BY Jemilat Nasiru
The Aare Onakakanfo Council led by Gani Adams has asked south-west governors to emulate Samuel Ortom, governor of Benue state, by urging residents of their states to get gun licences.
In a communique signed by its members at the end of an extraordinary meeting on the state of Yorubaland on Sunday, the council claimed it had “credible intelligence” on the infiltration of terrorists into the region, particularly in Niger state and Oke-Ogun axis of Oyo state.
The council further asked the federal government to intensify its effort in securing the country’s land borders to prevent the entry of criminals from neighbouring countries.
Ortom recently asked the federal government to allow responsible Nigerian citizens to carry sophisticated weapons like the AK-47 so they can defend themselves when attacked by bandits.
The communique read: “The Ààrẹ Ona Kakanfo-in-Council has in its possession credible intelligence, gathered from within and outside the country, which strongly indicates the infiltration of terrorists and killer Fulani herdsmen in the region.
“More worrisome, the intelligence report also reveals that suspected ISIS operatives have already positioned themselves in Niger state via Ìbàrùbáland and are now within the Òkè-ògùn corridor of Oyo state.
“Indeed, the intel also reveal that about 500 power bikes and assorted armour belonging to the terrorists have been physically sighted along the abandoned Lusada route moving towards Sokoto, from Igbó-ọrà in Ọ̀yọ́ state. The council, therefore, enjoin all southwest governors, as well as the governors of Kwara and Kogi states, to emulate the governor of Benue state, Samuel Ortom, by directing their citizens to apply for a gun licence for self-defence against the marauding terrorists and killer herdsmen.
“The council calls for an immediate halt to all ethnic and genocidal killings in Nigeria. No nation prospers on the blood of the innocent. President Muhammadu Buhari, rise to the occasion and put a stop to the senseless killings in Southern Kaduna, Benue, Plateau and Taraba states, among others. Stop this senseless bloodletting now.
“The clamour, by the Yorùbá, for an effective and adequate security architecture for the region goes beyond Àmọ̀tẹ́kùn or any form of self-help. It is all about the preservation of our heritage as a race, our way of life, our patrimony, our culture and traditions that are so precious to us and which we guard so jealously.”
Speaking on loans from China, the council berated the federal government and described the move as an “ungodly lure into neo-colonialism”.
Nigeria is indebted to China to the tune of $3.121 billion as of March 31, 2020, accounting for 11.28 percent of the total external debt stock of $27.67 billion.
The council asked the federal government to look inwards for income generation.
“Our submission to the federal government: Don’t take the Chinese loan. Don’t mortgage our future and that of generations unborn. Let us take our destiny into our hands, look inwards, and salvage our country together,” it said.
“Council reiterates that the unity of all Yorùbá people, both within and in the diaspora, is non-negotiable. Now, more than ever before, we must bury personal ambitions, close our ranks and submit totally to Yoruba unity.”
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