How Dupe Onitiri-Abiola’s declaration sparked Yoruba Nation’s Oyo invasion – Investigation

By KEMI KASUMU

Following invasion of Oyo State Governor’s Office in Ibadan the state capital by some suspected Yoruba Nation agitators, on Saturday 13th April 2024, investigations have revealed the botched coup may have been caused by declaration by wife of late Alhaji MKO Abiola, winner of June 12, 1993 presidential election, Dupe Onitiri-Abiola.

It will be recalled that masked men stationed at different locations within the state secretariat area, thus sending panic to the residents and road users along the routes, caused businesses and residents around Bodija, Ikolaba, and Awolowo to quickly lock shops and doors as some who were about to open for the day’s business turned back.

READ ALSO For Yoruba Muslims and Pentecostals, by Lasisi Olagunju

It was further learnt that the security operatives on duty at the secretariat were shocked as they were unable to disperse the agitators until the arrival of policemen from the state command and other anti-crime agencies in conjunction with members of the Nigerian Army, 2 Division, who demobilised them.

Operatives of the state security network codenamed Amotekun were also said to have been on the ground.

Motorists plying the route were said to have been making a detour as many other road users scampered to safety.

Road users en route Secretariat were diverted along Customs Junction as the Secretariat-Queen Elizabeth Road had been cut off traffic.

It was gathered that the efforts of the Executive Assistant to the Governor on Security, CP Sunday Odukoya (Rtd), to calm the situation were futile, as the agitators insisted on hoisting their flag within the Secretariat.

Dupe Abiola

In a display marked by both confusion and a deep lack of political insight, Dupe Onitiri-Abiola reportedly took it upon herself last week to lead a splinter group of agitators into declaring an ill-conceived independence for the Yoruba nation.

Broadcasting from her undisclosed location in the United States, Onitiri-Abiola attempted to severe the bonds that have historically united the Yoruba people with the broader Nigerian state with the declaration, dripping with radical fervour and untethered from the realities of international diplomacy and domestic welfare.

According to a reaction published Tuesday in TheCable, a guest writer named Sola Ojewusi said the Onitiri-Abiola’s declaration,  velieved to have caused the Yoruba Nation agitators invasion, “stands as a stark and embarrassing contrast to the rich political heritage and organisational sagacity of the Yoruba, who are known for their significant contributions to the Nigerian federation and their sophisticated approach to governance.”

He wrote that the act not only undermines the notion of sovereignty as understood and respected within the larger framework of nation-states but also appears as a misguided assault on the cultural and political sensibilities of the Yoruba people, amongst whom is the current president of Nigeria — a position that exemplifies the peak of Yoruba involvement in national leadership.

“This act of rebellion was not just a misguided venture into political activism; it was a strategic blunder that threatened to alienate Onitiri-Abiola and her miserable followers from the mainstream Yoruba community and the Nigerian state at large. By choosing to broadcast her declaration from the safety of America, Onitiri has demonstrated a troubling detachment from the on-the-ground realities faced by the people in whose name she purports to speak.

“The clandestine nature of the declaration, shrouded in secrecy and executed from a foreign land, raises questions about the legitimacy and sincerity of her intentions. It also betrays a fundamental misunderstanding of the unity and collective aspirations of the Yoruba people, who, despite various internal disagreements, have largely chosen to pursue their objectives within the democratic and constitutional framework of Nigeria.

“This rash decision is not only capable of jeopardising the political stability of the region but has also risked inciting unnecessary conflict, potentially drawing the Yoruba people into a divisive and destructive confrontation with the Nigerian government.”

According to the guest writer, speaking further, “Onitiri’s unilateral declaration could have far-reaching implications beyond the immediate political turmoil. It acts as a dangerous precedent that could inspire similar secessionist movements, undermining national cohesion and destabilising the delicate ethnic balance that Nigerian leaders have worked hard to maintain.

“This move, seen as anathema to the principles of unity and collective progress, could isolate the Yoruba community, potentially stripping them of their power to influence national policy and diminish their role in shaping the future of Nigeria.

“The recklessness of this declaration, therefore, cannot be overstated — it is not only a betrayal of the Yoruba’s storied legacy of diplomacy and political acumen but also a clear and present danger to the stability and unity of the entire Nigerian state. It is imperative for both the Yoruba leadership and the national government to swiftly and decisively address this challenge, reaffirming their commitment to a united Nigeria and discrediting Onitiri’s divisive antics as the political folly they truly represent.”

Sunday Igboho

In the meantime, Nigerian military and security agencies have been told not to limit their watch to remote declaration by Dupe but place a close watch on Sunday Igboho, who in recent time since his return to the country reopened the anti-Nigerian fight of which only target are the Hausa-Fulani people.

Igboho, the call continued, cannot pursue a Yoruba Nation in a way by which he portents only from North criminal elements terrorising cities and bushes of South West come from.

It stated that those who terrorise Yoruba Land are mainly Yoruba people themselves and so, “for any group of people to say it is because of mere cow eating farm it needs a country, it has an ulterior motif that must be thoroughly investigated and dealt with”.