Widespread reports that the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) plans to attack Lagos, coupled with a statement by the Champion Newspapers Publisher, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyannwu that the Yoruba are ‘rascals’, represent calls for genocide against peace-loving Yoruba people, a group, the All Yoruba Democratic Movements (AYDM), has said.
The group said IPOB’s hate project had been extended abroad where Yoruba professionals like Dr. Adeniran Ariyo, a world renowned cardiologist, had been singled out for attack by IPOB members.
AYDM urged Lagos State Government and other Southwest governments to set up an extensive intelligence corps to fish out IPOB terrorists, their collaborators, including drug barons and manufacturers of fake drugs, who provided illicit funds for the terrorist group.
It said: “IPOB is a Nazist organisation, the Yoruba have the historical role to ‘denazify’ its territories from Lagos to Jebba, to Akoko Edo and to Itsekiri territories in Delta State.
“The Yoruba are clearly not the aggressors. IPOB, Chief Iwuanyanwu and their supporters are the aggressors. We promise them that from Yoruba people there will be proportional response to any attack on Yorubaland or any Yoruba individual since this seems to be the new project of IPOB, Iwuanyanwu and their collaborators.”
In a statement at the weekend signed by its Secretary General, Popoola Ajayi, the AYDM, a coalition of 121 community-based groups in Yorubaland, including Kogi, Edo and Itsekiri speaking area of Delta State, said Iwuanyanwu had given intellectual and political content to the plot of IPOB to attack the Yoruba. “This may be similar to the position of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the Igbo apex group, since Iwuanyanwu is a member of that organisation.”
The group said the Yoruba would not be provoked into attacking the Igbo, urging Igbo leaders to caution IPOB’s and Iwuanyanwu’s excesses.
“We urge the Igbo in Yorubaland to go about their businesses. If Lagos or any part of Yorubaland is eventually attacked by IPOB, the Igbo Nation should know who to hold responsible for the consequences.”
AYDM said during the EndSARS protests, the IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, asked IPOB to attack Yoruba barracks and even kill Yoruba governors, adding that the statement of Iwuanyanwu and IPOB was in furtherance of Nazism being extended to Yorubaland.
It said: “We draw the attention of the local and International community to the genocide plot by IPOB and its supporters, including Iwuanyanwu. While we recognise that there are moderate Igbo people, who do not share the genocidal plot of IPOB, we are mindful of the fact that IPOB is a dominant organisation in the Southeast, which rules the area with fear and bullying, but lacking wisdom or knowledge. IPOB is armed and has been involved in mindless killings of innocent people in the Southeast. It makes sense to be alert when such an irresponsible and callous organisation makes such a threat.”
AYDM said the positions of Iwuanyanwu and IPOB were the same and had shown that Yoruba people, who innocently drummed up support for alliance with the Southeast, were doing so in vain. “The Yoruba leadership have always bent backwards to work with the Southeast, but at each point, we have ended up regretting, the latest being the support given by Afenifere to Mr. Peter Obi, who up till now has not even spoken to thank the group or show solidarity to Lagos Yoruba youths, who voted for his party, the Labour Party. In his parochial mindset, he would attribute his victory in Lagos to his people, little wonder he visited only Ladipo spare parts market in Lagos after the presidential election.
“You cannot behead yourself to satisfy the thirst of a people, whose primordial aim is to live and witness your peril,” the group said
AYDM added: “There is no difference between Iwuanyanwu and IPOB. Both are expressing extremist views capable of fuelling genocide against the Yoruba people in their fatherland. We are aware that some Yoruba people are already being killed by IPOB in the Southeast. One of them was an Immigration officer, who was shot dead by IPOB in Anambra State two weeks ago on account of his ethnic origin,” the statement signed by AYDM Secretary General said.
AYDM said Dr. Adeniran Ariyo, on the other hand, had suffered ceaseless persecution and hate speeches, which was only eye blink away from physical attacks on him. “His only offence is to profess his ‘Yorubaness’ and his refusal to support the Nazist political agenda of his colleagues, who are bent on throwing Nigeria into turmoil, having lost the last presidential election.”
AYDM warned those attacking Dr. Ariyo to desist or face the consequences.
“Ariyo is a world-class cardiologist. He was recently declared as the Yorubaman of the Year 2021. Since then, he has been singled out for attacks and blackmail. We warn those responsible to beware of adequate responses from the Yoruba people all over the world.”
AYDM said it was not surprised about Iwuanyanwu’s utterances, adding that the warped dream of a section of the Igbo elite was to turn Yorubaland into ashes, forgetting that what God had created, no human idol could demolish or destroy.
IPOB and Iwuanyanwu are heads of heathen. We represent the light and definitely light will subdue and extinguish darkness, the group said.
AYDM said: “Having been listed as the third deadliest terrorist group in the world, the Yoruba should not take IPOB threat slightly. The group is irrational, rash and savage. It derives its strength from primitive thinking and a passion for human blood. This runs contrary to the Yoruba values. We have no objection to IPOB operating in the Southeast, but this stone-age activities of a terrorist organisation will not be tolerated in Yorubaland. Our response will be scientific and done in line with the international principles of self-defence, as entrenched in the United Nations Charter of Self Determination.”