The Yoruba Appraisal Forum (YAF) has enjoined South-West and Nigerian youths to avoid breaching the existing peace in the region and abetting certain groups and individuals acting under the guise of agitating for an independent Yoruba nation to destabilise the region and the country.
YAF called on Yoruba and Nigerian youths to exercise great caution and vigilance, and avoid aiding unknowingly or being used surreptitiously to destabilise the country by unpatriotic groups and individuals.
The Forum in a statement by its National Coordinator, Adeshina Animashaun, warned Yoruba and Nigerian youths that partaking in any unpatriotic activity, knowingly or unknowingly, could have serious consequences for them as individuals, the South-West and Nigeria as a whole.
It however, enjoined the youth to ceaselessly and tirelessly work to ensure peace reigns supreme throughout Yorubaland, the South-West and the entire Nigerian nation.
The Forum advised Yoruba and Nigerian youths to maintain peace and eschew violence, urging the people of the South-West and Nigerians not to be deceived by those claiming to be fighting Yoruba cause.
It also appealed to the government, the various security agencies and other major stakeholders in Yorubaland and the country to rise to the challenge and ensure no individual or group violates the peace or instigate violence in the South-West.
The Forum further advised the Federal Government and governors of the six South-West states to ensure the deployment of adequate number of security agents throughout the region and Yorubaland as well as the entire country to tighten security and forestall any plan by any group or individuals to instigate violence and cause chaos and destruction in the region.
YAF also enjoined traditional rulers throughout Yorubaland to rise in defence of the region and their communities by advising youths in their domains to avoid violence and be vigilant so that they would not be deceived into joining terrorist groups pretending to be agitating for an independent Yoruba nation.
The Forum called on security agencies not to relent in beefing up security across the South-West and the rest of the country to avert anarchy and restore peace and security.
“Any plot to destabilise Yorubaland will not work and we will resist it. Enough wasting of innocent lives in Nigeria. On our own part as YAF members, we will continue to mobilise all our members across Yorubalnd to preach and promote peace throughout the South-West and the rest of Nigeria.
“We will continue to take steps to ensure no individuals or groups pretending to be expressing grievances against the government further destroy the economic and social well-being of our people.
“Our honest advice to any person or groups that may want to allow themselves to be used by the enemies of peace in the South-West and the rest of Nigeria is that they should turn new leaves, embrace and continue to work for the well-being of our kinsmen and all other citizens of Nigeria.”
YAF also decried last Friday’s ban and the stoppage of its peace rally/sensitisation Motorcade by the police in Lagos, regretting that the police in the state could not distinguish between it and other groups claiming to be championing Yoruba self-determination and independence with the disguised objective of destabilising the country.
“It’s unfortunate that the police misunderstood and misconstrued our peace rally/Sensitisation Motorcade.
We want to state here YAF had held this same peace rally/sensitisation motorcade in all the other states in the South-West in the past few months without any record of any untoward occurrence.
“If we were like the other so-called Yoruba groups agitating for the disintegration and dissolution of Nigeria, we wouldn’t have sought permission of the Nigeria Police and the DSS to carry out the peace rally/sensitisation motorcade, and even invite these security agencies to send some of their operatives to the venue to provide adequate security against hoodlums.
“The PPRO has, therefore, woefully failed to separate the wheat from the chaff by his wholesale tagging of YAF as a Yoruba Nation agitator group in his Thursday’s statement. This is unfortunate and unacceptable”, the group maintained.
