Lifestyle

Ajasin’s son, others protest insecurity in South-West, preach self-defence

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Chief Tokunbo Ajasin, one of the children of a former Governor of Ondo State, late Chief Adekunle.Ajasin, on Monday led other elderly residents and youths in a protest to demand an end to insecurity in the South-West.

The protesters, who wielded placards with various inscriptions, stormed the streets of Ibadan, the Oyo State capital to sensitise the people on the need to begin to prepare to defend themselves due to killings, kidnappings, rape and destruction of properties being witnessed in the region.

They said the recent massacre of worshippers at St Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State was not an isolated case, saying similar killings had happened in Igangan, Ibarapa North Local Government Area of Oyo State and other parts of Yorubaland.

They said Yorubaland had been surrounded by terrorists from other countries who were waiting to strike at any time warning that the people must not be caught unawares.

Ajasin, in an interview with journalists, said the Federal Government was not doing enough to protect the people.

He said, “Why will the Federal Government recruit pardoned Boko Haram members into the Army and expect them not to be sympathetic to their terror group? There are many youths with no link to terror groups or criminal records who should be recruited.

“Apart from that, flushing the criminals from the forests can be done with the aid of equipment like drones and other equipment like that. There must be seriousness on the part of all stakeholders to end terror.”

The Coordinator, Coalition of Yoruba Self-Determination Groups, Johnson Ajilore, while addressing the people, said Yorubaland had been surrounded by terrorists and criminals who were killing daily across the South-West.

He said, “We are staging this rally to sensitise the people to be vigilant. We are being killed every day but this must stop. We have to defend ourselves if the government is not ready to defend us.

“We say no to these killings. Our hospitality, civility and tolerance should not be mistaken for cowardice.

“People went to church to worship and some terrorists went there and killed them. Similar incident happened in Igangan a year before the Owo incident.  They have killed many and kidnapped many more in many towns and villages in the South-West.”

The coalition’s Secretary General, Chief Steve Abioye, while addressing residents during the protest at Oje, said Yoruba people should wake up and be ready to protect themselves from being slaughtered daily by bandits.

“Our people should wake up, they are being killed every day. Yorubaland has never been conquered and that is why we are calling on our people to defend themselves,” he said.

A 75-year-old protester, Dr Tunde  Arogunmasa, said the youth and the elders must be prepared to defend themselves and their land.

Lifestyle

2023: Victor Umeh urges South-West to support quest for Igbo presidency

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The former National Chairman of All Progressive Congress (APGA), Chief Victor Umeh, on Thursday, advocated power-sharing in the interest of the country.

Umeh, who made the call in a chat with journalists in Enugu, also stressed the need to have a President of South-East extraction in the country in 2023.

There have been calls by groups and individuals for the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to zone their presidential tickets to the South-East.

The President-General of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Prof. George Obiozor, had earlier on Thursday asked all politicians from the region to reject any vice president slot from any presidential aspirant.

He insisted that the South-East should produce President Muhammadu Buhari’s successor next year.

Umeh, however, urged South-West and its presidential aspirants to support the quest for an Igbo presidency.

He said: “We have said it clearly in the past that for Nigeria to remain together, there is a need to share power.

“And we have painstakingly looked at the issues and stand firmly together as a people that the only way Nigeria can move on will be for us to accommodate each other. We must show the sincerity of purpose and mission towards achieving unity.

“We do not have a country where anybody can do anything alone because nobody can do it alone.

“The South-East has eminently qualified people who can provide leadership that will bring prosperity to Nigeria.

“Our people are united, South-East are united in this aspiration that somebody from here should be the president next year, not by force, but for us to heal the wounds from the past.

Today, Nigeria is a country with so many nations inside it. And the only thing that is making it look like that is because people are not happy with the way things have been done in Nigeria. So if the political gladiators are sincere and they want to keep Nigeria together the best thing to do is to support the South-East to become President on the basis of equity and fairness.”

World News

Sunday Igboho issues fresh eviction notice to killer herdsmen in South-West

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Yoruba freedom fighter, Sunday Adeyemo popularly aka Sunday Igboho, has issued a fresh eviction notice to killer herdsmen in the South-West, saying he will ensure they are all smoked out of the forests very soon.

According to Vanguard, Igboho gave the fresh order during an interview with his spokesperson, Oluyomi Koiki on Wednesday.

“I want all Fulani on Yoruba land to leave. I, myself will monitor compliance to the eviction notice. I don’t issue an order without ensuring compliance. As from Monday, we don’t want to hear of any kidnapping in Yorubaland again. I will show them the stuff Yoruba people are made of.

We will tell them there is clear distinction between Yoruba and Fulani. All these weapons they are brandishing, we will collect them with ease. We will blow ‘wind’ into all the forests in Yoruba land. If we don’t prove to these people who we are now, they will be encroaching on our lands when we achieve our Yoruba nation,” he said.

Igboho warned criminal elements hibernating in the forests to leave because henceforth, there must not be any issue of kidnapping again in the zone.

”How can six million people be commanding about 250 million of other Nigerians. Marriage is not by force. We can’t live with you again. Yoruba nation is a vehicle of salvation and I want all Yoruba to board the vehicle and have their seats,” he was quoted as saying.

On the calls for the creation of Oduduwa nation, Igboho said; “How can we go back when we are almost in our destination. Those who have not joined us should do so now because there’s no election come 2023. Yoruba will go.”

He appealed to all youths not to insult elders in Yoruba land including the traditional rulers.

The activist said; “Please, don’t insult our elders again. I don’t want anyone to cast aspersions to our traditional rulers that they have collected money. No, don’t do that. Even, if they were given money, it’s part of common wealth that was stolen.

Don’t fight the police or any security agents. Let’s do our rally peacefully. Tell President Buhari, if he doesn’t understand Yoruba, tell him in English Language that we don’t want bandits in our zone again. Work has begun already and as from Monday, I will begin combing all forests in Yoruba land.”

He dared anyone who claimed to have given him money on the agitation to come forward and say it out now.

“If you know you have given me money that I should shelve Yoruba nation struggle, come out and say it now. No amount of money can stop me from going ahead with this struggle. You can’t kill me. Kill who? Throw bomb at me? If you throw bomb, I, too, will send thunder”, he added.

Entertainment

Use of drugs more prevalent in South-West –NDLEA boss, Marwa

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The Chairman, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig.-Gen Buba Marwa (retired), has disclosed that about 14.4 per cent of Nigerians between the ages of 16 and 64 are using drugs.

He said this was three times the global average, noting that zonally, the South-West part of the country had the worst prevalence in the use of illicit substances.

Marwa who spoke on Friday, during the inauguration of the Behavioural Action Care Foundation Centre in Ogbomoso, built by the Ogbomoso First Group, said there was no community in Nigeria that had not suffered from the debilitating disease of drug use, drug abuse, and addiction.

He said: “The prevalence in the South-West geo-political zone is 22.4 per cent. Oyo State in particular is 23 per cent. This is followed by the South-South with the prevalence of 16.6 per cent and the South-East 14.8 per cent.

This is followed by the North-East with 18.6 per cent, North-West 12 per cent and North-Central 10 per cent. Kano has a prevalence of 16 per cent. This rate is very high considering its population.”

Marwa called on parents and other stakeholders to demand a drug-free certificate as a requisite for marriage as well as other important programmes and commended the Ogbomoso group and traditional rulers for their support.

Meanwhile, he said the agency would continue to crack down on all sources of illicit substances in Nigeria, and asked for more collaboration in the fight against its use, noting that the war against it must be a collective effort.

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