By Ritimi Adebayo
When Yoruba elders say, “Ogbon ju agbara lo”, what they mean is that no matter how strong or invincible one may be, one should always apply wisdom in all that one does in order not to run afoul of the law.
Whether under a military regime or democratic setting, embarking on a secessionist agenda without first making sure that one consults widely among all the critical segments of one’s ethnic nationality that one is campaigning secession for, would be a most foolish project, and a suicide mission.
While it was highly commendable of Sunday Igboho to have done what he did at Ibarapa and Igangan part of Oyo State, to fight for, and defend his people, who were being killed, kidnapped and their wives and daughters being raped by marauding, bloodsucking and criminally-minded Fulani herders earlier in the year, he however failed woefully in applying wisdom in the way and manner he and Professor Banji Akintoye have been parading themselves across Yorubalañd, championing the campaign for the excision of Yorubas out of Nigeria by force and with automatic alacrity.
Rather than he and Professor Banji Akintoye seeking the buying in of critical sectors in Yorubaland like elected Governors, federal and State legislators leading traditional ruler, topmost politics leaders, the intelligentsia and religious leaders, all that they have resorted to doing is that they both have been behaving as if they own the souls and minds of all Yorubas, home and abroad, in their secessionist agenda.
On several occasions, in the very recent past, it is on record that Sunday Igboho, (who is well known to have worked for the PDP in Oyo State and some of the party’s Presidential flag bearers in the past), has personally and publicly rained scary curses on notable political leader like Asiwaju Bola Ahmed, the Ooni of Ife, the Alake of Egbaland, and the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, Pastor E. A. Adeboye, threatening openly, (in recorded videos), to kill any notable leader in Yorubalañd, who fails to support his campaign to single-handedly move Yoruba nation out of Nigeria.
On several occasions, Igboho is also known to have been threatening that there would be no election come Year 2023.
Only about two months ago, it was widely reported that this same Sunday Igboho stormed the closed Idi Iroko Border Post in Ogun State with his armed men to forcibly declare that he was declaring the shut border post open.
On that occasion, one or two Customs or Immigration Officers were said to have lost their lives.
If that is not lawlessness and brigandage, what then should such acts be called really?
Now with the latest raid on his Ibadan home, which the D.S.S. has confirmed was carried out by its men, this is something that would have been avoided had Sunday Igboho been more tactical with the reckless and highly uncoordinated manner in which he was pursuing his secessionist agenda.
It is however expected that the D.S.S. would allow him to defend himself since we are in a democracy.
ADDENDUM:
As an unapologetic supporter of the Buhari administration, I wish to assert here that had all past Federal Governments in Nigeria addressed the age-long Fulani herders’ incursion into farmland from the North and neighbouring West African countries into the Southern part of Nigeria, there would never have been any need for a Sunday Igboho emerging to fill a void by defending his people.
This is why the 9th National Assembly must urgently, and without further delay, hasten their work on the amendment of the 1999 constitution to accommodate State and Community Policing.
Urgent efforts must also me made by all the 19 Northern State Governors to urgently set up Cattle Ranches. to take in all Fulani herders, who are currently engaging in Open Grazing of their herds in the North.
The excellent example already being taken by highly cerebral governors of Kano and Kaduna must be embraced by all their colleagues in the North, and whoever wishes to join them here in the South.
LAST LINE:
Now that the D.S.S. has confirmed that it was its men that carried out Thursday’s raid on Sunday Igboho’s home in Ibadan, no effort must therefore be made henceforth to keep treating bloodsucking and AK-47-rifles-weilding bandits in the Northern States of Katsina, Zamfara, Kaduna and Niger States with kids’ gloves by authorities anymore.
-Rotimi Adebayo, a top flying journalist lives in Lagos