Date: 2017-10-07

The relative peace between indigenes of Offa in Offa Local Government Area and Erin Ile in Oyun Local Government Area of Kwara State is on the verge of being threatened over the destruction of two buildings by unknown persons.

Indigenes of Offa have accused some members of the neighbouring Erin Ile community of damaging the two buildings belonging to their kinsmen living along the Igosun axis of Unity Road, a boundary road constructed by the state government.

Saturday Tribune also gathered that the two buildings located at Oloruntedo community in Egunkara and Igosun area of Offa were allegedly damaged in the early hours of Wednesday, October 4, 2017.

Speaking with Saturday Tribune in Offa, the secretary general of the Offa Descendants Union, home and in the Diaspora, Chief (Mrs)Wosilat Macarthy, said that suspected Erin Ile people had reportedly meted out series of intimidation and harassment against indigenes of Offa living in the area.

Macarthy, who said that formal complaints had severally been made by the affected victims, Ibrahim Sefiu and Waidi Kolawole, to the Offapolice command, called on the state police command to investigate and punish masterminds of the alleged mischievous act.

"The acts of the people and conduct could, if not checked, degenerate into a break down of law and order in the area. Offa people have been known to have handled the dispute between her and Erin Ile in civilised ways and will not do anything to jeopardize the relative peace currently existing between her and the neighbouring villages", she said.

Also speaking, the vice president of the Erin Ile Progressive Union, Alhaji Raji Oladejo Jimoh, denied involvement of his people in the destruction of the buildings belonging to Offa indigenes.

"As far as I know, neither any one from Erin Ile nor anyone known by our people would destroy anybody's property. Further more, there's a boundary between Erin Ile and Offa in which the Erin Community knows the limitation as to their land, and they've never encroached into Offa territory as demarcated by government since 2008. In addition, our enquiries within the community revealed that nobody from Erin Ile went to Offa territory," he said.

"We've been embracing peace all along. If you go to the area, you will see where the area was demarcated and with Offa people building along their own territory. We have never gone there to destroy anybody's property. We know steps to take if our rights are trampled upon or breached. The only solution is to go to court and the case is even already in court", he said.

Meanwhile, the traditional ruler of Offa, the Olofa of Offa, Oba Mufutau Gbadamosi, has appealed to his people to maintain calm and go about their business in lawful manner, adding that steps were being taken to investigate the matter with concerned authorities.