Osun State commissioner, Kolapo Alimi, has denied claim that he sent fake soldiers to Ilobu over the the ongoing communal clash between the community and neighbouring Ifon and Erin Osun towns.
The Commissioner said this while responding claim by one Tairu Babatunde, the Public Relations Officer of Ilobu Descendant Union (IDU) that he sent out fake soldiers to Ilobu to carry out killings.
“This is a lie taken to the extreme of great mischief,” Alimi said.
The Commissioner who decried the communal clashes said rather than politicise it, every right thinking person in the affected communities ought to strive for the avoidance of the carnage.
“The killings and destructions in the concerned communities are uncalled for because we are brothers and sisters.
“We have an age long relationship of inter marriages. This brotherhood and sisterhood is what we should promote as opposed to killing and maiming of ourselves. It is despicable and uncalled for.
“More unfortunate is the politicization of the conflicts, by using the conflicts to blackmail my humble self by some political jobbers hiding under the name of the conflicts.
“It started about a year ago when the conflicts between Ifon and Ilobu escalated. Quickly, some politicians from the opposition in Ilobu, hiding under the name of fighting for Ilobu interest started blackmailing Oluomo Kolapo Alimi as the one supporting Ifon against Ilobu.
“These baseless allegations reverberate throughout the length and breadth of Ilobu.
“It took Kolapo Alimi several efforts to disabuse the mind of right thinking people of Ilobu about these allegations.
The situation became worse now that Erin is involved, they reinvented their false claims that Alimi brought fake Soldiers to Ilobu.
“Before I delve into the issues, let’s inform those that might not know or remind those that have forgotten the contributions of Kolapo Alimi to the Development of Ilobu.
“My humble self, Kolapo Alimi , as a young boy, had a spell of almost ten years as a teacher in Ilobu Grammar School,Ilobu. I had a record of hard work which impacted positively on many Ilobu indigenes who are today doing well in their different areas of specialisation.
“Thereafter, when I ventured into public service as a politician and eventually, a Commissioner, I, Kolapo Alimi appointed an Ilobu indigene as my Personal Assistant, (an unprecedented step in our political development in our areas).
“In addition, I have records of facilitating the employment of many Ilobu indigenes into Local Govts, Lautech (now Uniosun teaching hospital) and Civil Defence among other key offices in various establishments in Osun and beyond.
“With all humility and modesty , I make bold to say that, I have assisted many Ilobu indigenes despite the fact that I am not an indigene of the town.
On politics, I stood firmly with Honourable Nasiru Olateju, an Ilobu indigene to become the member representing Irepodun/Orolu state constituency, in 2019. Let me stop at that for now.
“It is then quite surprising and astonishing that some people will deliberately be out as a result of mischief and other reasons, particularly politics, to malign my person and integrity.
“An example of such was a blackmail and malicious press release authored by one Tairu Babatunde, the Public Relations Officer of Ilobu Descendant Union (IDU) in which he alleged that I sent fake soldiers to Ilobu to carry out killings. This is a lie taken to the extreme of great mischief.
“Ordinarily,I wouldn’t have responded the way I am currently doing because, anybody holding a public position, more so, who is into politics, should from time to time expect such backlashes from the political opponents,” the Commissioner concluded.
