More than 18 individuals were reportedly killed between June 2023 and February 2024 as a result of cult clashes in Ilesa, a historic town in Osun State. More than 12 people were murdered in cold blood in 2023, and more than six more were killed in a retaliation strike in early February 2024.
Residents of Ilesa and surrounding areas experienced tension and palpable anxiety as a result of hostility and supremacy battles between members of the Eiye and Afe confraternities. For four years, members of these confraternities, including political thugs such as Olabode Owoeye, also known as Bode Itaapa, and Solomon Adefioye Adedimeji, also known as Solo Iwara, terrorized Ilesa and some parts of Ijesaland.
The police in March and July, 2022 respectively had declared Solomon Adedimeji (Solo Iwara) and Olabode Owoeye (Bode Itapa) wanted in connection with ritual killings, armed robbery, cultism, conspiracy to murder, rape and kidnapping. Despite the declaration of the police, Ilesa witnessed more deaths and property damage as a result of incessant cult attacks between 2022 to 2024.
These recurrent cult attacks hindered and nearly crippled the town’s commercial activity. Traders, shop owners, and bars, including Okada riders, close as early as 6 p.m. to avoid being caught up in crossfire. According to findings, some businesses nearly collapsed, and owners were unable to recover from losses caused by repeated cult attacks.
Several stakeholder meetings were held in the palace, however they all ended in failure. Some young individuals who appear dangerous or are considered to be bad boys were forced to drink the sacred water known as omi-owa, yet the killings and violent attacks continue. As residents mourned their losses, tales circulated that these criminals vanished into thin air, transforming into animals such as cats, making it hard for security forces to apprehend them.
Cultists and political thugs continue to thrive in violence, sometimes coordinating attacks throughout the day, in pubs, clubs, offices, and homes. They would strike a location and flee before the police arrived. They were so heinous that residents who knew them dared not speak about them in public or provide important information to the police, which would lead to their imprisonment.
A source told WITHIN NIGERIA that these thugs would beat up any perceived informant and his or her family in order to put fear in others and restrain them from discussing their affairs with security forces such as the police, DSS, or Army.
These cult attacks continued without remorse, reducing Ilesa into a haven of criminals, thugs, and cults. The February retribution cult attack, which murdered more than six people, brought an end to Ilesa’s repeated cult attacks. Residents of Ilesa metropolis have had peace and harmony for the previous 10 months, free of the worry of being caught in the crossfire. Businesses have restarted, and business owners, particularly traders, can now close whenever they want without worrying.
Kolawole, a crime expert and resident, expressed joy that peace and harmony have returned to Ilesa after years of attacks and losses.
He attributed the peace to the arrest of Bode Itapa and multiple raids on thugs and cultists’ dens.
Kolawole, remembering his experience during the dark days of cult attacks, stated that the arrest of Bode Itapa demonstrated to us that no one is larger or more powerful than the government.
“I applaud our security agencies, particularly the police, for working tirelessly to maintain the peace we are currently enjoying. I feel that strong intelligence, raids, and swift responses are keeping the peaceful cohabitation we now enjoy. The police-public trust has been established, and it is greatly benefiting us in Ilesa, he stated.
He further added that police in Ilesa and environs are now more responsive, accessible and available but they can still do better if provided with vehicles that would enhance their mobility.
He urged renowned Ijesa sons and daughters, business leaders, and the Osun State Government to provide hilux vehicles for the police, DSS, and other security services to improve mobility.
“We must reestablish the Osun State Security Trust Fund. We need to provide our security agencies with quality vehicles that will improve their mobility. Kolawole advised that when nice and quality cars are provided, police officers will be able to operate more productively.
How Bode Itapa was arrested
Findings by WITHIN NIGERIA revealed that Olabode Owoeye, also known as Bode Itaapa, a notorious political thug, was arrested around 2 a.m. in March 2024 while riding his motorcycle to his residential home.
According to a source, the notorious thug was eventually arrested by the anti-cultist unit of the Osun State Police Command after several escapes.
While explaining why it took so long for the police to apprehend Bode Itapa and others, the source revealed that some people were protecting them from arrest.
“Intels from Ilesa revealed that they purchased motorcycles for some youths to work in the area. These teenagers do not leave the border line at once, but rather station themselves and call their sponsors if they see police vehicles or any suspicious car entering these towns. “We had to rethink our strategy,” the source continued.
“On the day of the arrest, we came in town early, not as a group, after being well informed through intelligence, and stationed ourselves within the bush along his usual route, while one of our cops had to ride a motorbike to cover a few meters away from us”.
‘The police who had ridden earlier, upon receiving word from us that Bode Itapa was on his way home after passing us, ignite his motorbike, drove towards Bode Itapa Way, and collided with his motorcycle, resulting in an accident. After Bode Itapa got suspicious, the officer held him tightly and stopped him from entering the bush before he’s more familiar with the terrain. His teammates raced out to thoroughly restrain and handcuff him before transporting him to the police state headquarters in Osogbo”, he narrated.
