Daily Independent
Governors of Ogun, Oyo and Ondo States have been warned to beware of armed terrorist groups plotting to kidnap school children in the their states.
In a letter addressed to the three Southwest Governors, a pan-Yoruba group said it has received information that the armed terrorists in Ogun, Oyo and Ondo forests are targeting primary and secondary schools in the three states where they plan to abduct pupils.
The group by the name: Apapo Oodua Koya in a press release signed by Ahmed Akorede on behalf of the Pan Yoruba Group maintained that terrorists are at present mapping out their targets in Ondo, Oyo and Ogun States where they are gradually building armed fortresses. The groups are coordinated and linked with the kidnappers in Niger, Zamfara and Kaduna States.
“We got the information through credible intelligence. We have the capacity to tap some of the communication of the insurgents usually rendered in Fulfulde. They are planning to kidnap school children in large numbers in any or all of the states mentioned above.
“They are currently located at Yewa in Ogun State, they are in Oke-Ogun in Oyo and Idanre-Ondo town axis in Ondo State” Apapo O’odua Koya, (AOKOYA) said in the letter sent to the state governors.
The group added: “It is our responsibility to inform you of information at our disposal. We hope you begin to trust our intelligence beginning from two years ago when we warned the Southwest Governors about armed Fulani cells spread across the South West forests” The governors are Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State, Arakunrin Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State and Seyi Makinde of Oyo State.
“If you allow this kidnapping to take place, you will be helpless because the security network you have around you are not for you but designed and controlled by enemies of Yoruba Nation.
The intelligence information you receive are largely designed to deceive you because you don’t own the structures.
You are as vulnerable as a lonely bird on house top. Your future lay in alliance with you own people at this difficult moment in Yoruba history.” AOKOYA said.
The letter signed by Ahmed Akorede on behalf of the Pan Yoruba coalition group urged the South West governors including Lagos, Ekiti, Osun, Kwara, Kogi and Itsekiri to adopt what it called an offensive strategy.” The group said it is naïve for anyone to believe what is going on has no government support.
“There is a fundamentalist ring in the government of Nigeria heavily funded by certain individuals in Government and also by two identified Middle East countries. The goal is to make Nigeria the terrorist hub in West Africa. Any conscious student of history should know this is possible if nothing is done to stop them.”
The group through the statement listed suggestions for the South West Governors which included the following:
Identify vulnerable institutions and provide an effective architecture.
Set up what the military calls “Watching Posts” in all towns and villages across Yoruba land. Instead of using state budgets, communities should be mobilized to do this on their own. It will be about 15 feet tall mounted with night vision to locate oncoming attacks for immediate security alert.
The cost is less than N350,000 (Three Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira Only) including the cost of binoculars for night vision and the building of the post which every community should be able to provide.
