The National coordinator of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), Otunba Gani Adams, has warned members of Boko Harm group to steer clear of Yoruba land in the interest of peace, unity and stability of the country. Speaking in an interview with Sunday Sun after the Thursday’s arrest of some terror suspects believed to be members of Boko Haram insurgency in Lagos State, Adam said his group would defend Yoruba land against any aggression with their last drop of blood.
His words, “We never thought that Boko Haram would ever think of coming to Yoruba land. We condemned what happened on Thursday out rightly and we are sending a warning signal to them that any attempt to bomb or destroy any part of Yoruba land will be met with severe resistance. Any group of person who attempts to attack Yoruba land will meet their waterloo. As an organization, we are prepared to defend Yoruba land with everything we have, including the last drop of blood in our veins. We will defend Yoruba land both physically and spiritually.”
He further expressed the willingness of the OPC to cooperate with security operatives in their efforts to ensure peace and safety of persons in the Southwest and Nigeria as a whole. “We are ready to co-operate with any security agent working to restore peace and tranquility in Yoruba land. Yoruba is not known for religious fanaticism. As a people, we believe that the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria allows for freedom of religion. Whether you are a Christian, Muslim or traditional worshiper, everybody should be free to practice what he or she believes in. We are sending a warning signal to the hierarchy of Boko Haram or Ansaru that they should not try what they are doing in the North in Yoruba land,” he added.
Adams said though none of the Southwest governors had approached him on the best possible strategy to adopt to safeguard the region, he assured that Yoruba would not be caught unaware in case of any eventuality. “I can’t count the number of calls I have received from well meaning Yoruba leaders between the incident of Thursdays and today. In my own opinion, Yoruba are prepared for any eventuality. Some of our Obas have called me; some other important personalities have also called me. Yoruba will not be caught unaware. I don’t know about the people in authority especially the governors and members of the state Houses of Assembly because I have never heard from them. No governor in Yoruba land has called me for us to sit down and map out strategies. All the same, we will contribute our own quota to ensure that Yoruba land is safe. From all indications, we are prepared for any eventuality,” he maintained.
Similarly, Senate Minority Whip, Senator Ganiyu Olanrewaju Solomon, representing Lagos West Senatorial District, also commended the security operatives for their proactive measure which led to the unraveling of the terror suspects before they could carry out their planned bombing. He said, “The security operatives need to be commended for the arrest of these terror suspects. It would have been terrible if they were able to carry out their planned bombing, but the security operatives were able to foil their planned attack.”
Urging the security agencies to be ahead of the terrorists, he added, “They (security operatives) need to ensure that they are several steps ahead of terror in Lagos. That this happened in Lagos calls for concern. There is a reason for everybody to be worried because Lagosians are not known for terrorism. Lagos is not known for terror of any kind. Lagos is a community where communal life is a way of life. People living together know one another.”
Solomon also advised residents of Lagos to be more vigilant and report any suspicious movement to the law enforcement agencies. “We need to pay more attention to our environment and live with a higher sense of vigilance. We should not take anything for granted. We need to be more vigilant and support efforts of security agencies”, he enjoined.
But a former Publicity Secretary of the Afenifere, Yinka Odumakin, cautioned against creating unnecessary panic in the polity, saying “we only need to be more vigilant and conscious of movement around our environment.”
Odumakin warned that Yoruba would not succumb to any intimidation under whatever guise. “It is clear that all is not well in the country. Yoruba have no issue with anybody. We suspect that fifth columnists who want to instigate fear in Yoruba land are the one behind this thing. But Yoruba will not be vulnerable to any attack where ever it is coming from.”
SUN
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