.these are perilous times in Yorubaland, he declares
By Our Reporter
Aare Onakakanfo of Yoruba land, Iba Gani Adams, has called for convocation of a Southwest Security Summit to address the insecurity ravaging the Southwest region, declaring that these are perilous times in Yorubaland.
Iba Adams raised this concern on Tuesday at a World Press Conference, organized by Aare Onakakanfo In Council, saying that "from Kogi to Kwara, Ekiti, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Ogun, Lagos, parts of Edo and Delta states, the ominous signs.
According to him, those he described as merchants of death had surrounded the more than 60 million inhabitants of the region and only waiting for the signal from their foreign sponsors to invade this land, kill mercilessly, and take over people's ancestral inheritance.
Speaking at the event, which took place at the Oodua House, Ikeja, Lagos and attended by members of the Council, including Amb. Gbenga Onasanya, Ambassador of Olokun Festival Foundation (OFF); Prof. Kolawole Raheem, the Parakoyi Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland; Barr. Yinka Oguntimehin, Asoju Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland and National Publicity of Oodua People's Congress (OPC), and Chief (Mrs) Esther Oyebola, Yeye Opeluwa Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, the Yoruba generalissimo declared pointedly that the blood-thirsty maniacs, who he said were in several forests in the region "don't have good intentions for the peace-loving people of our area."
Others that were present, include Chief Dauda Asikolaye, Baarejiroro Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland; Chief Kazeem Hamzat, Akinrogun Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland; Chief Olawale Mann, Akinluwa Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland and Chief (Mrs) Adegbayike Ishola, the Yeyegunwa Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland.
This was just as he quickly recalled that he had, more than a year ago, raised the alarm through a letter he wrote and sent to Governors of Southwest states to immediately partner with the Oodua People's Congress (OPC) led by him "to flush out all these undesirable elements from our forests," saying that pitiably no response came from them.
He warned that should urgent step not be taken to address what he described as this clear, present, serious, and immediate danger "staring at everybody in the face," it had the capability to change the topography, landscape, and history of peace-loving Yoruba people.
"This insecurity gradually creeps into Yorubaland, which is a monster that must be fought with all powers at our disposal.
"A first class monarch who was the Olukoro of Koro in Kwara State, Major General Segun Aremu (rtd), was shot dead in his palace. His wife was abducted.
"Another first class monarch, who was the traditional ruler of Ifon, Ondo State, Oba Israel Adeusi, was also killed by these monsters. Council chairmen, clerics, and businessmen have been abducted.
"Women have been raped. Farmers have been deprived of their possessions. Travellers are no longer sure of their safety on highways.
"This evil is gradually creeping into Yorubaland, and the hydra-headed monster is already constituting a serious security threat.
"Due to the fact that this 'cancer' was not given an urgent and decisive operation when I raised the alarm,
"It is now spreading like wild fire because the perpetrators get high financial returns with less risk through kidnapping and abduction.
"We have a situation on our hands now in which, through our intelligence gathering, these terrorists are already mobilising to leave forests and invade our towns and cities.
"It is high time we stopped this cancer that is spreading its virus across Yorubaland," Iba Adams stated.
"Aside from making money from this evil venture, these enemies of progress want to destroy the economy of Yorubaland. That is why they must be stopped now.
"We must treat this cankerworm with the urgent attention it deserves because for any development to take place in any polity, evil must not be appeased. It must be decisively dealt with and fought from all angles like the monster that it is.
"That was why I proposed the convocation of a Southwest Security Summit to be held in one of the state capitals in Yorubaland," he added.
On the parley, the Yoruba generalissimo said would involve, among others, traditional rulers, religious and opinion leaders, farmers, businessmen, herders, and security agents in the region. Unfortunately, even as he sadly noted that no serious attention had been given to this proposal by those in government.
Adams, while noting that the fundamental duty of government, anywhere in the world, remained the protection of lives and property, said information at the disposal of the group led by him revealed that these elements, most of whom were from neighbouring countries, had inflitrated the nation's forests.
"In August 2025, there was a security breach in Babanla, Kwara State, where armed criminals attacked residents, and about 20 villages were displaced. 36 persons were killed in the ugly incident.
"Also, yesterday in Kebbi State, Government College Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, Danko/Wasagu Local Government Area of the state, wherein, Hassan Makuku believed to be the vice principal was shot dead and 25 female students were abducted by the terrorists.
"The Middle Belt that has always been known as the food basket state for farmers has been turned to war theatre by the herders and bandits.
"More than 300 hundred villages have been displaced vis a vis Benue, Plateau, Niger, Nasarawa, and Taraba states.
"Consequently, all our national forests have become an abode for criminal terrorists to perpetrate their criminal acts.
"Most of the aforementioned locations have lucrative solid minerals resources where they are mining and looting the country resources to acquire sophisticated weapons to continue with their evil act. What can be more embarrassing than that?" he queried.
"This is the time for all Yoruba to be vigilant and be on the alert. This should be done effectively through our local intelligence gathering mechanism because this monster must be fought by all," he charged.
Speaking further, the Yoruba generalissimo said it was based on the situation on ground that the Aare Onakakanfo In Council welcome the proposal by the 47th American President, Donald Trump, to flush out these terrorists killing Christians and Muslims in Nigeria.
He said he could still not understand why some people were against this military intervention to deal with these bandits, noting that it was better for American soldiers to help Nigeria if states governors were powerless or, for political reasons, refused to deal with the situation.
Iba Adams, while throwing support for planned move by Trump, said the US president had not told anybody he wanted to set up a military base in Nigeria, adding: "What he simply said was that enough killings in Nigeria, so, what is wrong with that?"
"You will remember an incident that happened in 2020 when an American was abducted and taken to one of the towns in the North.
"United States (U.S.) Marines stormed the place, killed six of the kidnappers, and rescued the American. This is exactly what we are saying, and if Nigerian security apparatus has been compromised, then Western powers should intervene to restore peace and order in the land. Enough of killings in this country," he concluded.
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