Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) generalissimo, Gani Adams, Yoruba Council of Elders (YCE), and Soludero Hunters’ Association have issued a stern warning to Boko Haram and ISWAP sleeper cells to depart from the Southwest region or face immediate death.
The warning comes following recent discoveries that over 30,000 northerners are hibernating around the Ilesha and Ile Ife forests, raising fears of impending insurgency in the Southwest.
Speaking to reporters recently, Adams noted an uneasy calm in the region following the infiltration of the Southwest by suspected fleeing Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) and Boko Haram terrorists from the Northwest and Northeast.
The Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland maintained that Boko Haram and ISWAP fighters are hiding in the Southwest and accused miners of providing cover for the terrorists.
Adams revealed that numerous letters have been written to SouthWest governors urging collaboration, but these appeals have fallen on deaf ears. The Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland said: “We are worried about the influx of Boko Haram fighters into the South-West. We have discussed this at the Aare-in-Council meeting, OPC meetings, and the SouthWest Security Stakeholders’ group.
“The influx of northerners into Ilesha and Ile Ife is because of the mining activities going on there.
“We have seen camps of over 30,000 northerners around the Ilesha and Ile Ife forests. They have created villages there, but no Yoruba people are living there. Unfortunately, most of the communities in Ilesha have been overrun by these mining activities.”
To prevent a rise in insecurity, the respective state commands of the police, Amotekun, and local hunters are battle-ready to confront any threat.
He said, “We have the structure, the assets, and some of the best brains who can be helpful to the SouthWest. As far as I am concerned, the ball is in the governors’ court to do the needful.”
Speaking on the infiltration of the region by fleeing terrorists, the chairman of Amotekun in the SouthWest, Chief Adetunji Adeleye, hinted at the planned joint security patrol of forests in the SouthWest to flush out bandits who have invaded the region.
“We are determined to stop the influx and drive away those who have sneaked into the region. The region is not a home for criminals. We have put in place another strategy that I won’t disclose for security reasons. What’s certain is that we are on top of the situation and ready to protect our people against these criminals,” he said.
In its reaction, the Yoruba Council of Elders (YCE) urged the SouthWest governors to flush out the bandits. YCE, in a statement by its Secretary-General, Chief Oladipo Oyewole, said: “The infiltration of bandits into the forests of North-West to Osun and Oyo states is of great concern to all.
For anyone who knows the geography of those areas, it is porous and accessible. Those descriptions alone must be seen as a source of worry for Yorubaland.”
