The Aareonakakanfo of Yorubaland, Gani Adams has berated controversial Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, over his visit to Igboho town in Oyo State.
Our heritage reporter had reported that Gumi visited the town at the weekend, calling on Yoruba Nation agitators to shelve their agitation for secession.
But in a statement on Friday on behalf of the South-West Security Stakeholders Group (SSSG), Adams described the visit as an “attempt to mock and undermine the efforts of the Yoruba activists and freedom fighters”.
The Yoruba chieftain described the cleric’s visit as “provocative”, asking the controversial cleric to stay away from the South-West.
Adams claimed that the Islamic cleric’s body language, utterances in Igboho town “truly showed that he was behind the DSS attack on Igboho’s Soka home.”
He also berated Gumi for attacking Igboho’s ideology in his hometown, saying that the cleric’s visit could lead to an ethnic crisis.
Adams, however, warned bandits and other “bad elements” to stay away from the South-West region.
The statement reads: “Gumi is a Nigerian, he has a right to visit any part of the country but it shouldn’t be to the extent of being deliberately attacking Igboho’s ideology in his hometown.
“Such an attempt is provocative and can lead to a crisis. That was why it elicited various reactions. Gumi’s ideas are always at variance with the present reality in the country and I think it is better for him to desist from fanning the embers of discord in the country and the southwest in particular.
“On this note, the southwest Security Stakeholders Group has considered it necessary to beef up the security operations in our region, and we charged the police and all other security outfits, across the region to remain vigilant in ensuring that the region is safe. Any attempt to invade the southwest will bring about both economic and political doom”
“SSSG is driven by the calls to ensure effective security across the southwest. We are also keen on regionalism where each region will control the security architecture of their respective region. If Nigeria didn’t return to or go back to regionalism based on the true Federalism that we have in the past, there may be a crisis and nobody should blame those agitating for self-determination.
“But as a group, we will not relent in the struggle to protect the South West and we are determined to partner with the police and other security agencies to combat crime and make the region safe for all and sundry.”