Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, Gani Adams, has on Sunday, said Northerners will not be allowed to turn the South -West into a war zone.
Adams said this in a press statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Kehinde Aderemi.
He particularly warned the Arewa Consultative Forum and Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria against trying to forment trouble in the south-west.
Speaking against the backdrop of the threats by the Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, and the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, MACBAN, the Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland, Iba Adams, on Sunday, said his silence over the situation in the South-West doesn’t portray him as a coward, saying his bound by to act accordingly when the time is right.
He also described the ACF and MACBAN as jokers. Adams, in a statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Kehinde Aderemi, expressed concern about the security situation in the region, stating that threats of attack on the South-West can fuel further crisis in Ibarapa, Oyo and Ondo and will certainly affect the entire nation.
The Yoruba leader, however, stated that the situation in the two states truly justified the huge security challenges perpetrated by herders, that had on several occasions kidnapped and killed many Yoruba in their various communities, adding that Yoruba are too well aware of the looming crisis in the country. He maintained that he would not be stampeded into falling into a pre-arranged trap by the political elites.
The statement read: “The apex organisation in the North and the herders Association should watch their statements or face the wrath of the Yoruba nation. “By their inciting statements, the North is beating war drums. But we will resist any attempt by the North to turn our region to war zones and no amount of threat will stop us from securing our region from killer-herdsmen.
“From my findings, with what is playing out in the last three days, (especially in the social media) it is evident that there are some enemies and political elements, both within and outside our region, using the bravery of Sunday Igboho as a coordinated attempt to soil my name, and also put my efforts in the past 28 years in the struggle to test.
“My silence in the last three days doesn’t portray me as a coward, but by virtue of my position as the Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland, I am bounded by my conscience and conviction to act accordingly when the time is right. “And I must also consult widely before taking any action.
“What Igboho said was not even as damaging to the sanctity of the nation than the call for civil war by the ACF and the Miyetti Allah put together. “The killer-herdsmen are the major problem, but sadly the Federal Government remains silent. “There are reports that the Fulani herdsmen have, in the past five years, killed over 300 Yoruba people from different communities, while several other people have been kidnapped with abductors paying several billions as ransom.”
Adams, however, warned the North to stay away from any attempt to cause mayhem in the South-West, hence, the situation could degenerate into further chaos that might affect the entire nation. “The Fulani, in their conqueror agenda since 1818, have caused a lot of damages to the South-West. “And it is clear that the South is their target, which is why anybody going against the Fulani herdsmen automatically becomes their enemy,” Gani Adams added.
