Pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, has condemned in strong terms the worsening insecurity in Kwara and Kogi states, on account of persistent genocidal attacks by organised terrorists in Kwara and Kogi states.
The group expressed dissatisfaction with the manner the Federal Government had been handling the security situation in the country.
Afenifere gave this stand in a communique issued and signed by its Leader, Oba Oladipo Olaitan and National Publicity Secretary, Prince Justice Faloye, at the end of its meeting, which held in Osun State, and attended by delegates from Ekiti, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Osun and Oyo states.
The group, while condemning what it observed as the government’s non-proactive measures over the continued attacks and killings in Kwara and Kogi states, noted that the clues to the attacks tilted towards an agenda to occupy and enshrine their socio-economic and political ideology in the land.
This was just as it disclosed that reports indicated that the series of attacks on Oke-Ode and other parts of Kwara South that recorded casualties, remained the height of sufferings to which the people of the two states had been persistently subjected.
Afenifere pointedly declared that the Nigerian state had failed in the primary duty of the collective defence of its constituent nationalities and protection of life and property of its citizens as the fundamental essence of its existence, noting that successive governments in the country ‘have been held hostage by this minority invaders obsessed with the belief of the ownership of Nigeria of over 250 million indigenous ethnic nationalities.
‘Afenifere declares that the Nigerian state has failed in the primary duty of the collective defence of its constituent nationalities and protection of life and property of its citizens as the fundamental essence of its existence.
‘As is the case in other parts of the Middle Belt, the marauders have continued to kill and generally make life difficult for the people of Kogi and Kwara states, who can no longer move freely within their territories, and their economy is being strangulated without access to their farms.
‘The unrelenting attacks by the marauding invaders are in pursuit of an agenda orchestrated by elites to conquer and occupy territories of other Nigerian ethnic nationalities as a social, economic and political ideology which must stop,’ the communique said.
‘The overwhelming majority of Kwara State citizens are indigenous Yoruba who speak the language. The people of Kwara South, particularly, have been subjected to permanent attacks, making them desert their homes. The communities include: Ologomo, Ajegunle, Agban, Owode, Alasoro, Alawan, Bankole, Oreke, Ganmu, Babanla, Ayetoro, Budo, Arifowomo, Apata Olosun, Oreke Isale, Sagbe, Olohun Tele, Oke Ode, and Ilu Agunjin.
‘The Yoruba-speaking Kogi West Senatorial District has witnessed no respite in the hands of these terrorists in most parts, which include: Eruku, Okoloke, Okunran, Egbe, Oke-ere, Odo-eri, Ejiba -Idofin, Ife-Olukotun, Itakete-Ide, Isanlu, Otafun, Igbo-ele, Itakete-Ide, Akutupa, Ofere, Odo-Ape, Obajana, Abugi, Ilafin-Isanlu, Ife-Olukotun, Ponyan, Igbo-ele, among others.’
Speaking further, Afenifere condemned in all ramifications what it termed these festivals of killings of Nigerians by organised terrorists, urging the Federal Government to consider it as the greatest assault on the continued corporate existence of the Nigerian state.
The pan-Yoruba group, while making the call, said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu cannot continue to prevaricate or be apologetic on the issue of State Police which implementation was being delayed by pretences of national consensus.
The group affirmed that ‘multilateral security architecture is sine qua non in a federation, particularly of entrenched and diverse nationalities like Nigeria, urging that the president should ‘consider that security is at such a state of emergency that urgent steps be taken to introduce state and community policing NOW.’
Besides, Afenifere equally called on every ethnic nationality to rise to the defence of its people by procuring adequate apparatuses for the protection of its members and against invasion of its territory, including a resort to its traditional means of territorial defence.
‘Afenifere called on every ethnic nationality to rise to the defence of its people by procuring apparatuses adequate for the protection of its members and against invasion of its territory, including a resort to its traditional means of territorial defence,’ it urged.
The pan-Yoruba group, however, commended the governments of the South West states on the Amotekun Security Network and urged the governors to take all measures, including procurement of adequate weapons in the defence of the people and not allowing the Yoruba land submit itself for annihilation on the altar of one Nigeria.
On the issue of corruption in public governance, Afenifere observed increasing allegations and published evidence of corruption in government, even to the embarrassment of Nigeria internationally, calling on President Tinubu, ‘on whose table the buck stops,’ to commence a fair and transparent investigation of those allegations to clear the government of allegations and redeem the image of the country.