The Alaafin of Oyo, His Imperial Majesty, Oba Engineer Abimbola Akeem Owoade 1, has called on Nigerians to stand together against blood guzzlers and enemies of state, nature, and sound reasoning, who take solace in mindless killings of innocent souls.
This, he said would reinforce collective will, to completely snatch the country and destiny from the jaws of insanity and barbarism, just as socio-cultural orientations that uphold the sanctity of life and the intrinsic dignity in the human person must never be surrendered to the ungodly.
Oba Owoade gave the admonition on the heels of recent killings of some people who were Yoruba’ extraction by those suspected as Fulani herdsmen at Oke Ode area in Kwara State.
Disturbed about this ugly development, and putting into consideration the fact that Yorubas and Fulanis had for decades been living harmoniously without let or hindrance, Alaafin had contacted the Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRasaq, on the incident and how best he could come in, to nip in the bud the criminal onslaught of the bandits.
The Governor in his response lauded the Alaafin for his concerned , visionary style of administration and as the Titan of Yorubaland , assured the Paramount Ruler that a battalion of soldiers had been deployed to the scene of the gory incident .
The Alaafin who lamented about the mindless killings masterminded by suspected Fulani herdsmen wondered why the herdsmen became threats to peace and security, adding they had for long been in existence without serious criminal records as is presently the case.
Oba Owoade enjoined the Federal Government to ensure that all those found culpable in the mindless killings in Kwara State are brought to justice and to serve as a credible deterrence.
According to the Alaafin, ‘’there can be no national development without relative peace and stability. There have been greater challenges of security in recent times than at any point in time in our history, thus rendering our political stability fragile, democratic institutions and processes fluid,
“” Government, political leaders and followers, and all of us, must have the courage and honesty to get to the root causes of our current state of insecurity, underpinned by criminality, insurgency and of recent terrorism by herdsmen’’.
He went further, “’Our leaders and followers should not take the issue of security for granted, but to ensure urgent and immediate steps are taken to consciously respond to current threats by architectonic designing and building a security system which would create a stable and relatively peaceful environment, conducive for national development. We must accept the reality that while it is necessary to create unity in diversity, we must identify and respect our differences, which is diversity in unity””.
While eulogizing security agencies for their steadfastness and commitment to duties, Alaafin who warned against acts that are detrimental to peace, orderliness and unity of the country, assured all ethnic groups living in the metropolis of adequate protection of lives and properties.
‘’Before now, Oyo Empire under the reign of Alaafin not only remained the first to provide cattle ranches for Fulani herdsmen in Yoruba land, another ten acres of land were made available for convenience of the herdsmen free of charge, in order to ensure harmonious relationship and peaceful co-existence among all ethnic groups residing in the metropolis’’.
Oba Owoade added, ‘’whenever there are skirmishes between farmers and the hersmen, the Royal Father would adopt his age-long conflict resolution mechanisms, which provides opportunity to interact with the parties concerned, promotes consensus-building, social bridge reconstructions and enactment of order in the Empire””.
Signed
Bode Durojaiye, Director of Media and Publicity to the Alaafin, Paramount Ruler of Oyo Kingdom and the Superior Head of Yorubaland
