Afenifere On Olu Falae's Farm: Don’t Provoke Yoruba Into War

By The Nigerian Voice

Lagos – Afenifere, pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, on Monday, condemned the incessant attacks on elder statesman, Chief Olu Falae, saying those behind the attacks should be careful not to provoke Yoruba into war.

Speaking exclusively with INDEPENDENT, Yinka Odumakin, National Publicity Secretary of Afenifere, said Yorubas cannot continue to watch while their elders and icons are continually rubbished and assaulted.

Odumakin, who likened the attack on Falae as declaration of war said Yorubas are quiet people who hardly get provoked but added that when they react, the consequences are always disastrous as witnessed in 1963, 1983 and 1993.

“The attacks on Falae’s farm have become serial. After he was kidnapped by Fulani herdsmen two years ago and they inflicted machete cut on him, ransom was paid to get him released. After he was released, these Fulani herdsmen have gone back to his farm five or six times and now they have burnt down his farm.

“For us in Afenifere, we see what they are doing to Falae as a declaration of war because it is like some Yoruba boys now go to the North and kidnap Adamu Ciroma. How will the North react? These people are poking their fingers into our eyes and that we are watching is not a sign of cowardice.

“Yoruba people don’t fight easily but when Yorubas decide to fight, there are always landmarks. When we were fed up in 1962 and we fought back, we fought until Nigeria was engaged in a three-year war.

“When we were angry in 1983 and it started in this same Ondo, that was the end of that the Republic. When we were provoked and angry in 1993, it was a six-year war that went on in this country. So, they should be careful on how they continue to step on our toes and how they continue to deal with the icons of our people. They should not provoke Yoruba people to where they will say ‘enough is enough, let us have it out!”

-Independent-