Ooni, Other Yoruba Monarchs Resolve To Use Traditional Powers To Fight Insecurity

The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, has urged Yoruba monarchs to use traditional power to protect themselves and their territories from attack and invasion of bandits.

Ooni made the call on Thursday after a Yoruba Security Summit held in Ile-Ife, Osun State, which had the attendance of monarchs, representatives of southwest governors and other stakeholders in the southwest, including Yoruba nation activist, Sunday Adeyemo A.K.A Sunday Igboho.

Monarchs at the summit include the Olowu of Owu, Oba Saka Matemilola, Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Lekan Balogun, Deji of Akure, Oba Aladetoyinbo Ogunlade, Owa-Ajero of Ijero Ekiti, Oba Joseph Adewole, Akarigbo of Remo, Oba Babatunde Adewale Ajayi, Oludo of Ido-Osun, Oba Aderemi Adedapo among others.

In a communique signed at the end of the summit by the Ooni of Ife and other monarchs, the traditional rulers made 13 resolutions to tackle insecurity in Yoruba land.

The document read “The Yoruba, especially the traditional rulers should make recourse to their natural resources including natural powers to combat banditry and kidnapping; that Yoruba Obas should not jettison traditional values.

“The entire Obas in Yorubaland should work in unison to ward off the evils of banditry and kidnappings as each of the states could only succeed in chasing the marauders to another state.

“Any Oba who is disinterested in Yoruba culture and custom should abdicate his throne for anyone who is deeply versed and interested in Yoruba traditions.“

The monarchs also called for a strong judicial process that would mete out appropriate punishments to sponsors of insecurity and their agents.

“Each time an attack took place, the offenders were quickly left off the hook by the powers that be and that the judicial process should be strengthened to mete out appropriate punishments to culprits or bring them to justice.”

They added that, “The governors of South West Nigeria should organize Regional Security Summit at the earliest practicable time, including all stakeholders to chart the way forward and give teeth to all the concerns raised at this (current) summit.
“The security summit called on Yoruba Traditional rulers to return to the pristine Yoruba traditional, spiritual and cultural values. At all times, the traditional rulers should recognize that, in spite of whatever nature of religion they practice, they must recognize that the stool they preside over is traditional.”