Yoruba Welfare Group has called on Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde to prevent the state, particularly the capital Ibadan from relapsing into the epicenter of violent attacks as it was in the past.
The President of the Group, Comrade Abdulhakeem Adegoke Alawuje made the call in Kaduna on Tuesday in reaction to the series of recent killings in Oyo State.
Reacting to the recent unwholesome developments of unrest at Iwo-Road, Opopo Yeosa and other places which led to killings scores, including a broadcaster, Alawuje said clings must not be normalised in Oyo state, the capital of the defunct South-West region and the center of the Yoruba land, saying it is essential for all Yoruba leaders to intervene.
He expressed concern that, the Oyo State capital, which was very peaceful throughout the eight years of former Governor Isiaka Ajimobi, now experiences external and internal attacks.
According to him, “Banana is getting rotten, we say it is ripening, horses are suffering we claim they are dancing, and Yoruba land is burning, but we claim to be fighting for freedom. Oyo state used to be one of the most peaceful states in the country, but recently the reverse is the case.”
Alawuje said he had watched with keen interest, the unwholesome development in Ibadan to study the reactions of those who claim to be fighting for Yoruba interest, as well as the self-acclaimed tribal warriors.
He, therefore, challenged them to fish out the criminals who extra-judicially take the lives of the innocent. Adding that, “It is time to stop all these politically exposed thugs from turning our land to something else. We are still mourning the Igangan attack in Ibarapa, now the unnecessary internal crises are claiming the lives of so many innocent youths; the leaders of tomorrow. The numbers of Yorubas killed by the Yorubas have outnumbered the number of those killed by bandits. This is completely senseless.
“We have been manipulated not to see anything wrong in the atrocities of these political thugs, as long as they belong to our political parties. Which one are we going to face? Is it the external attack by the bandits or the internal one by our political thugs,” he queried.
YWG President thereby called on the Oyo State Governor to take a serious move to bring the criminals to book, warning that, politics must not be played with people’s lives and those who were involved in the killings must not go free.
Alawuje consequently called on all stakeholders in Oyo State, including elder statesmen and the National Assembly members, irrespective of the political parties to come to the rescue and ensure that justice is taken to the evildoers to forestall future occurrences.
The Nation
