New Telegraph

Afenifere, YCE caution Igboho over attacks on Ooni, others

Prominent Yoruba socio-cultural organizations, Afenifere and Yoruba Council of Elders (YCE), have berated acclaimed rights activist, Mr. Sunday Adeyemo, well known as Sunday Igboho, for attacking the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, monarchs and some prominent leaders of the South-West.

Igboho, who spoke yesterday at a virtual ‘Townhall With Yoruba In Diaspora’ monitored by New Telegraph, alleged that some Yoruba leaders are sabotaging his efforts to secure the region from the hands of Fulani herdsmen. The controversial activist said the Yoruba people are disappointed in the first-class monarch, because, according to him, he failed to convey the pains and displeasure of the Yoruba people to President Muhammadu Buhari when he (Ooni) visited him in Aso Rock recently over the herdsmen crisis in the region.

He said: “Yoruba leaders should be able to tell truths to President Buhari on security in Yoruba land. When Ooni met with Buhari over the herdsmen is sue, Ooni should have told Buhari the truth but he did not. When Ooni returned, he started tackling me to leave the remaining task to the government to finish. You can imagine that kind of talk? “Alaafin of Oyo has asked me to meet him over the matter.

Alaafin should have been the one invited to meet Buhari, but since Ooni was invited, he should be bold to tell the President the whole truth and make the demands of the Yoruba people known to the President. “Ooni disappointed himself.

Some politicians are behind Ooni’s latest move. He invited me to his palace, but I refused to go. I would have gone if he had represented us well, but he did not. I won’t honour any monarch who does not cooperate with me.” Also in his speech at the teleconference which had over 1,000 participants from Nigeria and the Diaspora, the Yoruba activist said Oba Ogunwusi, former Lagos State Governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu; Oyo State governor, Seyi Makinde; and Oluwo of Iwo, Abdulrasheed Akambi, are slaves of the Fulani.

But cautioning Igboho while speaking with New Telegraph, Afenifere said the traditional institution in Yoruba land should and must be accorded due respect. According to the organisation’s spokesman, Mr. Yinka Odumakin, “We must learn to handle our traditional rulers with respect because they embodied our traditional culture.

“Even when you have issues with them, there is a way of relating that. Traditional institutions should be regarded and accorded due respect. We are Yoruba and our culture doesn’t allow engagement in a personal fight with our Obas. If there are things that are not right, there are ways we point it out to them.”

Similarly, Secretary- General of YCE, Dr. Kunle Olajide, said he was unhappy with the remarks made by Igboho against the monarch and some other prominent leaders of the region, stating that all stakeholders should be discreet in handling security situation in South-West.

He said: “I read comments made by Igboho against some of our leaders in the South-West and I am really unhappy. Yes, I admire his boldness in standing up for the people, but we mustn’t wash our dirty linens in public.” While expressing displeasure at what he described as deafening silence from the National Assembly representatives from the South-West, he said he is not comfortable with the romance some leaders in the region are having with ‘Abuja Lords’.

“I urge Igboho to be strategic in his activities and utterances. In the future, if he has something to do with monarchs and governors, he should seek private consultations. I will advise our monarchs and leaders to be discreet in their actions and lean more to the people.” Recall that Igboho had issued a seven-day quit notice to herdsmen alleged to be engaging in sundry crimes in the Ibarapa area of Oyo State.

Upon the expiration of the ultimatum, he led some youths to the house of the Seriki Fulani in the area, where properties worth millions were destroyed. Few days after the Ibarapa incident, Oba Ogunwusi, after meeting President Buhari last Wednesday, however, urged Igboho not to take laws into his hands, stating that Igboho should allow constituted governments in the South-West to handle security challenges in the region.

Speaking further at the town hall meeting, Igboho said: “Yoruba leaders should call Oluwo of Iwo to order, how can he be calling himself Emir? We just have leaders that are lazy and slaves to Fulanis.

They visit Abuja to collect money; we will attack them and destroy their properties soon. Ooni should be dealt with because I am angry.” “Also, Tinubu and other top politicians in Yoruba land are Fulani slaves. For me, I will not allow myself to be enslaved by Fulanis. They should leave our land. Makinde has also joined the slave train because of second term ambition,” he said.

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