National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Jare Ajayi, the group said Igboho was not targeting any ethnic group but individuals and groups involved in criminal activities and acts of terror in Yorubaland
Pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, has defended Yoruba Nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, over criticisms and threats from northern groups following his recent actions against kidnappers in parts of Oyo State.
In a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Jare Ajayi, the group said Igboho was not targeting any ethnic group but individuals and groups involved in criminal activities and acts of terror in Yorubaland.
The statement followed Igboho’s visit to his hometown, Igboho, after the abduction of a pregnant woman and two others along the Igboho-Igbeti-Kisi axis of Oke-Ogun in Oyo State.
During the visit, Igboho issued a two-hour ultimatum to the kidnappers to release their victims or face consequences.
He also warned Fulani individuals involved in kidnapping and other criminal activities to desist, while vowing to deal with any local resident found aiding such crimes.
At the same time, he assured law-abiding non-indigenes living peacefully in the area that they had nothing to fear.
His actions, however, drew criticism from several northern groups, including the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Northern Elders Forum (NEF), Coalition of Northern Groups and Concerned Fulani People of Nigeria, which called on President Bola Tinubu and Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde to caution him.
Responding to the criticism, Afenifere said there was nothing wrong with Igboho’s efforts to protect his people from insecurity.
“Since he was not violent in his action nor conduct himself in a manner that violates the laws of the land, calling on the authorities to deal with him borders on blackmail and an attempt to call a dog a bad name with a view to having it hanged,” the group said.
Afenifere noted that Yorubaland has long been a safe and welcoming place for people from northern Nigeria, many of whom have settled permanently in the region and lived peacefully with their hosts.
According to the group, tensions began when some Fulani herders allegedly started grazing on farmlands belonging to local communities, a situation later worsened by cases of kidnapping and attacks on settlements.
The organisation also alleged that illegal mining activities may be linked to insecurity in some areas, claiming that communities are sometimes displaced before mineral resources are exploited.
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