In response to ongoing communal clashes and with the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) fast approaching, Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has announced the relaxation of the curfew in the crisis-hit communities of Ilobu, Ifon, and Erin Osun from 17 hours to 12 hours daily.
Governor Adeleke cited the need to safeguard students’ access to education and ensure the smooth conduct of national examinations including WASSCE, NECO, and JAMB.
The communities had recently witnessed violent communal clashes, resulting in loss of lives and the destruction of properties by suspected hoodlums.
In an official statement on Tuesday, Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, revealed that the governor’s directive was influenced by improved security reports and a gradual return to normalcy in the affected towns.
“The relaxation of the curfew is sequel to the different security reports reaching the governor that the much-expected ceasefire is taking centre stage on a daily basis,” said Alimi.
He added that the curfew would now run from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. daily until further notice. This adjustment, he noted, would support students preparing for major national exams by reducing the disruption to their academic activities.
Governor Adeleke reaffirmed his administration’s unwavering commitment to a peaceful resolution of the communal crisis.
“In the same vein, the new trend in the time frame of the curfew will also allow our children who want to write WAEC, NECO and JAMB Examinations to be able to do so without any form of hindrance, as we cannot allow their future to be mortgaged,” he said.
He also directed continued 24-hour security surveillance by a joint task force comprising the Nigerian Army, Nigeria Police, and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to prevent further escalation of violence.
“This is not without reiterating the need for all stakeholders to cooperate by embracing the much-sought peace in the three communities, as anybody, group or community caught or found wanting in fomenting or aiding the crisis… will be made to face the music in line with the dictates of the law of Nigeria,” Adeleke warned.
The governor urged the 100-member crisis resolution committee on Ifon, Ilobu, and Erin Osun to fast-track their work in finding a lasting solution to the age-long communal disputes.
He appealed to indigenes of the communities—both at home and in the diaspora—to support his administration’s efforts in bringing enduring peace to the troubled regions.
“It is only in an atmosphere of peace and unity that the much-sought growth and development can be achieved in the three communities of Ifon, Ilobu and Erin Osun as well as the entire state,” Adeleke concluded.