Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has ordered a reduction in the hours of the curfew previously imposed on the troubled communities of Ilobu, Ifon, and Erin Osun.
The 17-hour curfew has now been relaxed to 12 hours, running from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. daily.
The decision, announced on Tuesday, follows reports indicating a gradual return to peace in the areas recently affected by violent clashes that claimed several lives and saw many homes destroyed.
Adeleke linked the adjustment to the upcoming West African Senior School Certificate Examination, which begins on April 24. He stressed the importance of ensuring that educational activities are not disrupted.
“The relaxation of the curfew is sequel to the different security reports reaching the governor that the much-expected ceasefire is taking centre stage on a daily basis,” said the state’s Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi.
According to Alimi, the governor’s directive is also meant to ensure that students sitting for the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination and the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination can do so without hindrance.
Reaffirming his commitment to ending the crisis, Adeleke said his administration will continue to pursue all moral and official avenues to restore peace. He commended the traditional rulers and residents of the three communities for their efforts so far and encouraged them to sustain the peace being achieved.
“In the same vein, the new trend in the time frame of the curfew, will also allow our children who want to write WAEC, NECO and JAMB Examinations to be able to do so without any form of hindrance, as we cannot allow their future to be mortgaged,” the governor stated
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He also ordered joint security operatives, including the Nigerian Army, the Police, and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, to maintain their 24-hour surveillance to prevent any resurgence of violence.
“This is not without reiterating the need for all stakeholders to cooperate by embracing the much-sought peace in the three communities as anybody, group or community caught or found wanting in fomenting or aiding the crisis in one way or the other will be made to face the music in line with the dictates of the law of Nigeria,” he added.
Adeleke further tasked the 100-member crisis resolution committee established by his administration to speed up their work in finding a lasting solution to the conflict.
He called on all sons and daughters of Ilobu, Ifon, and Erin Osun, both at home and in the diaspora, to support the government’s efforts.
“It is only in an atmosphere of peace and unity that the much-sought growth and development can be achieved in the three communities of Ifon, Ilobu and Erin Osun as well as the entire state,” he said.
