The Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) has urged the six Governors of the South-West to treat as a security emergency, the building of camps inside Yoruba forests by insurgents and terrorists fleeing from the North. The group has, also, offered to help Security Agencies tackle the danger.
“These foreign Fulani terrorists have always said that after conquering the North, the South will be next. Now it is happening,” OPC President, Otunba Wasiu Afolabi (alias Askari), said in a statement released on Sunday in Lagos. The statement said:
“OPC is ready to let these evil dreamers know that Yorubaland can never be conquered or occupied by foreign invaders. Let the six governors of Lagos, Ogun, Osun, Oyo, Ondo and Ekiti states invite us to deal with this menace today before it is too late.
“We have the men and capacity to confront these foreign invaders physically, militantly, technologically and spiritually. All we are demanding from South-West governors is the necessary invitation, equipment and support to do what needs to be done to wipe out this menace of foreign criminals.”
Afolabi spoke in reaction to the alarm recently raised by Oyo State’s Governor Seyi Makinde that bandits and terrorists escaping from Military bombardment in the North were finding their way to the South-West and were building camps in the forests there.
Additionally, the Yoruba socio-cultural group called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to collaborate with the governors of Lagos, Ogun, Osun, Oyo, Ondo and Ekiti states to ensure that the threat of Boko Haram and other similar insurgents was quickly neutralised in the South-West before it became too late.
Afolabi advised Yoruba governors to urgently invite all capable organisations, invididuals and security veterans, mobilise all resources, and task them with the responsibility of collaborating with security forces to stamp out the menace posed by the non-state actors that had made life a hell for Northerners and were now importing greater insecurity into the South.
The OPC President said: “Enough is enough of paying lip service to the issue of tackling insecurity. Peace is the most important thing in any society. Without security and peace, no society can make progress. With the alarm sounded by His Excellency, Governor Seyi Makinde, all hands must be on deck to wipe out this existential threat to our collective welfare and send these evil people to hell or wherever they came from.
“The Federal Government led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu must not play politics with this matter. Tinubu must lead from the front and mobilise the Armed Forces to align with Amotekun, OPC, vigilantes, hunters, Agbekoya and Sunday Igboho’s team to face this dangerous threat to our collective peace and existence.
“Tinubu must realise that destiny has placed him in this position to correct the great disservice done this nation by President Muhammadu Buhari, who opened our borders to foreign Fulani militants and herdsmen because they are his kinsmen.
“Let it be clear that although Yoruba people have nothing against the Nigerian Fulani, with whom we have enjoyed centuries of a cordial relationship, we will not concede an inch of our land to foreign elements masquerading as herdsmen whose pastime is to kidnap, rape, plunder and kill our people. OPC and the Yoruba race will never ever allow such a wicked agenda.
“For starters, the governors must insist that all herdsmen and foreigners should move out of the forests, games reserves, forest reserves and farm settlements in line with the 2021 order issued by the Late Governor of Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu SAN. After that directive has been reissued, any group found camping in the forests will be regarded as terrorists and summarily dealt with accordingly. A word is enough for the wise.
“Right now, these invaders have constituted themselves into a danger to everyone, including their Nigerian Fulani kinsmen, whom they have been kidnapping, raping and killing. Nigerian Fulani too have been losing cattle and other livestock to these foreign rustlers and terrorists. So everyone has become a victim.”
