Afenifere lambasts South West govs over stand on Oodua Nation agitation – Newstrends
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Afenifere lambasts South West govs over stand on Oodua Nation agitation

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2 years ago

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Secretary General of Afenifere, Chief Olusola Ebiseni

…chairman’s statement unfortunate, confirms scarcity of statesmanship

…playing petty politics, sacrifices equity in preference of crass opportunism

The Pan Yoruba Socio- Political Group, Afenifere, has lashed out at the chairman of the south West Governors Forum, Rotimi Akeredolu, on his statement that agitators of Oodua nation should perish the thought.

Recall that Akeredolu, had at the launch of Emblem Appeal to flag off the 2023 Armed Forces Remembrance Day Celebrations, vowed that states in the Southwest will not allow any agitation that will scuttle the sacrifices of the Nation’s heroes.

The governor had declared that “Those clamouring for Oodua nation will not succeed. No sit-at-home order will be tolerated in any state in the Southwest.

But, the Secretary General of Afenifere, Chief Olusola Ebiseni, in a statement issued in Akure, the state capital, said that statement credited to Akeredolu ” unfortunately confirmed the scarcity of statesmanship in our clime particularly faced with the lust for political power.

The statement entitled, “Akeredolu: Between Equity And Opportunism” reads “We have no problem with the Governor playing to the gallery, as a glorified Chief Security Officer, urging that security forces clamp down on any person or group whose activities he interpreted as capable of disintegrating the Nigerian State because we are no less patriotic and committed to its continuing corporate existence.

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“We are also in the same boat with him that “this country is very important to some of us” and the recognition that agitation and protests are rights protected in a democratic society.

“Our worry however is that Akeredolu, even as the Chairman of the Southern Governors Forum, would not,  in deference to that high pedestal, wean himself from petty politicking which sacrifices equity needed for national peace and cohesion in preference of crass opportunism.

“In short, his vituperations on that occasion was most disastrously bereft of statesmanship and national conciliation.

“The real intention of Akeredolu’s phony sanctimony was unveiled when he declared that it is not at this stage in the history of this country that we will repeat IPOB  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”.

“Akeredolu is within his right as the South West Coordinator of his party’s  campaigns to imagine the opportunity coming  his way and his party in the pipe dream of presidential power.

“It  is however unimaginable that the Chairman of the Southern Governors Forum would descend to the abys of equating his pontification for the equity of a Southern Presidency with the hegemony  of his or other ethnic nationality.

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“To say that the clamour for Southern President was “especially for South West”  was not only most insensitive but also to make a fool of his colleagues outside of South West.

“No wonder then that the Governor of Delta in whose office the Southern  Governors’ Conference was held was the first to betray the cause by accepting the second fiddle position of  the Vice President to the detriment of what has turned out to be their feeble declarations.

“The unkindest cut of Akeredolu’s new song was his reference to IPOB as if he had  any control over the choice of a different modus operandi employed by different agitating groups in Nigeria.

“Truth be told, there is no region of Nigeria where the elite including the ruling class in Government has been able to determine the methods adopted by agitators or succeeded in  checkmating  the effects thereof.

“So, let Akeredolu not boast of any capacity to dictate the method adopted by the Yoruba agitators or seek to set the rest  of Nigeria against his  Ndigbo colleagues or the entire South East in his unhidden separatist agenda of securing undue advantage for his party and region in the quest  for the Nigerian  President of Southern extraction.

“We state for the umpteenth time, that the true and real recipe for peace and continued corporate existence of Nigeria, ipsofacto, is an arrangement  that will guarantee regional equity and not an ‘emi lo kan’ philosophy in the mode of King Louis’s l’état c’est moi.

“Incidentally, those who fought the civil war, truly shed their youthful blood and have seen all about Nigeria,  are now in the vanguard of the national movement not only for Southern but in the quest for the requisite equity are in the queue for the Nigerian President of South East extraction.

The group declared that “there lies the solution to separatist agitations and not self-serving sanctimonious pontifications.”

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Adeleke presents staff of office to new Owa-Obokun amid protest

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58 minutes ago

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December 29, 2024

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Oba Adesuyi Haastrup

Adeleke presents staff of office to new Owa-Obokun amid protest

ILESA — Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, on Sunday presented the staff of office to Oba Adesuyi Haastrup as the 41st Owa-Obokun of Ijesaland in a ceremony marked by mixed reactions.

Oba Haastrup’s selection follows the passing of the 40th Owa-Obokun, Oba Adekunle Aromolaran, in September, after which the mourning period and succession process commenced. Last Friday, Prince Haastrup of the Bilaro Olu-Odo ruling house was elected by the Ijesa kingmakers and subsequently approved as the new monarch despite an existing court injunction restraining stakeholders from proceeding with the selection process.

At the installation ceremony, Governor Adeleke urged the new monarch to foster unity among Ijesa people and leverage his experience and connections for the development of Ijesaland and Osun State.

“Kabiyesi, now that the time of competition is over and you have become the father of all, I urge you to rally all citizens of Ijesaland for the development of the area and the State at large,” Adeleke said.

He emphasized the importance of collective efforts, stating, “There is much work to be done, and the Government alone cannot bear the responsibility. I call on all Ijesa sons and daughters to prioritise the development of our fatherland. Our administration is intensifying developmental efforts across the state, including Ijesaland.”

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The selection and installation of Oba Haastrup were met with opposition from two royal families, Ofokutu and Fajemisin, within the Bilaro Olu-Odo ruling house.

In a statement signed by Prince Adetoyese Adegbohungbe, Secretary of the Ofokutu royal family, the process was described as a desecration of Ijesa traditions.

“We have witnessed not just compromise but the desecration of the noble tradition of the Ijesa, with the blatant disregard for the most sacred tradition, which is the selection of the Owa Obokun of Ijesaland,” the statement read.

The family expressed shock at the selection, citing a pending court case, and accused stakeholders of undermining due process.

The Fajemisin family also condemned the process, describing it as flawed and unlawful. In a statement by Olufemi Fajemisin, the family rejected Oba Haastrup’s selection and demanded a transparent process that respects Ijesa customs.

“We categorically reject the purported elected Owa and demand a transparent, lawful process that honours our customs and traditions,” the statement said.

Both families have vowed to pursue legal action, dissociating themselves from the new monarch and alleging imposition in violation of tradition. They pledged to defend the rights of the Ijesa people and restore the integrity of their heritage.

As the controversy unfolds, the installation has spotlighted the delicate balance between tradition, legality, and governance in the selection of traditional rulers in Nigeria.

 

Adeleke presents staff of office to new Owa-Obokun amid protest

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Paris-bound businessman excretes 74 wraps of heroin, cocaine at Abuja airport

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December 29, 2024

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Paris-bound businessman excretes 74 wraps of heroin, cocaine at Abuja airport

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, (NDLEA), have arrested a 48-year-old businessman, Orizu Ifeanyi Arthur for ingesting 74 wraps of heroin and cocaine.

Mr Femi Babafemi, NDLEA spokesman, said this in a statement on Sunday in Abuja.

Babafemi said that Orizu was intercepted while attempting to board an Air France flight 844 from the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, (NAIA) Abuja to Paris, France.

He said that the suspect was arrested at the boarding gate of the Abuja airport on Sunday, Dec. 22 during the outward clearance of passengers on Air France.

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“When he was pulled aside for a body scan, he turned down the request claiming his medical condition won’t allow him.

“He was thereafter taken into custody for excretion observation during which he excreted a total of 74 wraps of the Class A drugs over a period of seven days.

“In his statement, Orizu claimed he owns a shop at Balogun market, Lagos Island where he sells school and travel bags, adding that he was promised 3,000 Euros upon successful delivery of the consignment in Paris.

“He left his base in Lagos for the Abuja airport to connect his Air France flight to Paris, hoping to escape detection,” he said.

Paris-bound businessman excretes 74 wraps of heroin, cocaine at Abuja airport

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Police rescue 13 kidnap victims, arrest five suspected robbers

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December 29, 2024

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Police rescue 13 kidnap victims, arrest five suspected robbers

Police Rescue 13 Kidnap Victims in Lagos and Kwara

In the past week, the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) successfully rescued 13 individuals who had been abducted and held for ransom in Lagos and Kwara states.

The operation underscored the police’s commitment to combating kidnapping, armed robbery, and other criminal activities nationwide.

A statement issued on Sunday by the Force Public Relation Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi said: “In a determined effort to sustain the fight against  kidnapping, armed robbery, and other forms of criminality across the country, operatives of the Nigeria Police Force have further intensified and reinvigorated their strategies, resulting in the successful rescue of numerous victims and the apprehension of several suspects.

“Over the past week, coordinated operations were conducted in various states, including Lagos and Kwara States, leading to  the rescue of 13 individuals who had earlier been kidnapped and held for ransom, and the arrest of several armed robbery suspects.

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“On the 27th of December 2024, Police operatives attached to the Kwara State Command mobilized and stormed a den of kidnappers in the Idofin-Igbana area of the state, after receiving a distress call of the abduction of 13 persons. The operatives encountered resistance from the kidnappers but successfully overpowered the kidnappers, causing them to flee the scene with various degrees of injuries and leading to the successful rescue of the 13 kidnapped victims.

“Similarly, on the 28th of December 2024, following a report of a public disturbance at Pinnacle Depot, Lekki, Police operatives attached to the Lagos State Command visited the scene and accosted two individuals identified as Lawan Mustapha ‘m’ 38 years, and Aina Daniel ‘m’ 38 years. A thorough search was carried out, resulting in the recovery of one double-barrel rifle, 90 live cartridges, and five model rifles.

“The suspects are currently in custody for further investigation and possible  prosecution. Furthermore, on the same day, at about 12:45 PM, Police operatives of the Lagos State Command arrested 3 suspected armed robbers at GRA Ikeja. A subsequent search led to the recovery of 1 locally made pistol, 4 live cartridges, and 2 cutlasses. These suspects are likewise in custody and will face prosecution upon the conclusion of the investigations”.

He said the Inspector-General of Police, (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun, has reiterated the Force’s commitment to ensuring the safety and security of all citizens.

Egbetokun said the Force will continue its operations, leveraging all available resources to eradicate these heinous crimes from our society.

He said the Nigeria Police Force remains resolute in its mission to create a safer environment for all Nigerians.

Police rescue 13 kidnap victims, arrest five suspected robbers

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