By Ayodele Oni
“Today, a new form of war has been brought to our fatherland by people alien to our values and cultures. Our land has been violently invaded”
In search of an end to invasion of the South-west by armed terrorists, the Yoruba Assembly, has organized a Security Summit, to end insecurity in the region.
The summit, held in Lagos, was attended by over 1000 delegates from across Western Nigeria, organized by Yoruba Assembly in collaboration with Pan Yoruba groups.
An opening remark by Adewale Adeoye on behalf of the planning committee said the Summit was imperative in view of failure of government to address insecurity challenges in the region.
“Today, a new form of war has been brought to our fatherland by people alien to values and cultures we cherish. Our land has been violently invaded.
“The livelihood of the people is under ferocious assault. The land is under siege. The people have waited for more than one decade for freedom.
“The intensity of attacks, kidnapping, violent invasion of our land and our forests have increased tremendously. Our people are tired but they are not too weak as not to be able to resist the armed invaders with all their strength.
“The people never lack the will, the determination to take back their sovereignty especially when those that hold in trust look away as the people are raped, mass murdered, sacked from their ancestral homes and made to beg their oppressors and invaders before they could live and sleep in their motherland.
“We have always been determined to live and die on our land, on our own terms and not on the terms of our oppressors.”
According to Adeoye, the invasion of forests by the terrorists has drastically led to food shortage and high cost in the region resulting into starvation.
“The South West States face threats from food insecurity due to the attacks launched consistently by nomadic terrorists. Starvation is not on our doorstep.
“The armed groups not only attack our farmlands, they burn down forests, pollute the air, water, our sacred stream, our spiritual temples, our worship places and ancient sacred groves.
“Stable food and cash crops production has declined. The burning down of our rich forest resources deplete the fertility of our soil, pollute the air and destroy the ozone layer.
“It assaults the spirit of our forefathers. For the past 15 years, agriculture and food production have suffered tremendous downturn. There is no way our people will continue to watch the continuous destruction of our being and essence.
“Our farmers can no longer go to farms. Our women are so scared of going to the stream for fear of rape. We understand some women have been kidnapped and taken to the Sahel, to be forcefully married or killed.
“We may never see them again. Fishermen and women are scared away from the ocean shores. Our dignity is trampled. Our honour is taken away, our ego bruised. Our pride, our past, our present and our future are held in the palms of violent extremists who appear to be insistent on taking over our indigenous homeland by force of arms.
“The last time we saw this was in 1800s when the same people invaded our land and took away young people and women, one of who was Bishop Ajayi Crowther, kidnapped from Oshogun.
Today, the security situation call people naturally to resistance. The cup of the oppressors is filled up.
“The message from our people is: We can no longer breathe. Our people are dying. In our towns, villages, hamlets and cities, our people are frustrated. They need hope in the place of despair. They need to expunge terrorists from their homeland.
“They have waited for too long. Efforts have been made by the state and Federal Governments, but those efforts are far from being enough. With armed men in our forests, foreign investors are scared away, our people in Diaspora fear to plunge to death by bringing their investments to the South West.”
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