Following last Friday clash between Yoruba and Hausa in Shasha community in Akinyele Local Government Area of Ibadan, the O'odua Peoples Congress (OPC) has called on President Muhammadu Buhari, to investigate the incident.
The tribal clash led to the death of a cobbler, Sakirudeen Adeola, while properties worth several millions
were destroyed in its wake.
The group in a statement at the Weekend, by its Publicity Secretary, Barrister
Yinka Oguntimehin, expressed concern that a minor misunderstanding between a
pregnant woman and an Hausa man later degenerated into tribal crisis leading to death and
destruction of properties in the community.
The OPC publicity scribe lamented that such crisis could have been avoided,
even as he maintained that Yoruba are a very peaceful and accommodating people.
"It is unfortunate that a short misunderstanding between two traders
eventually led to killing and destruction. Yoruba are everywhere in Nigeria,
especially, in the North, mostly in Kano and Kaduna, however, it is on record
that no Yoruba native has ever instigated any crisis in the north",
"Therefore, I am using this opportunity to call on President Muhammadu
Buhari, to investigate the circumstances surrounding the ugly incident, so as
to bring the culprits to book and also forestall further crisis", he said.
Oguntimehin also expressed dismay at the report of a Divisional Police officer
(DPO) in charge of Ile-Igbon Division, Surulere Local Government Area of
Ogbomoso in Oyo State,Adepoju Ayodeji, shooting an operative of Amotekun for arresting Fulani herdsmen
that allegedly destroyed a cassava farm.
"The police officer should be made to face the music for shooting an
Amotekun corp. No matter who was involved and the circumstances surrounding the
incident, the police boss should be professional enough to know when to pull the
trigger"
"It is a grave error of judgment for such a senior officer of the police
to shoot an Amotekun corp knowing full well that the south west security outfit
was backed by the law"
"So for a police officer to have shot such a corp is not only a disgrace
to the police hierarchy, but a sad reminder of the systemic failure of an
institution that is supposed to protect the citizens, maintain law and order,
now becoming the law breaker and a threat to the peace of the society," Oguntimehin said.
While urging traditional institutions, political players, and stakeholders in Yoruba land to take
issues of security in the southwest very serious, the OPC chieftain added also that the region cannot afford to see the
southwest becoming vulnerable to kidnappers, bandits and criminal herders as it is in the north west, east and
central.
"I think it is in our own interest to take security issues in our region
so seriously. The governors across all the states in the southwest should work
together, using Amotekun as an outfit to rid the region of all criminals, both
in the rural or urban area of the south west." he said
Oguntimehin, however, appealed to Nigeria's politicians, irrespective of their
different political affiliations not to play politics with the spate of
insecurity in the region, disclosing that the reports at his disposal indicates
that in the last two months, Nigeria's politicians have been playing politics
with the spate of insecurity in the country.
Meanwhile, the Oyo state governor, Engineer Seyi Makinde, at the weekend,
ordered the immediate and indefinite closure of Shasha market, following
reports of wanton destructions and breach of peace in the area.
The governor had also approved the imposition of curfew in Shasha between 6pm
and 7am.
