From Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan
Prof Banji Akintoye, President-General of Ilana Omo Oodua, the umbrella body over more than 200 self-determination groups, agitating for Oduduwa Republic, said the police could not stop the on-going agitation for Oduduwa Republic.
Akintoye made the disclosure in his reaction to the statement made by the new Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, that he would go after agitators for self-determination in the country.
The spokesperson for Ilana Omo Oodua, Maxwell Adeleye, quoted Akintoye as saying: “Ilana Omo Oodua is not the only organisation agitating for self-determination in Yorubaland. There are more than 100 organisations, both at home and in the diaspora that want self-determination. Take for instance, on October 1st 2020, we told our people to come out to stage a peaceful rally to drum up support for self-determination. Yoruba people came out peacefully in 166 countries of the world. The message was loud and clear.
“Let me also say that the struggle of Yoruba people for self-determination is beyond what anyone can threaten. Let me say this to you, a group of the first generation of Yoruba Diaspora, dating back to the 17th century recently contacted me through their chairman, based in Uruguay. These people expressed their commitment toward the struggle for self-determination and they are willing to return home to defend their ancestral land.