Tension has gripped the Ijagba community in Ose Local Government Area of Ondo State following allegations that the traditional ruler of Imoru, Oba Obamuagun, ordered thugs to intercept and burn examination scripts meant for students writing the 2025 West African Examinations Council (WAEC) exams in Ijagba.
According to a source who carved anonymity, the attack stemmed from a protracted land dispute between Imoru and Ijagba communities.
Trouble escalated after the European Union, in collaboration with the Ondo State Government, began a development project in Ijagba while the Imoru monarch wanted to claim ownership of the land on which the project was sited.
The source, explained that the matter had previously attracted the intervention of the state government in hopes of brokering peace.
However, tensions flared again on Thursday when WAEC official and his team en route to Ijagba were ambushed by suspected thugs from Imoru.
The attackers seized and set ablaze the exam question papers and answer booklets.
This they did after disarming the police escort assigned to the invigilator and he was physically assaulted before he fled for his life.
The Divisional Police Officer (DPO) from Ifon was also harassed while returning from a peace visit to Ijagba, with his vehicle blocked by youths believed to be from Imoru and had to drive through the bush to return safely.
This incident has left the affected students in total despair, as they were denied the opportunity to write their examinations due to the actions orchestrated by the monarch of Imoru as alleged.
The source said, “So the problem was between Ijagba and Imoru. So the problem started from the Olumoru of Umoro, who is the Obamuagun, he started the problem.
“We went to Ijagba palace for another matter, then we heard that the mango tree at our primary health center at Ijagba junction, they want to cut it off because of the building construction that the European Union and the government have approved for Ijagba there.
“So the construction has been going on, then it was the area of a window level. They wanted to cut the mango tree, then Olumoro said that the place belongs to the Imoro community.
“The Ijagba Oba said we should hold on, that they will settle it by themselves. Along the line, the building continued going up, up to the roofing level and the building was completed.
“The Mango tree was still standing and after they roofed the building, the branches of the tree started to spread into the building.
“The Olumoru petitioned the Ijagba king and to the deputy governor.Along the line, the deputy governor sent a representative down to Imoro and Ijagba community to verify the boundary.
“After that, they started to threaten Ijagba people, saying they would experience what happened in 2003 where two men from Ijagba were killed.
“Their Oba has been saying Ijagba do not have anybody and he will deal with us, he would sponsor the youths to cause chaos, he has said it times without number.
“Suddenly, the DPO came from Ifon Division to Ijagba to see Oba but on his way going back to Ifon, Imoru community blocked the road and they didn’t open the road for him.
“The DPO has to drive his Hilux into the bush to create another road so that he can navigate his way back to Ifon.
“A day after yesterday, the invigilator who was supposed to conduct WAEC to Ijagba Imoru Grammar School, when he was coming down to Ifon to Ijagba, they seized the exam question papers and beat him.
“They took gun away from the police man escorting the Invigilator, their King ordered them to burn up the question papers of which they did”.
As at the time of this report, efforts made to reach out to olu-moru of imoru, Oba Obamuagu were not successful.
