The Esa-Oke Joint Action Working Committee has accused Yoruba nation agitator Sunday Adeyemo of allegedly escalating tension and threatening peace in Esa-Oke, Osun State, over a lingering land and boundary dispute involving settlers from Ido Aiyegunle community.
In a strongly worded press release issued on May 22, 2026, and jointly signed by Otunba Yinusa Bamigboye and Prince Wumi Adeniyi, the group alleged that Sunday Igboho, acting on behalf of one Timileyin Ajayi and Ido Aiyegunle settlers, circulated inflammatory videos, photographs and public statements on social media aimed at intimidating residents of Esa-Oke.
The committee described the alleged actions as “a declaration of war against a peaceful, law-abiding community,” claiming they occurred while the town was mourning its late monarch.
“It is nothing short of wickedness that these provocateurs and their sponsors chose the very period of mourning for our departed monarch, a king not yet committed to the earth, to descend upon Esa-Oke with known instruments of violence and issue what amounts to a declaration of war against a peaceful community,” the statement said.
The group rejected what it described as false claims of ownership over the disputed land, insisting that the narratives being circulated online were defamatory and intended to destabilise the community.
According to the committee, Timileyin Ajayi enlisted the support of Sunday Igboho to intimidate residents despite the fact that the matter is already before the courts.
“That Mr. Timileyin Ajayi would engage the services of the said Sunday Adeyemo, also known as Sunday Igboho, and bring him to Esa-Oke to intimidate and threaten our people, speaks volumes about the intentions behind this campaign,” the statement added.
The committee further accused the opposing group of acting like “land-grabbers operating with impunity” and alleged that they were emboldened by unnamed powerful interests.
Providing background to the dispute, the group explained that the disagreement involving Ido Aiyegunle settlement, located between Osun and Ekiti states, has been the subject of litigation and administrative inquiry for years.
The statement said the dispute resurfaced after the Osun State Government approved an Oba for a farmstead allegedly situated within Esa-Oke territory.
According to the committee, the state government subsequently constituted an Administrative Panel of Inquiry, whose report is still being awaited.
The group stressed that the matter remains before a competent court and warned against resorting to self-help or intimidation.
“This matter is presently before a Court of Law and is actively being adjudicated upon. For any party to resort to self-help and hire non-state actors is not only reckless but contemptuous of the rule of law,” the statement said.
The committee also criticised the public appearance of Sunday Igboho at the disputed area alongside Timileyin Ajayi, as seen in videos circulating on social media.
It further expressed disappointment at unnamed traditional rulers who allegedly welcomed the visitors despite the unresolved nature of the dispute and the ongoing mourning period in Esa-Oke.
“The act of hiring a non-state actor such as Sunday Igboho and deploying him as a one-man tribunal with authority to pronounce judgment is wholly condemnable,” the statement added.
The group called on the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services and military authorities to intervene urgently to prevent a breakdown of law and order.
It urged security agencies to restrain Timileyin Ajayi and his associates from actions capable of escalating the crisis.
The committee also appealed to traditional rulers in Ijeshaland not to allow their institutions to be used for what it termed illegal agendas.
“The throne must not be a tool of brigandage,” the statement warned.
The group further cautioned Timileyin Ajayi to stay away from the disputed farmland pending the final determination of ownership by the courts.
It added that he would be held personally responsible should any attack occur against Esa-Oke residents or their property.
While urging residents to remain calm and law-abiding, the committee expressed confidence in the judiciary and relevant authorities to resolve the dispute peacefully.
Efforts to obtain reactions from Sunday Adeyemo and Timileyin Ajayi were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
