…says violence must not be allowed to escalate
The President of the Yoruba Welfare Group World Wide, Comrade Abdulhakeem Adegoke Alawuje has called on Governor Seyi Makinde to prevent Oyo State, particularly the capital Ibadan from relapsing into the epicenter of violent attacks as it was in the past.
Alawuje made the call in Ibadan on Monday while commenting on the series of recent killings in the state.
The Iwo Road axis of Ibadan had been gripped by violence as boys of chairman of the Park Management System, PMS, Alhaji Lamidi Mukaila, aka Auxiliary, allegedly clashed with phone sellers on Wednesday evening, resulting in the death of an alumnus of the Lead City University, Ibadan, Mr. Rahman Azeez.
Angry youths in their hundreds stormed the Governor’s Office, Agodi Secretariat, to stage a protest, carrying the lifeless body of the victim and demanded to see Governor Seyi Makinde.
They alleged that Auxiliary was involved in the incident that led to the death of the middle-aged man.
Similarly, about 11 people were allegedly killed following a clash between some youths in some parts of Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
The were reportedly killed on Thursday in a street fight that broke out between Opopo Yeosa, Abebi and Inalende, all within Ibadan North West and Ibadan North Local government areas.
Though a resident of Opopo Yeosa said that six people were killed, another resident from Inalende told reporters that 12 people were killed, explaining that seven people from Opopo Yeosa and five people from Inalende were killed.
In another development, earlier last week, unspecified number of people were allegedly killed by hoodlums who hijacked the Egungun festival.
On the 13th of June, the National President of Soludero Hunters Association, Oba Nureni Ajijola Anabi alleged that “hoodlums” at Oja Igbo area of Ibadan have hijacked the ongoing masquerade festival killing and maiming innocent people.
Speaking to journalists on Monday, Ajijola-Anobi said: “When the Egungun festival began, these hoodlums killed one man at Oja Igbo and Ita Ege areas of Ibadan, killing many people.
“They killed a man four days ago. The man challenged them why they wanted to set his family house on fire. The deceased said he wasn’t the one with the masquerade and that it was his brother. But, they didn’t listen to him. They ended up killing him”, he said.
In a related occurrence, a popular Ibadan radio presenter, Mr Titus Badejo was murdered by unknown gunmen on a motorcycle around midnight on Saturday.
Badejo, a former presenter with Naija FM Ibadan was murdered outside Club 407 in the Oluyole area of Ibadan at about 11:30 p.m.
Popularly called ‘Ejanla”, meaning ”Big fish”, Badejo was also a freelance disc jockey with the club.
Media reports said the journalist was leaving the club with friends around 11.30pm when he was suddenly stopped by the two masked men on a motorcycle, asking all of the occupants to lie down.
He was then shot by the gunmen, who left without taking anything or touching the other occupants of the car.
Reacting to the unwholesome developments, Alawuje said killings must not be acceptable in Oyo State, the capital of the defunct Southwest region and the center of the Yoruba land, saying it’s essential for all Yoruba leaders to intervene.
He wondered why the Oyo State capital, which was very peaceful throughout the eight years of former Governor Isiaka Ajimobi now experience external and internal attacks.
Comrade Alawuje said he had watched with keen interest, the unwholesome development in Ibadan to study the reactions of those who claim to be fighting for Yoruba interest, as well as the self-acclaimed tribal warriors. He challenged them to fish out the criminals who extra-judicially take the lives of the innocent.
“It’s time to stop all these politically exposed thugs from turning our land to something else. We are still mourning the Igangan attack in Ibarapa, now the unnecessary internal crises are claiming the lives of so many innocent youths; the leaders of tomorrow. The number of Yoruba killed by Yorubas has outnumbered the number of those killed by bandits. This is completely senseless.
“We have been manipulated not to see anything wrong in the atrocities of these political thugs, as long as they belong to our political parties. Which one are we going to face. Is it the external attack by the bandits or the internal one by our political thugs”, he queried.
YWG President thereby called on the Oyo State Governor to take serious move to bring the criminals to book.
He warned that people’s lives must not be toyed with, insisting that those who were involved in the killings must be brought to justice.
Alawuje consequently called on all stakeholders in Oyo State, including elder statesmen and the National Assembly members, irrespective of the political parties to come to the rescue and ensure that justice is taken to the evil doers to forestall future occurrences.