THE Modakeke Think Tank (MTT), Osun State, has charged some individuals in Ile-Ife who want to cause disharmony, tension and crisis to redirect their priority by focusing on profitable ventures that would improve the existing peace in Ifeland.

The group enjoined them not to drag Modakeke into a personal rift as the two communities need continuous peace in Ifeland which they said is the only antidote for meaningful development rather than promotion of avoidable turmoil.

They called on the Inspector-General of Police to direct the state Commissioner of Police to work closely with the state
government to investigate and arrest the sponsors of the avoidable mayhem in the interest of the two communities.

This was contained in a statement jointly signed by the Chairman and Secretary of the Modakeke Think Tank, Chief Kola Olabisi, and Mr Femi Oladosu, on Wednesday, in response to a statement titled ‘Time To Call Modakeke Bandits To Order’ and credited to the ‘Ife Intellectuals group’.

Describing the statement of the Ife Intellectuals group as irritating and appalling, Olabisi lampooned the group for promoting contents capable of setting the two communities on fire saying “it is disheartening that by this time in the history of our nation, a set of misguided and disgruntled individuals who have been fraudulently benefitting from any make-believe frosty relationship between Ile-Ife and Modakeke would find it convenient to fan embers of discord and disunity between the two communities for their selfish interest”

He lauded the revered monarchs in the two communities – the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, and the Ogunsua of Modakeke, Oba Olubiyi Toriola, for being resolute in promoting peace, unity, love, harmony and above all, for their resistance to temptation, instigation and cheap blackmails capable of turning their domains into a theatre of war as being perpetrated by some individuals who are disguising as genuine and bonafide indigenes of the two communities.

The group who acknowledged possible infighting among individuals in both communities emphasized that it is wicked and treacherous for the affected persons to elevate such infractions into communal affairs in order to whip up undue sentiment and subsequently rocking the lingering existing peace between the two communities.

The statement read in part: “It is with utmost concern and worry that we view the tantrum tagged a statement churned out by a group of people with the nomenclature of ‘The Ife Intellectuals’ titled ‘Time To Call Modakeke Bandits To Order’ which primordial intention is to misinform the unsuspecting members of the public as the gamut of the petition-like statement is an absolute falsehood.

“We wouldn’t have considered it worthwhile to dissipate our energy on putting up a rejoinder but the need to properly educate the members of the public especially outside the two communities of Ile-Ife and Modakeke, makes it a compulsion for us to come up with our own version of the allegation as a lie repeatedly told, if not countered, may be unconsciously taken for the truth.

“It is not unusual for a desperate person who is fraudulently targeting the heritage of a stranger to come up with a falsified tale in order to lay a claim to what is not his legal entitlements.

“We find it irritating and appalling that by this time in the history of our nation, a set of misguided and disgruntled individuals who have been fraudulently benefitting from any make-believe frosty relationship between Ile-Ife and Modakeke would find it convenient to fan embers of discord and disunity between the two communities for their selfish interest.

“We thank God that our revered father, His Imperial Majesty, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, and His Royal Majesty, the Ogunsua of Modakeke, Oba Olubiyi Toriola, Ajibise-Ogo 1, are men of peace who would never allow their domains to be turned into a theatre of war respectively when other communities are seriously thinking of how their domains would be better than how they met it.

“While we are not foreclosing the existence of any likely misunderstanding among some individuals in both Ile-Ife and Modakeke, it is wicked and treacherous for the affected persons to elevate such infractions into communal affairs in order to whip up undue sentiment and subsequently rocking the lingering existing peace between the two communities.

“It is worthwhile to state that Modakeke which by providence is the closest child to the cradle of the Yoruba will never contemplate any untoward happening to Ile-Ife as whatever affects the cradle will not spare its neighbours of which Modakeke is the closest in terms of affinity.

“We want to make a passionate appeal to those whose preoccupation in the two communities is to cause disharmony, tension and crisis to redirect their priority by focusing on profitable ventures that would improve the existing peace in Ifeland.

“It is foolhardy for some desperate individuals to be defaming and insulting any of the revered traditional rulers in Ifeland to be hiding under a conjectured communal crisis to create avoidable cataclysm by publishing jabberwocky and gibberish as a press statement as issued by the Secretary, Comrade Kolawole Jimoh Oladipo, of ‘The Ife Intellectuals’ as the voice of its President, Prince Ademuyiwa Adeniran.

“It is observed that Prince Adeniran who bombarded the press with the information that one Chief Adesoji Adedire of Wanisanni village and two anonymous people of Ife extraction were killed refused to add that a Modakeke couple whose wife was backing a baby was earlier slaughtered like a ram in front of his wife by some Ife bandits on March 19th, 2024 at about 7am at Omigbooro, near Abaa Paanu, where three Modakeke farmers were shot while two of them died immediately and the third victim died three days after.

“The name of one of the slaughtered Modakeke native farmers who was killed right in front of his wife is Mr Hezekiah Oluwole while the widow who escaped being killed by the Ife hoodlums, is Mrs Banke Oluwole, who is fortunate enough to be alive to tell the story.

“Information has it that the Ife hoodlums who spared the life of the wife of the Modakeke farmer because she feigned having originated from Ashipa in Ife-North Local Government Council Area of Osun State, threatened to kill the baby she was backing if it was a boy and that what eventually saved the life of the baby from the assailants was because of her female gender.

“We want to state point blank that the lingering co-existence in any part of the country of which Modakeke and Ile-Ife are not excluded from are based on the rule of law as enshrined in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“The police and other statutory security agencies abound to be consulted by any person whose fundamental human rights have been trampled upon instead of turning it into a communal-like crisis in order to whip up unmerited sentiment which is capable of rocking the existing peace in the areas.

“While we sympathize with the victims of the heinous crimes in the two communities, we are enjoining them not to drag the communities into a personal rift as we need continuous peace in Ifeland which is the antidote for meaningful development rather than promotion of avoidable turmoil.

“We need perpetual peace which has no alternative in Ifeland and it is a task for you and I. Let’s join hands to build Ifeland and stop castigating some people as bandits which is only existing in the imagination of those peddling and escalating the tomfoolery for their selfish interest.

“As things are presently in the affected areas, we are imploring the Inspector-General of Police to direct the state Commissioner of Police to work closely with the state government with a view to investigating, arresting and arraigning the sponsors and foot soldiers of the avoidable mayhem in the overall interest of the two communities who have been co-habiting peacefully for ages.”