…says activist’s killing may lead to war
The Aareonakakanfo of Yorubaland, Gani Adams, on Thursday, condemned the midnight attack on the residence of Yoruba rights activist, Sunday Adeyemo, better known as Sunday Igboho, in the Soka area of Ibadan, Oyo State.
According to Adams, eight persons were killed in the attack while the house and cars were riddled with bullets.
The PUNCH had earlier reported that some of the occupants of the house were said to have been whisked away by the invaders who were claimed to have dresses in military camouflage.
In a statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Kehinde Aderemi, Adams said the attack was a ploy to silence Igboho from expressing his views on the state of the nation.
The Yoruba generalissimo, however, charged the Federal Government to investigate the circumstances surrounding the ugly incident and also bring the perpetrators to book.
The statement quoted Adams as saying, “The attack on Sunday Igboho’s house is most unfortunate. It is a reflection of the fact that our lives as Nigerians are of no value to the government. And the truth is that nobody is safe in this country.
“The recent attack was the second in six months. The first was in January when his Soka resident was razed by unknown arsonists. And up till date, nobody had been apprehended in respect of the ugly incident.
“Those agitating for Yoruba nation have been the targets of this administration and the two attempts at Igboho’s houses within six months cannot be said to be ordinary. They were ploys to cow him and frustrate him.
“We cannot continue to live in fear and trepidations. We cannot continue to live in perpetual crisis where our lives and properties are not secured.
“Igboho is being hunted because of his beliefs in the struggle for the liberation of Yoruba race and those behind these two attacks should be warned that any attack on Igboho is an attack on all of us that are in the struggle for the liberation of Yoruba race. It is sad that this government is intolerant of other people’s views.”
Adams warned that killing Igboho could lead to another bloodbath and war akin to the Boko Haram insurgency in the North-East.
“The video clip of the attack on Sunday Igboho’s house was a show of death and destruction. About eight people were allegedly killed in the attack, with wanton destruction to his property. The information at my disposal also indicates that the attack was allegedly done by the Nigerian Army in collaboration with foreign terrorists. Imagine Igboho was killed in the attack, it might lead to a raging war. Remember the case of Boko Haram leader, Muhammed Yusuff, that was killed in 2009. The death of Yusuff became Nigeria’s nemesis and Boko Haram has created the most challenging problem in Nigeria till today.
“As far as I am concerned, I don’t support anything that negates the law or anybody that disobeys the law, however, the Federal Government should be able to tolerate other people’s view, by taking into consideration, the rights of every citizen as it is in the constitution. This is what makes democracy thrives,” Adams added.
PUNCH
