IRESA-ADU – Frustrated by a multi-year deadlock and alleged government indifference, the Iresa-Adu community in Surulere Local Government Area has taken matters into its own hands, installing a traditional ruler to fill a leadership vacuum they claim is fueling insecurity and land encroachment. The community’s move follows years of unsuccessful appeals to Governor Seyi Makinde to approve the selection process for the substantive Oba Aresa of Iresa-Adu, the area’s paramount stool which has remained vacant for nearly eight years. Despite hosting the Surulere Local Government Secretariat and maintaining a prominent historical status in Oyo State, residents say the town has been sidelined. Community leaders highlighted that while the Governor visited for campaign tours in 2019 and 2023, formal petitions and delegations to the State Secretariat in Ibadan have yielded no results. The vacuum has reportedly led to dire consequences. Local sources point to: Recent arrests of cattle rustlers by the Oyo State Police Command have heightened fears that the lack of a central traditional authority is weakening local security coordination. Territorial Disputes: Border communities adjacent to Osun and Kwara states are reportedly facing increased land encroachment and violence. Prominent high chiefs, including the Iyalode and Balogun of Aresa-Adu, have passed away while waiting for the stool to be filled. The "Aregba" Installation In a direct response to these crises, the community recently installed Oba Adeleke Isaiah Olayiwola Oninuola I as the Aregba of Iregba, a strategic town within the Iresa-Adu territory plagued by boundary tensions. “We had to take action because we are losing lives to insecurity and disputes,” stated Prince Olaleye, a community elder. “We have made numerous appeals to the government on the Aresa-Adu stool without resolution.” Allegations of Selective Intervention The community’s frustration is further compounded by what they perceive as selective intervention by the state government. Indigenes noted that Governor Makinde has successfully intervened in other high-profile traditional disputes—such as those involving the Soun of Ogbomoso, Aseyin of Iseyin, and Alaafin of Oyo—even amidst legal battles. Meanwhile,The Local Government Chairman Hon. Isaiah Adegbite has been engaged on the matter, he reportedly maintained that no further progress can be made without the Governor’s express approval. As of the time of this report, the Oyo State Government has yet to issue an official statement regarding the unauthorized installation or the allegations of neglect.
