The Aare Onakakanfo of Yoruba land, Iba Gani Adams, on Tuesday said the killing of two Ekiti monarchs by gunmen who accosted them while returning from a security meeting in the state is highly condemnable and a shocking news to the entire Yoruba race.
The Yoruba generalissimo said this while speaking with our correspondents on telephone, noting that such a horrendous occurrence where two Yoruba Obas were killed on the same spot had never been witnessed in the history of Yoruba race.
According to Iba Adams, if such had ever occurred, it probably would be during “the time of Empire, maybe when there was a war in Yoruba land.”
“It’s highly condemnable. It’s shocking news to the entire Yoruba race. We have never witnessed such in the history of Yoruba that two Obas were killed on the spot. If that happened, it would be during the time of Empire, maybe when there was a war in Yoruba land.
“Two Obas killed on same spot? Such had never happened for the past 200 years. It is a very bad signal to the Yoruba race,” he said.
Adams lamented the handling of security issues in the South-West, recalling a series of efforts he had made since he came into office as the Aare Onakakanfo of Yoruba land to address the situation but to no avail, declaring pointedly that the South West region had now been highly infiltrated.
He, however, expressed his readiness to work with governors in the region on the issue of security, assuring that “if the governments of South-West want me to work with them, I promise that within six months, the issue of insecurity would come down drastically, quote me.”
This was just as the Yoruba generalissimo called on the South-West governments and the Federal Government to flush out some criminals in Ogere Trailer Park, saying that they should do this because a lot of criminals had infiltrated the place and were the ones causing the havoc on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
“We have made all attempts to collaborate with the government, but they refused. There was a time we wrote letters to some police commissioners and the DSS on the efforts to partner on the issue of insecurity on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, they refused.
“And not all the governors of South-West take the issue of Amotekun serious. I just say that out of five states, it’s only just two, and even two are not enough to end the issue of insecurity in Yoruba land because I realized that we have been highly infiltrated.
“We have been highly infiltrated and the governments of the South West need to collaborate with non-governmental organizations on security issues.
“When I became Aare in 2018, I tried to make sure I mobilize 13 different security relevant groups which we call South-West Security Stakeholders Group and we held conferences in about four places, but all efforts are on to collaborate with the governors because I won’t say that we should collaborate with the police again.
“If we have good understanding with the governors, the governors can liaise us with the appropriate agencies to work with.
“Some people would be saying what is Aare doing on issue of insecurity? They won’t know that the governors are the Chief Security Officers of their states. The governors must encourage you. If you take the decision on your own without the clearance of the government, you would put yourself into trouble.
“And if the governments of South West want me to work with them, I promise that within six months, the issue of insecurity would come down drastically, quote me.
“The killing of the Obas is highly condemnable and it shows that the South West has been highly infiltrated.
“And I am appealing to the state governors in the South West and the Federal Government to flush out some criminals in Ogere Trailer Park. We understand that the people residing in Ogere are not only trailer drivers, a lot of criminals have infiltrated the place and are the ones causing the havoc on Lagos – Ibadan Expressway,” Iba Adams stated.
