Ife And Modakeke Crisis In Osun: The Real IfeStory

Modakeke-ife War Looming Again
Modakeke-Ife crisis unraveling again.
Don’t make unnecessary journey to Ife or Modakeke today.
Some Ife farmers were killed in Toro and Oyere farm four
days ago.
There was gun shots at Oke Eso and other boundaries last
night.
Please let pray for peace and adjust your movements.
IFE – MODAKEKE CRISIS – CAUTIONING WORDS TO WAR-
MONGERS
If news filtering on Ife Modakeke crisis in the last few
hours is anything to go by, then it should be assumed that
90% of uprising fire will be fanned by fake news and
unverified claims..
Let me say this, that 1997 is now far different from 2021,
everything has gone digital that nothing is hidden anymore
with mobile phones and internet, so no true Account will
be doctored except what it is. You will see the actual and
see the unreal being passed around by war mongers, but
we will always put things in real perspective.
We will not allow any fake news to spread fire and we will
do everything to forestall looming crisis in the best
interest of all and sundry, especially for the non indigenes
from all walks of life, who are mostly inhabitants on Ife
land doing businesses and working here.
Findings show that some people heard some invisible Ife
were coming at an area called Alaro in Modakeke, and
they took guns to streets and started running here and
there in the night, filming and shouting “Ogun ti de ooo”
only to find no Ife coming from anywhere.
Ditto for places like Ondo road in Ife, where some Ife
vigilantes were reportedly shooting guns in the air in the
area to tell anyone coming that they are fully alert, all
because they heard Modakeke were coming. And all of
these are drawbacks of social media and skirmishes of
news caused by some people’s Business rivalry on farms
week ago where a woman reported to be a farmers’ loans
giver with many debts to be recovered, was claimed to
have been killed..
In the end, Modakekes were claiming the Ife killed the
woman, and the Ife claimed Modakeke did. Yet, the truth
of the sinister act lies somewhere around Business deal
that went wrong in the village.
Well I’m glad that the two Communities are not interested
in war any longer, except those who are agbotikuyos and
profiteers from crisis.
I belong to special Ife and Modakeke WhatsApp groups as
a spy “ti n fimu file” and I can tell you no one wants to
hear the smell of war. Everyone is saying Not again, it
doesn’t pay anyone. Bulk of those that are getting
paranoid, impatience and asking around social media are
people outside the two towns and those sleeping but are
hearing gun and assumed it has happened again. And it’s
understandable.
There are salient issues ofcourse, particularly on farm
being occupied wrongly, but the recent issue at Alapata
and Toro had nothing to do with this.
1997 long war left some scars and ruins to many families
that are into farming, especially to Ife ancients family
farmlands on those axis but some of us have moved on..
Some people have become millionaires by starting all over
at Ife forest reserves, a reason why we will continue to tell
Osun Government to leave that gifted land at Shaha -Ijebu
boundary for the Ifes which was given out to Government
years back, for continued peace so that no one will be
interested to go back and be dragging farm with
Modakeke at those places like Agbeke, Alapata, Toro etc..
God can bless cultivated virgin lands too.
We can always grow new areas and get over this. War
doesn’t pay anyone. The experience of the past has shown
that war doesn’t solve it. It doesn’t. The scars are
everywhere.
Before you share any news on any crisis or report, be sure
of what you are passing around and be ready to defend it.
People’s Business and shading dealings should be what it
is and should not wear a tribal colouration or religion
garment.
In the last 20yrs, Ife and Modakeke people have been so
integrated that the bike man you will flank down on Ife
street to take you to the palace or your house at Alakowe
may most likely a Modakeke man. Too many Modakeke
youths are riding bikes in Ife just like we have many from
all over the state. Ife is the biggest hub for commercial
motorcycle transportation in Osun State.
Similarly, or in the same vein, it is more likely that you will
see an Ife woman at Modakeke market buying cows for
Burial or food ingredients. A lot of our people in Ife go to
modakeke to buy food items – they claim food are cheaper
there than Ife, so you will think of economic loss that the
scars of over 20yrs will bring.
I grew up in the war of 97, I saw it all and I often wish
Modakeke should be taken away from Ife land or
surrounding so that we will not have someone who we will
always look into each others eyes, but I have since grown
to see Modakekes as the other part of Ife that will be
there for ever, because the community had come so long
with History with Ife and very old than many towns in
Osun today, hence we call them Isale Ife.
There is a reason why fate has brought us together and we
can continue to see it like that while everyone maintains
their lane and status.
I’m also glad that local security leaders in both towns are
dispelling and quelling the news already with the good
efforts of Ooni of Ife, the the grand father of entire Ife land
and Modakeke elders. I’m equally happy that Osun
Government is not sleeping.
For the Ifes, I want us to see Modakekes as our wives that
can not be pushed away, and so for whatever reason, we
should be able to sit together and discuss differences
while not failing to fish out the evil ones among us on both
sides because only truth can bring peace and prosperity to
the entire Ife land. To modakekes, I enjoin you to join
hands to help bring development to Ifeland because the
comfort of the trees is the comfort of the birds. If the rope
is not resting, the standing fowl on it will not rest too ooo.
War is not rice and beans ooo. Let’s stop spreading
nonsense in news and avoid adding petrol to fire. Enu mi
ago!