At the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) in Osun State, there is presently disquiet over an ultimatum provided by one of its groups to direct Fulani herdsmen residing within the state to fish out the “bad eggs” among them.
On Tuesday in Osogbo, one of the factional rulers, the ‘ OPC Governor ‘ in Osun State, Leke Akintayo, popularly known as Olojongbodu, released the ultimatum on behalf of the Congress at a peace conference with the representatives of the Nigerian Gan Allah Fulani Development Association and the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association.
Mr Akintayo advised the herdsmen in latest weeks to fish out their members engaged in the spate of kidnapping, banditry, and robbery throughout the region.
He vowed that the OPC was willing to protect against criminal elements the region’s individuals.
“We called for this peace meeting to find a lasting solution to the issue of security breakdown such as kidnapping, armed robbery and all sort of criminal activities in the state,” Mr Akintayo said then.
“Over the years, Osun had been adjudged to be the most peaceful state in Nigeria not until recently when the so-called Fulani herders invaded our land and started kidnapping our people.
“It was quite unfortunate that some unscrupulous elements tried to find their way to the state through their collaborators to launch attacks on innocent citizens along some highways and we would not allow them to destroy our state.
“We would use everything within our reach to ensure that those bad eggs among the Fulani herders are flushed out of the state,” he said.
The Fulani herders ‘ officials at the conference promised to be peaceful and collaborate with Congress in securing peace.
However, the OPC’s ‘ state coordinator ‘ in Osun, Adedeji Aladesawe, distanced Congress from the aforementioned ultimatum and the peace conference outcomes.
Mr Aladesawe said in a declaration on Wednesday that the OPC “was following certain processes and that the ultimatum would be counterproductive and only scuttle the attempts taken so far.”
He also denounced Mr Akintayo’s group, stating that they did not represent the Gani Adams-led group’s interest.
Mr Aladesawe said adequate consultation was ongoing and ”that any effort to disrupt the ongoing process is counter-productive”.
“Our leader, Aare Gani Adams, the Aare-Onakakanfo of Yorubaland, has made concerted efforts consulting with stakeholders, including prominent Yoruba leaders, groups and top police hierarchies on the issue of insecurity in the South-west,” he said.
