It noted that the group was formed by over 100 Yoruba Self-Determination Groups in 2019, first as Yoruba World Congress before it was rebranded as IOOW in 2020 in order to make the struggle indigenous and traditional.
News
Nigeria’s enemies behind Yoruba Nation agitation – Akeredolu
The Governor of Ondo State, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu, has condemned the continuous agitation for a Yoruba nation by some groups in the South-West. He said such agitation would not succeed as it would thwart the efforts of those who laid down their lives for the unity of the country.
Akeredolu, who is the chairman of the Southern Governors Forum, spoke at the launching of an emblem appeal to flag off the 2023 Armed Forces Remembrance Day held at the state Internal Revenue Service Hall in Akure, the state capital.
He said, “Those clamouring for Oodua Nation will not succeed. People have not laid down their lives for this country for unscrupulous individuals to scuttle it. This country is very important to some of us. We recognise the right of the people to protest or agitate, but if the police feel your actions are treasonable, they will arrest and prosecute you.
“It is not at this stage in the history of this country that we will repeat IPOB (Indigenous People of Biafra – a separatist group in the South-East) in Yorubaland. Opportunity beckons at us. We cannot afford to throw away that opportunity. We must work to ensure that there is power shift. The opportunity for the presidency to come to the south, especially the South-West, is around the corner. We will not sit and support anyone clamouring for Oodua nation. We will not support it. We have fought for this with everything we had. Nigeria will be good.
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“The security agencies will checkmate these unscrupulous enemies embarking on such frivolous activities. We have responsibilities now to soberly reflect on the plight of those who have laid down their lives and those who are still laying down their lives for the unity and peace of this country.”
According to the governor, the daring posture of enemies of the country, which has cost the nation the lives of many gallant soldiers, is highly condemnable. He stressed that the sustained efforts of the officers and men of the military had greatly checked the threat.
He added, “Without the sacrifice and commitment of these officers and men of the Armed Forces, it would have been a matter of time before the whole country was overrun. The month-long Armed Forces Remembrance Day celebration is therefore a golden opportunity for the government and the society at large to empathise and associate with widows and relations of our fallen heroes, especially those that were cut down in their prime.”
He said there was nothing too good or too much that could replace the precious lives lost or remedy the deprivations and untold hardship suffered by the dependants of such heroes.
While calling on local government councils to donate generously to the cause, he said the major reason for the Emblem Appeal Fund was to provide financial and material support to families of the fallen heroes as well as veterans who survived various military operations with some sustaining varying degrees of injuries that rendered them incapacitated.
Meanwhile, the Ilana Omo Oodua Worldwide has said its immediate past leader, Prof Banji Akintoye, remains a lifetime mentor and patron of the organisation and its struggle for the emancipation of the Yoruba Nation.
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The Punch reported that Akintoye officially relinquished the chairmanship position to Prof Wale Adeniran. Akintoye resigned as chairman on the basis of principle amidst lingering internal crisis within the organisation.
But in a statement on Friday, the General Secretary of the group, Tunde Amusat, said Akintoye didn’t withdraw from the movement.
The statement partly read, “We have noticed that some mischievous characters and enemies of Yoruba Nation are trying to twist the resignation of Prof Banji Akintoye from the management and leadership of Ilana Omo Oodua Worldwide, the apex body for the Yoruba self-determination struggle to connote that our dear Baba (father) has left the Yoruba Nation struggle.
“We wish to state that the letter of resignation of Prof Banji Akintoye was very explicit and was without ambiguity. Baba never said he was withdrawing from the Yoruba Nation agitation nor resigning his membership of IOOW. He remains our lifetime mentor and one of our patrons.”
News
Four-Storey Building Collapses in Enugu, Workers Trapped Inside
An early-morning building collapse in Enugu has left one person dead and four others injured after a four-storey structure under construction suddenly gave way in the Independence Layout area of the state.
The incident occurred around 6 a.m. on Sunday on Ogbalu Street, where workers were reportedly sleeping inside the construction site when the building collapsed.
Four workers were pulled from the debris alive and taken to the Enugu State Teaching Hospital for medical treatment.
Authorities said six people had been sleeping at the site before the incident, but one of them had reportedly stepped out shortly before the structure came down. The body of another victim was recovered from the rubble.
The rescue operation has drawn the involvement of several emergency and security agencies, including the National Emergency Management Agency, Nigerian Red Cross Society, State Emergency Management Agency, Enugu State Capital Territory Development Authority and the Police.
Officials are still working at the scene to determine whether anyone else may be trapped beneath the debris.
The cause of the collapse remains unknown as of the time of reporting.
The incident has also renewed questions about compliance with construction standards, site safety and the effectiveness of regulatory monitoring in Enugu.
News
Adeleke Orders Arrests After Associate Ajagungbade Is Reportedly Killed in Ife
Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke has directed security agencies to arrest anyone found to have been involved in the reported killing of his associate, Olamilekan Ajagungbade, popularly known as Emir Ajagungbade.
Ajagungbade was reportedly shot dead in Ile-Ife on Sunday amid a dispute connected to the leadership of a motor park.
Reacting to the incident, Adeleke ordered Commissioner of Police Ibrahim Zungura to take immediate action against those responsible. The directive was disclosed by the governor’s spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed.
The governor also ordered rival groups involved in the park dispute to leave the motor parks while security agencies work to restore calm.
“There will be no sacred cows as all culprits will be brought to book” Adeleke said, while urging residents to remain calm.
As part of his response, the governor announced plans to bring back the Park Management System across the state, saying an Executive Order would soon be issued to provide the legal backing for the arrangement.
The renewed system is expected to regulate the operation of motor parks and garages and address disputes over their management.
Ajagungbade was described in the report as a close associate of the governor and a member of the Accord Party.
The circumstances surrounding the shooting and the identities of those responsible had not been fully disclosed at the time of reporting.
News
Police Arrest Two in Delta, Recover Guns, Daggers and Battle Axe
Two suspects are in police custody in Delta State following separate raids that resulted in the recovery of firearms, ammunition and other items, the state police command has said.
The latest operation involved the arrest of Chukwuka Nzete, also known as “Ododo”, in Isupe Community, Ndokwa West Local Government Area.
Police said Nzete was suspected of dealing in illegal firearms and alleged that he ran a shrine used to fortify suspected criminal elements.
Items recovered during a search of his residence included a pump-action gun, four dagger knives, a battle axe and pots containing substances suspected to be charms.
The command said detectives were investigating to establish the extent of Nzete’s activities and whether he had links with other criminal groups.
A separate operation also led to the arrest of Joel Iwomi, 36, in Umuebu, Obiaruku.
According to the police, Iwomi resisted attempts by operatives of the Command Anti-Cult Unit to enter his residence before officers eventually gained access and conducted a search.
The search allegedly produced a pump-action gun and 18 live cartridges.
Both suspects have been taken into custody while investigations continue.
The Delta State Commissioner of Police, Samuel E. Erale, said the command would continue efforts to keep illicit firearms away from criminal elements and prevent weapons capable of threatening public safety from circulating in the state.
He urged residents to cooperate with security agencies by reporting suspicious movements, illegal firearms and other criminal activities.
The police said information supplied by members of the public would be handled confidentially.
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