By Ayodele Oni
We have a strong evidence linking most Okada Riders and Beggars in Lagos and other States in the South, to the funding of Terrorism. It is run by a cartel. They have active and silent cells. They return money to their leaders here who remit same to destination.” – Group
As the spate of insecurity continues to rise in the country, various socio-ethnic groups have stepped up efforts to secure their areas.
In the South-west region, Political leaders have been tasked to step up efforts especially in arresting the menace of Okada riders and beggars that massively throng the region.
The advice, coming from one of the socio-political groups, is to protect the region and to avoid chaos, mob killing and an imminent unholy ethnic crisis.
The Yoruba self determination group, Apapo Oodua Koya, (AOKOYA) which raised the alarm, pointed out that terrorism, mainly Islamic State for West Africa Province, (ISWAP), Boko Haram and terrorist groups and terrorists’ funds, are linked to a strong cartel which sources of revenue are from Okada riders and a chain of Beggars’ Colonies.
According to the group, this is usually being coordinated by a cell leader who remit funds to the terrorist gangs.
Last week, the Lagos State Government gave an order restricting the operations of commercial motorcyclists, popularly known as Okada to certain areas of the City.
The order has generated mixed reactions especially among the Hausa-Fulani residents in Lagos State, with their leaders calling for restraint on the part of Government.
The group, in a statement signed by Captain Oladapo Bashir (rtd), Head of homeland intelligence, said the South-west is the most lucrative for the terrorist funding mechanism.
AOKOYA said the terrorist groups operating in the South-west have both sleeping and active cells with strong links to Al Shabaa in East Africa and ISIS
AOKOYA listed the terrorist group operating in Western Nigeria as Boko Haram, ISWAP, armed Fulani herdsmen and An Saru.
The Group said with a combination of discrete communication tracking, research, intelligence- gathering, interrogation with victims of kidnapping, planting of moles within the enemy and outright interference of signals, AOKOYA established, beyond reasonable doubt, a strong link between thousands of Okada Riders and beggars in South West and terrorism financing.
“This is a strategic information that we are compelled to share with the public after many years of Intel analysis”
The Yoruba group warned authorities in the South West not to treat Okada and street beggars as an economic issue, but that the leaders understand its link with terrorism financing.
It added that terrorists are anti-civilisation and would be anxious to burn down historical legacies and treasures of the Western Region without hesitation
“Our intelligence team made up of experts have worked for more than five years on terrorism financing in the South West.
“Our findings are intriguing. Terrorists raise funds from using unsuspecting minors as beggars. Some 1000 beggars are brought to Lagos State every month for instance.
“They are coordinated by a leader usually refered to as “Mallam”. Each beggar is expected to return N200 every week under very strict injunction backed by oath taking.
“There are about 300,000 beggars in Lagos more than 70 percent of who are connected to the cartel. With about some 200, 000 about N80million is realised by the gang every month.”
AOKOYA said that its latest report is with public spirited security experts within and outside the system.
“This is at the root of the violence and the resistance against the removal of beggars and Okada riders in the South West.
“We are dealing with an organised and well disciplined group with iron cast determination to take over the South West with force of arms. Their activities is with the full support of some powerful people in Government.”
The Group further alleged that apart from raising huge sums of money from beggars and kidnapping, they also invest the illicit funds in Okada in Lagos.
“Thousands of Okada riders get their motorcycles from a terrorist cartel that operate under registered enterprises.
“Each of the Okada riders returns N500 every week. With N2000 per 20,000 Okada, the terrorist cartel makes some N40m every month.
“This is different from the billions of funds raised through covert and overt cases of kidnapping, implication being that the terrorists will continue to buy arms from abroad and from local sources to fortify themselves in preparation for their ill conceived war.
AOKOYA said the Yoruba political and business classes are unreasonable, shallow in thinking and have a false illusion that they are safe when their assets can go up in flames in just few days through terrorist attack.
The only way out is for the people to take the bull by the horns and salvage the situation.
“We see most rich people today becoming beggars and destitutes because of their foolishness and their failure to support the campaign for freedom in Yorubaland. Very soon, it will be too late for them.”
AOKOYA berated some South West Governors who it said are surrounded by “hypocrites, educated, but lacking in wisdom, who are motivated by primitive accumulation of wealth, rather than consideration for the livelihood of their people.
“In the Fulani North, the position of Chief of Staff for instance is too strategic to be given to any ordinary person, who is not conscious of the Fulani history and heritage.
“But in Yorubaland, the position of Chief of Staff is given to people who have no sense of history, people whose main motivation is to accumulate wealth and win the next election.
“While the Fulani North thinks of the future of its generations, most of the South West leaders think of elections for personal gains.
“This is partly responsible for the dangerous generation gap between the Yoruba leaders and the masses who are burning with anger and rage over the siege place on them by Fulani raiders and the helplessness of the leaders they elected but have failed to protect them.”
