mrs Monisade Afuye, gave the warning in Ado Ekiti, on Tuesday, during an interface with selected traditional rulers in Ekiti South Senatorial District, whose towns share inter-state boundaries with Ondo and Osun States.
The parley convened by the Ekiti State Land Dispute Resolution Technical Committee was attended by representatives of Iro -Ayeteju, Egbe, Ogotun, Isinbode, Ahan- Ayegunle, Ikere, Ise, Orun, and Emure across Ekiti East, Ayekire, Emure, Ise/Orun, Ikere and Ekiti Southwest Local Government areas of the state.
Addressing the community leaders, Mrs Afuye, represented by the Permanent Secretary in her office, Abayomi Opeyemi, reiterated that Ekiti cannot afford crises with its sister states of Ondo and Osun, saying all the contending land issues raised by the monarchs will be zealously handled for peace to reign.
Mrs Afuye, in a statement by her Media Assistant, Victor Ogunje, said based on the aggregate of presentations, the areas of disputes are chiefly between Ahan-Ayegunle Ekiti-Oge Akoko, Isinbode Ekiti-Irun Akoko, Egbe Ekiti-Irun Akoko, Imesi Ekiti-Irun Akoko, Emure Ekiti-Supare Akoko, Ikere Ekiti-Iju, and Ogotun Ekiti-Ikeji/Ikeji Ile.
She urged the monarchs to continually foster strong and peaceful relationships with their neighbours, describing this as the best way to avert insurrection and killings of people in the hinterland.
Mrs Afuye said; “We noticed that we have been having challenges with our neighbouring states in recent times. On the 26th of April, 2023, we were invited to Abuja by National Boundary Commission and it was there we realised that six local governments of Ekiti share boundaries with Ondo State.
“We were mandated at the meeting to look into all the contending land issues and resolve them amicably. We knew that some were in cordiality with the neighbours while some are just tolerating themselves and these challenges are majorly on land disputes.
“With what we have been able to collate from you today about the challenges our people are facing at the borders; when next we meet in Abuja, we will be able to present them for speedy resolution.
“The government of Governor Biodun Oyebanji is peace-loving. It is only when we have peace that we can develop. We want to have a good relationship with our neighbours. We don’t want inter-state clashes that can cause bloodshed and crisis”.
Applauding the government for the peace-building initiative, the Chairmen of Ayekire Local Government, Ayodele Fadumiye, appealed that efforts must be speedily stepped up to safeguard the lives of those in the border towns.
Fadumiye particularly frowned at the persistent attacks being suffered by some farmers in Egbe Ekiti in the hands of those he described as land grabbers from a particular town in Ondo State.
In his submission, the Onimesi of Imesi Ekiti, Oba Olatunji Olatunde, disclosed that the abandoned sprawling forest reserve from Agbado-Ise-Imesi to the Ondo border area has become a potential danger for encroachment, warning that the axis is gradually turning into a haven for intruders.
The monarch appealed to the state government to maintain the forest allegedly being deployed for cannabis sativa cultivation by unscrupulous elements or return them to the original land owners for agricultural purposes.
Traditional rulers at the peace parley included the Owa Ateju of Iro Ayeteju, Oba Oluwole Ajayi, Ologotun of Ogotun, Oba Adebayo Adesanmi, and the Onisin of Isinbode, Oba Adeyemi Adesoji.
Others are Alahan of Ahan Ayegunle, Oba Durojaye Jegede, Onimesi of Imesi, Oba Olatunde Olatunji, and Oniro of Iro Ekiti, Oba Adeniyi Afolabi.