The Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yoruba land, Iba Gani Adams, has requested permission from the governors in the South-West to pursue the perpetrators responsible for the deaths of three Yoruba monarchs.
In an open letter addressed to Governor Abiodun Oyebanji of Ekiti State on Tuesday, Adams stated his readiness to confront what he referred to as the adversaries of Yoruba land. He emphasized, however, that he requires authorization from the governors to proceed.
It is worth noting that suspected kidnappers recently claimed the lives of two Ekiti monarchs – the Onimojo of Imojo, Oba Olatunde Olusola, and the Elesun of Esun Ekiti, Oba Babatunde Ogunsakin. Meanwhile, the Alara of Ara Ekiti, Oba Adebayo Fatoba, narrowly escaped a similar fate.
A few days later, assailants invaded the palace of the Olukoro of Koro in Kwara State, Oba Olusegun Aremu-Cole, fatally shooting him during the night.
In his message, Adams raised the alarm that the Yoruba race was in danger, saying “the more than 60 million Yorubas living in the South-West, South-South, and North-Central of Nigeria are troubled.”
He mentioned the tragic incident involving the Olufon of Ifon, Oba Israel Adeusi, in Ondo State, who was murdered by suspected herdsmen in 2020 shortly after departing from the office of the late Governor Rotimi Akeredolu.
Adams emphasized that in the history of the Yoruba people, there had never been an occurrence where three monarchs were killed within a span of four days.
“When I was installed as the 15th Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yoruba land by the (late) Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, on January 13, 2018, I vowed, before the distinguished audience, that I would do everything to project the image and protect the name of Yoruba land.
“Sadly, my zeal to protect Yoruba land, and the will of millions of Yoruba to defend their fatherland, are being tested with the invasion of some parts of our land by these killers.”
Adams said he had received several calls since the killing of the monarchs.
“I told them that as the Aare Ona Kakanfo, I have the capacity and the network to deal with enemies of Yoruba land. But, I reminded them that even in the days of yore, the Aare Ona Kakanfo must get permission from the Alaafin of Oyo before embarking on any conquest.
“Now, we are in the 21st century, elected governors are the Chief Security Officers of their respective states. For me to move against enemies of Yoruba in this land, I will need their permission and cooperation.
“Aside the Oodua Peoples Congress, which has solid networks in all the wards, villages, towns and cities in Yoruba land, I also control 13 other groups working with the OPC.
“We already have the troops and logistics to flush out undesirable elements in the land but I need the permission of our governors.
“Your Excellency sir, for this war to be fought effectively, coordination is central. And as the Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yoruba land, 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 the South-West.
“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 Yoruba land. 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 Yoruba land. We must act now before the situation becomes unbearable.”