Group cautions of Rwanda-style genocide in S/West
…Demands donor discretion for war against killers and kidnappers
By Felix Oboagwina
A Yoruba self-determination group has warned indigenes of the South-West to avoid violent ethnic clashes between them and their Fulani guests, saying, it had unearthed plans by renegade politicians to drive the region into Rwanda-style genocide.
In addition, the Apappo O’odua Koya (AOKOYA) cautioned those raising money for Yoruba causes to learn to donate with much discretion.
Against the backdrop of a GoFundMe account opened by some Nigerians in the Diaspora to support the campaign of famous Yoruba activist, Chief Sunday Igboho’s campaign to hound Fulani killer herdsmen and kidnappers out of the South-West, AOKOYA called for donor discretion.
AOKOYA commended Chief Sunday Adeyemo (Igboho) for his courage, adding that, he had created more awareness about the travails of the Yoruba people.
In its release at the weekend, the group said, “While we work for the O’odua Nation, we must not fall into the antics of the desperate and callous enemies who want to blackmail the movement for Yoruba sovereignty.
Our attitude should see less mob action, but superior strategy that will take back lost grounds and leave the Yoruba territories whole, without massive destruction, carnage and genocide being plotted and instigated by the daunting, and vicious enemy.”
The statement was signed by Colonel Abimbola Sowunmi (rtd) and Mr. Ahmed Akorede.
AOKOYA raised an alarm about enemies of the Yoruba race making desperate plans to provoke ethnic violence in the South-West and in Nigeria, as a ploy to “shift attention from the real issue of Yoruba search for sovereignty.”
AOKOYA said its intelligence report indicated that the sponsors were some politicians in collusion with some rich but irresponsible people.
In the words of AOKOYA: “Their agents will lead the mayhem as they did during the #ENDSARs. This will draw the attention of the international community.
The violence will strengthen the rogue state to brutally attack self-determination activists and weaken our campaign in the face of local and international audiences.
Due to the ignorance of the people, many will sympathise with the regime when, in actual fact, it is the instigator.”
It urged Yoruba to remember how genocide in Rwanda overshadowed the genuine demand for the resolution of that country’s national question.
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It said the campaign for self-determination must be prosecuted with a lot of tact, superior strategy and planning that would prevent the plan from falling into “the plot of the triangle of evil represented by the Nigerian State.”
Reminding the people that the government controlled the institutions of violence, AOKOYA said pro-Federal renegades would derive delight to see Yoruba attack Fulani hamlets, have their houses burnt and their children killed to justify supporting and funding a counter-genocide in Yoruba land.
AOKOYA submitted: “This is a designed, wicked trap we must avoid. While they have unleashed such terror on Yoruba through kidnapping and savage murder, our aspirations are not the same with theirs.
They feed on violence and chaos, while we want an orderly Yoruba Nation based on justice and dignity of mankind.”
It advised more collaboration between Yoruba and other regions.
The group counselled: “We have to sharpen our alliances with the Middle-Belt, the Northern Minorities, the South-South and the South-East. We must ask terrorists and their agents to leave Yorubaland.
If they refuse, we must chase them with maximum force, but well planned and organised to avoid genocide and cheap blackmail, a script they already have and into which they are already dragging some organisations in Yorubaland (through) their tactless responses.”
