Fresh tension is brewing in Irokun Kingdom, Ogun Waterside Local Government Area of Ogun State, following alleged moves by the Ondo State Government to install a rival monarch in the border community despite the presence of a traditional ruler legally recognised by Ogun State.
Findings revealed that the Ondo State Government has scheduled the installation of Idowu Julius Akinjinrin as Oba of Irokun on Sunday, August 31, 2025, on the claim that majority of the residents identify as Ilaje/Ikale people of Ondo State.
However, the community already has a traditional ruler, Oba Buhari Ola Balogun, who was installed about 18 years ago and has since been recognised by the Ogun State Government.
This latest move is not without precedent. In September 2022, Ondo State installed Olowoniyi Abejoye (now late) as monarch of Irokun, a development that sparked a similar round of protests and heightened border tensions.
Worried about the potential breakdown of peace, the Ogun State House of Assembly has called for immediate intervention by the State Government and security agencies to prevent what it described as an illegal installation.
Speaker Oludaisi Elemide raised the alarm during an inter-agency engagement held on Friday at the Assembly Complex, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.
The meeting was attended by key stakeholders, including the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Ganiu Hamsat; representative of the State Boundary Commission, Surveyor Abodunrin Omotoso; traditional rulers from Ogun Waterside led by the Ojotunmoro of Abigi, Oba Olusegun Ogunye; the Commissioner of Police represented by ACP (Operations) Olufemi Adaramola; and the Onirokun of Irokun, Oba Buari Balogun.
Elemide called for the deployment of additional security operatives to Irokun and urged the government to fast-track infrastructural development in border communities to reinforce Ogun’s control and ward off external incursions.
He said:“by all evidence available, including land documentation and historical facts, Irokun remains part of Ogun State. Any attempt to install a parallel monarch there is an illegality that could trigger unrest.”
Also speaking, Commissioner Hamsat stressed that extending infrastructural projects to boundary communities would discourage external claims, while Oba Ogunye and Oba Balogun urged the government not to relent in protecting Ogun’s territorial integrity.
The monarchs thanked the office of the Deputy Governor, Engr. Noimot Salako-Oyedele, for previous interventions and appealed for more proactive measures ahead of Sunday’s planned installation by Ondo State.
With just hours to the scheduled event, tension continues to mount in Irokun, as stakeholders await decisive government and security actions to avert what many fear could degenerate into a major communal crisis.
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