•Gunmen
Socio-cultural organisation, the Yoruba Assembly, has condemned the killings of Yoruba speaking people by non-state actors in Kwara and Kogi states, saying the South-West could be under threat if urgent action is not taken.
The group, which urged governors in South-West states and monarchs in the Yoruba speaking areas to collaborate in tackling insecurity, also said it was time for state police, reports Sunday Vanguard.
Speaking at the organisation’s summit themed: ‘Democracy and the Future of Our People,’ held in Lagos, Chairman of Yoruba Assembly, Wale Oshun, called for the rework of the 1999 Constitution, saying there was a need for a federal and regional constitution where the federating units would be autonomous.
According to him, such a system would guarantee prosperity and security for the federating units.
Oshun said: “The Oke-Ode implosion in Kwara State is a dire warning to each of the Yoruba states in our region. Have we not been silent witnesses to the murder of a traditional ruler, Onikoro of Ikoro is our domain? Have some communities not been overrun by these terrorists wrongfully described as herdsmen, in pursuit of a livelihood, when in reality they are a nationality alien to Nigeria in pursuit of land conquest, occupation and political dominion?
“The question to ask then: what are the governors and governments of the Yoruba states doing together? Does any of them think or is any in a position to contemplate that he is acting by himself can protect his people? Even when the mighty force of the Federal government and its military sometimes wary under the onslaught of these terrorists.
“I doubt if the governors’ many internal and external travels would allow them to concentrate on tackling the issue of insecurity under their noses. The governors working together across the country should make the issue of subnational policing become a reality, and degrade the cartel that had turned the national police into more or less an occupational police.
“Equally important in resolving the issue of insecurity in Yorubaland and in providing solutions to many developmental problems that face our people is the role of our traditional fathers or Obas. The Obas know themselves, and they must unite their acts if truly they are the custodians of our spirit and heritage.”
Also speaking, Mr Adewale Adeoye said: “There have been reports that terrorist groups are planning to attack Ondo, Kogi and Ekiti states. We have seen that government does not have the power to face them because of internal saboteurs, but what this means is that we have to rise up and protect our land.
“We cannot continue to watch the killings in Yoruba speaking areas like Kogi and Kwara states. We need to rise up on our feet to protect our fatherland. We must ensure that terrorism has no stronghold anywhere in Yorubaland.”
Meanwhile, another participant, Mr Rasaq Olokoba said: “This is a time for us to reflect. What the Yoruba are experiencing needs to be looked into. The kings in Yorubaland need to unite to secure their territory. Also, I would like to say that the current system of government does not guarantee prosperity, it should be changed.”
