‘Your government seems helpless’ — alaafin writes Buhari over nationwide killings

The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, has written to President
Muhammadu Buhari to warn him about looming anarchy in the country
if the siege laid to Yorubaland by herdsmen and kidnappers is not
contained.

Adeyemi, who catalogued the spate of insecurity in Yorubaland by
herdsmen and their collaborators, accused Buhari of not bringing
the culprits to book.

He said the Yoruba had all it took to resort to self-help if the
security in the zone did not improve and people guaranteed safety
of lives and property.

Titled, ‘Yoruba Question in Nigeria Conundrum,’ Alaafin wrote,
“I have never been timid or failed in my total support for the
success of your administration. My confidence had always been based
on Your Excellency’s ability, fitness and competence in leading the
country to the Promised Land, where law and order will prevail,
individual liberty is guaranteed and economic wellbeing of the
citizens is assured.

“In recent time, however, I am worried about the security
situation in the country, especially in the South-West
geo-political zone, nay the entire Yoruba-speaking area of the
country, including Kwara, Kogi and Edo states.

“This has to do with the menace of Fulani herdsmen that have
laid siege to almost all the highways of Yorubaland. Whether in
Owo, Akure, Ilesa/Ife-Ibadan road or Ibarapa zone and the Ijebu
area of Ogun State, the story is the same.

“I have held a series of consultations with opinion moulders and
eminent Yoruba leaders about the menace of these cattle herdsmen
with assault such as raping of our women and on some occasions, in
the presence of their husbands. That is apart from massive
destruction of our agricultural land, which ultimately points to
imminent starvation.

“On top of it all is the menace of professional kidnappers
usually in military uniforms. What is more worrisome about the
kidnapping notoriety is the impunity with which these kidnappers go
about their nefarious activities.”

Alaafin said people were worried by the audacity of the lawless
people in effecting their illegal acts in broad daylight on bushy
highways without any arm of security being able to do anything.

He said, “We cannot even talk of parading suspects because no
major arrests have been made in this part of the country. Without
arrests, we cannot talk of their facing the law. In the face of the
apparent helplessness of our security agencies, where do we go from
here?”

The monarch said in the face of the helplessness of the security
agencies, the people were finding it unavoidable to resort to
alternative measures to safeguard their lives and property.

“Suffice to say that in most part of Yorubaland, their
pre-colonial military structures have not been totally collapsed.
Hence, such structures like Odua People’s Congress, Agbekoya and
other vigilante groups still exist,” he added.

The monarch as the “Alaafin of Oyo, the King and Head of all
Yoruba at home and in the diaspora and the Chief Custodian of
Yoruba culture and values” he was compelled to tell the President
that the people of Yorubaland lived in palpable fear because of new
wave of insecurity.

He reminded the President of the crime that had been committed
by the herdsmen, urging him to rise to the occasion.

He said, “Certain individuals were kidnapped along Erio-Aromoko
Road, Ekiti State. They were tortured and exposed to danger in the
forest for over two weeks. These victims included the Secretary of
the Nigerian Bar Association, Ikole branch, Adeola Adebayo, whose
decomposing body was eventually found after a ransom price of N4m
had been paid.”

He listed other victims of the marauders to include, two
officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps, both Yoruba, who were
picked up along Ilesa-Akure highway; Musibau Adetumbi, a legal
practitioner based in Ibadan; Prof. Adegbehingbe, a surgeon at the
Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-ife; Dr Muslim Omoleke; Mr Ayo
Oladele, and Dayo Adewole, son of a member of 2015-2019 executive
council and Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, who was
kidnapped on his farm at Iroko, a village along Ibadan-Oyo
road.

He said further, “I am therefore writing to you, as a concerned
stakeholder in your administration to alert you to the need to
quickly respond to these and other issues concerning Yorubaland.
There is a general impression among opposition group that you are
not known to take decisive and proactive steps in many matters of
national interest and that you are not usually too disturbed about
the gale of insecurity in Yorubaland.

“May I also share with you the outcome or product of my wide
consultations in Yorubaland to let you know, beyond what official
security reports will make available to you, that there is a
growing feeling of frustration, disappointment and despondency
among our people, which if not immediately addressed, could lead to
other serious national catastrophes and security challenges.”