A Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, Yoruba Unity Forum (YUF), has said enough of the recent unprovoked attacks being unleashed on Yoruba land by Niger Delta militants and other unscrupulous elements.
In a statement jointly signed by the forum’s Chairman, Rev. Emmanuel Gbonigi and Secretary General, Senator Anthony Adefuye, highlight that the peace, stability and corporate existence of Nigeria, was daily stressed by the militants’ activities.
The group added that the situation had led to threat to life and property in some parts of South-West, and therefore, condemned the “despicable criminality” by this group against innocent citizens of Igbolomu and Ishawo areas of Ikorodu in Lagos.
According to the statement, the South-West people are peaceful, accommodating and hospitable to other Nigerians, but the flexibility should not be taken for granted.
“It must be emphasised that the Niger Delta militants have taken their agitation too far by these unprovoked attacks which led to the killings of about 100 innocent residents in their ancestral homeland in Ikorodu.
“While we hold no grouse against any nationality pursing their agitations, we take very serious exceptions to nationalities exporting criminality and violence to achieve their objectives. The South-West will not tolerate nationalists to turn our land to a theater to prosecute their agitation. We shall certainly not also fold our arms and watch criminals kill our people and disrupt economic activities,” the statement read in part.
The forum called on the Federal Government to immediately deploy military personnel to these areas to protect the people, pointing out that the police alone was no longer capable of curtailing the unlawful activities of the militants and in order to forestall future attacks.