Concerned over the resurgence of the Ife/Modakeke crisis, the Osun state government has called on the residents of Ife and Modakeke towns to keep calm over the killing of five persons by unknown gunmen in Ile-Ife.

In a statement by the state commissioner for information, Funke Egbemode, on Friday in Osogbo, after a meeting of government officials with heads of security agencies, the state appealed to residents of the areas not to allow criminal elements to seize the situation to unleash mayhem on the people.

The commissioner said that the government has also ordered immediate deployment of armed Policemen with support from the army in the troubled areas to forestall possible breakdown of law and order.

Sympathising with the victims’ families, Mrs Egbemode urged the residents and citizens not to take laws into their own hands.

According to her, the governor personally spoke to the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi, and the Ogunsua of Modakeke, Oba Moses Oyediran Oladejo, on the situation.

She added that they both assured him of their commitment to peace by ensuring that the people from both areas remain peaceful and law-abiding.

“As a government, we have resolved to do everything possible to protect citizens from actual and potential threats.

To this end, we have ordered immediate deployment of security operatives to restore law and order.

“We have also directed security operatives to arrest and prosecute any person found fomenting trouble and to fish out those responsible for the killing of the five farmers.

“The state government, therefore, enjoins all citizens to be peaceful and to be law-abiding as all efforts shall be made to protect them and their property,” she said.

The victims were on motorcycles on their way to their farms when they were ambushed and killed.

In response to the killing, the police deployed a tactical team and officers to forestall a breakdown of law and order in the area. 

They have also commenced an investigation to ascertain the cause of the killing.