Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, Iba Gani Adams, has declare that he has the capacity and network to confront kidnappers terrorising the South West region.
Adams urged leaders to grant him permission to act, stressing that “the time to wage war against kidnapping is now,” and cautioning that continued silence in the face of rising insecurity is being “misconstrued as foolishness.”
Adams, in a statement titled ‘Yorubaland is troubled, darkness looms’, which was addressed to the governors and monarchs, said kidnapping and payment of ransom are creating fear in the zone.
He further challenged the leaders to use the powers at their disposal to curb the menace which he described as a monster.
The generalissimo of Yorubaland declared that insecurity in the land has reached an alarming peak, saying people can no longer go to their farms and the time to act is now.
He, however, urged the governor’s to give him six months to flush out the terrorists.
The statements reads: “Evil has entered Yorubaland. The more than 70 million Yoruba living in the South-West, parts of South-South and North-Central of Nigeria, are troubled.
“On November 26, 2020, a firstclass traditional ruler in Ondo State, the Olufon of Ifon, Oba Israel Adeusi, who just left the Governor’s Office, Akure after a security meeting with the then Governor, the late Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, (may his soul rest in peace), was shot dead by suspected Fulani herdsmen on Akure-Owo Highway.
“All hell was let loose. Imagine the insult on the Yoruba race.
“The Yoruba, home and abroad, saw this as an unprecedented sacrilege.
“Youths in Ondo State immediately threatened to take up arms but the then President Muhammadu Buhari pacified the Yoruba, saying the killers would be apprehended.
“Till today, the killers have not been apprehended.
“We thought we had seen the last of that sacrilege. But now, there is evil in the land. Even during the Kiriji War, between 1860 and 1886, I don’t think what happened a few days ago ever happened in Yorubaland.
“From Ekiti to Kwara states, three traditional rulers were shot dead by these blood-thirsty maniacs.
“The Alara of Ara who escaped in Ekiti narrated what happened and the people who perpetrated this heinous crime.
“Never in the history of Yoruba were three Obas shot dead in a spate of four days. So, obviously, evil has entered Yorubaland.
“We already have the troops and logistics to flush out undesirable elements in the land but I need the permission of our governors.
“For this war to be fought effectively, coordination is central.
“And as the Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland, I have my strategy and I am ready to give you my maximum support as the Chief Security Officer of your state.
“I can assure you that within six months, insecurity will reduce drastically across Southwest.
“This is not the time to be liaising with some groups in isolation, (majority of them are members of South West Security Stakeholders Group and they are under my leadership as the convener of the group and as the Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland) to wage this battle against the marauders.
“I write to have an urgent meeting with Your Excellency and other governors on this threat to our collective existence.
“Obviously, the agenda will centre on security in Yorubaland.
“All the governors will also decide the date, venue and time for the meeting.
“It is high time we stopped this cancer that is spreading its virus across Yorubaland. We must act now before the situation becomes unbearable.”
Vanguard