A community in Oyo State, Iresa-Adu, Surulere Local Council, has decried the rising insecurity, prolonged absence of a traditional ruler, and the death of Balogun of the town, Adebayo Ogunmola, on December 2. Ogunmola’s passing has thrown the community into a deeper worry, especially as the town has been without an Aresa-Adu for almost eight years. 
 
The residents said that the Balogun played a central role in keeping the town together since the Area stool became vacant in 2018. His home was where traditional matters were being discussed and where leaders met to resolve issues. His death, which comes a few months after the burial of the Iyalode, has left many people shocked. 
 
High Chiefs and Kingmakers were seen in tearful mood and looking overwhelmed. People in the town said the leaders had been carrying a heavy burden for years, trying to manage a large border community that faces regular security threats. Iresa-Adu shares boundaries with Osun and Kwara states, and there have been repeated complaints of land encroachment and clashes along the borders. 
 
A resident of the town, Korede Ayobami, while speaking with journalists, said the death of the Balogun had exposed the level of pressure the chiefs have been facing because the Aresa stool has remained empty. 
 
He said: “The Aresa is supposed to look after us and the land. The chiefs and elders have been trying their best to manage a bad situation. Balogun’s death is tied to stress from constant battles over the town without any support. We would not be suffering like this if we had an Aresa on the throne.” He lamented that many elders are tired and worried.  
 
“Does the Oyo State Government want all of us to die before we see another Aresa in our lifetime? Two of our senior chiefs have already died,” he decried. 
 
Ayobami explained that the absence of a king makes it difficult for the chiefs to resist land grabbers and other threats. He said the late Balogun and other chiefs had gone several times to the Zone 2 Police Command because of disputes involving outsiders from Osun State trying to lay claims to Iresa-Adu lands. 

“The High Chiefs cannot give strong directives without an Aresa. People from Osun State are taking advantage of the situation, and our efforts to protect our land have not been successful. Our king is not there to lead us,” he said. 

Ayobami, therefore, appealed to Governor Seyi Makinde to intervene urgently, saying: “When the issues of  Olubadan,  Soun of Ogbomoso, Aseyin  and Alaafin came up, the government acted quickly. But in the case of Iresa-Adu, we have been abandoned for seven years. We want the governor to look into our matter before things get worse.” 

 However, community members said that since the Balogun died, there had been no official statement from the state government or the Surulere Local Council. They expressed disappointment that the same town, which hosted the governor during his 2023 campaign, has not received attention during this period of difficulty. 
 
Both ruling houses, the kingmakers, neighbouring traditional rulers and several political leaders are said to have written many letters to the state government, warning that the continued delay in filling the Aresa stool is putting the community at risk. Residents said unknown persons had been entering villages and farmlands around Iresa-Adu, which has led to repeated security meetings in the council. 

The last Aresa-Adu, Oba Jimoh Oloyede, died in December 2018. Since then, many communities under Iresa-Adu have been left without direction. The Aregba of Iregba, where the Surulere Local Council Chairman comes from, also died in November 2025, and the throne has remained vacant because the Aresa is not in place to approve the next steps. 
 
The residents said the Surulere Local Council Chairman repeatedly told them that he had done all he could and that it is the duty of the state government to complete the process of installing a new Aresa-Adu.