Nobel laureate and renowned playwright, Prof. Wole Soyinka has described the last Sunday attack at the St Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, as the one targeted at Governor Rotimi Akeredolu and the entire yoruba land for standing up against the oppression of the killer Fulani herdsmen.
Soyinka who said this during his condolence visit to Akeredolu on Friday said the attack on the St. Francis Catholic Church was not accidental, adding that the attack was used to pass a message.
According to him, the attack was allegedly perpetrated by some aggrieved Fulani herdsmen. Soyinka linked the attack to the crisis that occurred in Ondo state as well as the entire South West state last year.
The New Diplomat recalls that an ethnic crisis emerged in South West when self-acclaimed Yoruba nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo, aka Sunday Igboho, gave a 7-day ultimatum to Fulani herdsmen to vacate Oyo state. While the order was only binding on the Ibarapa community of Oyo state, it later spread across the entire Southwest as Akeredolu, who doubles as Chairman, Southwest Governors’ Forum State asked all Fulani herdsmen in Ondo State to vacate forest reserves within the state, as well as ban open grazing.
Speaking further during the visit, Soyinka said the attack was targeted at Akeredolu for the role he played during the saga last year.
Soyinka, however issued stern warning to the evil prepertrators, saying the Yorubas are not slaves and they will defend their soil.
This was also contained in a statement issued by the governor’s media aide Richard Olatunde.
“He was targeted and there is no question about that. It was not an accident, and it is passing a message to the rest of us.
“That is why I’m here. I want the Governor to know that we have received the message. We understand it and we came to sympathize with him that he was selected as a medium for that message.
“So, the answer we must give to the message we all received is that we are not slaves. Here, on our own soil, having had the experience of a century of disdain, and contempt about us as black people.”
“some characters come along calling themselves whatever, ISWAP, Boko Haram. So, all those groups including those who are just opportunists – the herdsmen – are making a mistake. I want the Governor to realize they are making a mistake.
“I have been on this issue for quite some time. This invasion has been on and these herdsmen are all over the forests. At a time we thought it was Boko Haram, we didn’t know that Fulani herdsmen were capitalising on the fundamentalist insurgency and brutality.
“And that is why we see a nexus of operation between ISWAP, Boko Haram, and Fulani herdsmen. They work singularly, individually and they work collectively. I Know Ondo State has always been at the forefront of awareness.”
On his part, Akeredolu thanked Soyinka for the visit, saying that the state will remain hugely indebted to him.
“It is a cause that he has dedicated his life to, and I thank God for his life. The state wants to appreciate you for finding time to come at this hour of grief.
“This is like a dagger drawn to our heart, and it is an assault on our psyche. The psyche of those of us in the South-West and Western Region,” he said.
“I think they think they can create some fears in us but they made a mistake because this will make us more fierce in our condemnation of their actions. And we are not hiding it.”
