The Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, Iba Gani Adams, has urged governors and traditional rulers in the South West to tackle the worsening kidnapping and insecurity in the zone, saying the time to wage war against the terrorists is now.
Adams, in a statement titled ‘Yorubaland is troubled, darkness looms’, which was addressed to the governors and monarchs, said kidnapping and payment of ransom are creating fear in the zone.
He further challenged the leaders to use the powers at their disposal to curb the menace which he described as a monster. He declared that insecurity in the land has reached an alarming peak, saying “our people can no longer go to their farms.” He, however, urged the governors to give him six months to flush out the terrorists.
“Evil has entered Yorubaland. The more than 70 million Yoruba living in the South-West, parts of South-South and North-Central of Nigeria, are troubled. On November 26, 2020, a first-class traditional ruler in Ondo State, the Olufon of Ifon, Oba Israel Adeusi, who just left the Governor’s Office, Akure after a security meeting with the then Governor, the late Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, (may his soul rest in peace), was shot dead by suspected Fulani herdsmen on Akure-Owo Highway.
“All hell was let loose. Imagine the insult on the Yoruba race. The Yoruba, home and abroad, saw this as an unprecedented sacrilege. Youths in Ondo State immediately threatened to take up arms but the then President Muhammadu Buhari pacified the Yoruba, saying the killers would be apprehended.
Till today, the killers have not been apprehended. We thought we had seen the last of that sacrilege. But now, there is evil in the land. Even during the Kiriji War, between 1860 and 1886, I don’t think what happened a few days ago ever happened in Yorubaland. From Ekiti to Kwara states, three traditional rulers were shot dead by these blood-thirsty maniacs.
“The Alara of Ara who escaped in Ekiti narrated what happened and the people who perpetrated this heinous crime. Never in the history of Yoruba were three Obas shot dead in a spate of four days. So, obviously, evil has entered Yorubaland. And as our progenitors did, we must not appease this evil in our land. It must be dealt with immediately and decisively. But that decisive action requires speed. The evil gradually creeping into Yorubaland is a monster which must be fought with all powers at our disposal.
“This scourge of foreign banditry is similar to the scorched-earth policy of the Fuhrer, Adolf Hitler, during the Second World War, an intentional course of military and para-military action that was drastic, maximum and ruinous.
The ‘clear and present danger’ is to behave as if this hydra-headed monster is not already constituting a problem. The matter is so serious now that some Yoruba are being abducted on the highway. If our people are afraid of going to their farms and travelling on the highway, danger looms.
“Due to the fact that this ‘cancer’ was not given an urgent and decisive operation when it started, it is now spreading like wild fire because the perpetrators get high financial returns with less risk, unlike armed robbery which involves a lot of risk and high uncertainty.
We have a situation on our hands now in which if an intending victim escapes, the kidnappers will go for the wife. If she escapes, they will go for the children. Since nobody wants to lose a loved one, family members look for money by all means to pay these evil doers. And the vicious circle continues. Aside making money from this evil venture, these killers and their sponsors want to destroy the economy of Yorubaland. That is why they must be stopped now.
“Kidnapping for ransom is already creating fear in Yorubaland and if our people can no longer go to farms or travel through the highways, our economy will be affected. Let me acknowledge the efforts of the Amotekun and other security agencies, but the fact still remains that there is need to complement their efforts. We must wage war against kidnapping and the time for that fight is now.
“When I was installed as the 15th Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland by the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III, on January 13, 2018, I vowed, before the distinguished audience, that I would do everything to project the image and protect the name of Yorubaland. I also said the first fundamental right of a Yoruba and a Nigerian is the ‘Right to Life’.
“Sadly, my zeal to protect Yorubaland, and the will of millions of Yoruba to defend their fatherland, are being tested with the invasion of some parts of our land by these killers. I find it difficult to comprehend this open insult that some murderers, whose kinsmen live in our villages, towns and cities, will invade Yorubaland at will and plunder by force.
“The insecurity in the land is reaching an alarming peak. Our people can no longer go to their farms. I ask, if we allow killings of innocent farmers and destruction of farmlands in any part of Yorubaland to continue, where is our determination to defend the Yoruba society, values, culture and territory? Obviously, our silence is being misconstrued for foolishness. Elementary law of nature has taught us
