Ooni Hosts Yoruba Security Summit In Osun
Following the recent upsurge in the killings, maiming and kidnappings in South West, Nigeria, the House of Oduduwa on Thursday, held a Yoruba security summit at Ojaja Arena, Ife Grand Resort, Ile-Ife, Osun State.
The summit which was conveyed by the Arole Oduduwa & Ooni of Ife, Ooni Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, was a gathering of Traditional Rulers across Yoruba land including the Olowo of Owo, Oba Ajibade Gbadegesin Ogunoye III, Osemawe of Ondo, Oba Victor Kiladejo, the Deji of Akure, Owa Ajero of Ijero-Ekiti, Akarigbo of Remoland, Olowu of Owu, Ataoja of Osogbo and a host of other Yoruba traditional rulers.
A communique signed by the Ooni of Ile-Ife and other prominent traditional rulers in Yorubaland called for strong support for the administration of President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the larger interest of Yoruba race.
The summit resolved that Yoruba people should take full control of their forests, homelands and farmlands and that the Amotekun corps should be strengthened in terms of motivation, finances, training and retraining of personnel and equipped sufficiently.
“That the Yoruba, especially the traditional rulers should make recourse to their natural resources including natural powers to combat banditry and kidnapping; that Yoruba Obas should not jettison traditional values.
“That government at all levels should recognize the roles of traditional rulers and factor them into the national security architecture.
“That the entire Obas in Yorubaland should work in unison to ward off the evils of banditry and kidnappings as each of the states could only succeed in chasing the marauders to another state.
“That any Oba who is disinterested in Yoruba culture and custom should abdicate his throne for anyone who is deeply versed and interested in Yoruba traditions.
“That each time an attack took place, the offenders were quickly left off the hook by the powers that be and that the judicial process should be strengthened to mete out appropriate punishments to culprits or bring them to justice.
“That the Governors of South West Nigeria should organize Regional Security Summit at the earliest practicable time, including all stakeholders to chart the way forward and give teeth to all the concerns raised at this (current) summit”.
The summit observed that there have been organized systematic attacks on Traditional Rulers and eminent sons and daughters of Yoruba land by suspected herders.
The summit further noted that the herdsmen attacks have been largely responsible for food insecurity and food scarcity in the South West because of the organized attacks on farmers who, for fear of attacks, stay away from farmlands.
