Operation Amotekun: Akintoye lauds South-West govs, rallies support for OPC, others

The Head of the Assembly of All Yoruba Groups Worldwide, Professor Banji Akintoye, has lauded the South West Governors for their initiative in establishing a joint security outfit tagged “Operation Amotekun”, to address insecurity issues confronting the geopolitical zone.

He stated this on Friday at a special conference for cardinal investment on Agriculture organised by the Oduduwa United People Association (ODUPA), in Abeokuta, that the outfit would improve awareness and vigilance among the people of the Southwest, as well as fight the onslaught of Fulani herdsmen attacks.

The Professor of History also called for support from local security forces such as the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), Agbe Koya, Yoruba Koya, Soludero, among others, to improve security in the zone.

He also rallied the support of traditional hunters, in the cities and towns to support the security initiative.

Operation Amotekun, a security strategy meant to combat killings and kidnapping in the zone will be inaugurated by the Governors on January 9.

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He said the Yorubas must be “ready to defend their families, communities, farmlands, villages, churches, mosques and shrines from attacks by invaders.

“We must wake up and energize our existing citizen defence forces, such as Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), Agbe Koya, Yoruba Koya, Soludero, etc. With each of these doing what they can do, we shall quickly show the Fulani marauders that Yorubaland is not the kind of land they should invade.

“We must also mobilize our traditional hunters, in all our cities and towns. We must pressurize our State governments to consider reviving the Colonial Forest Guard institution, for special deployment in our rural areas.

“We must call upon all our civic organizations from the prestigious Afenifere to the humblest of our civic organizations today in our Yoruba World Congress, or Onala, standing at over 100, representing millions of our people.

“We must activate each of these organizations to mobilize their members to be vigilant and ready to defend their families, homes, villages, farmsteads, towns and cities. We must be able to demonstrate the full extent of our strength as the largest and most educated nation in Africa. We must win this war decisively and absolutely and we most harvest the fullest benefits from the victory.”