The 15th Aare Onakakanfo (the generalismo) of Yorubaland, Gani Adams has written a personal letter to all the Southwest Governors, drawing their attention to the insecurity and strange killing of sacred Yoruba Kings in recent times.

In the letter, titled: “Yorubaland is troubled, Darkness looms. Evil has entered Yorubaland,” the Aare Onakakanfo called on the governors for an urgent meeting to address the situation.
“The insecurity in the land is reaching an alarming peak. Our people can no longer go to their farms.
“I ask, if we allow killings of innocent farmers and destruction of farmlands in any part of Yorubaland to continue, where is our determination to defend the Yoruba society, values, culture and territory?
“Obviously, our silence is being misconstrued for foolishness.”
Aare Gani Adams said that elementary law of nature “has taught us, for centuries, that you don’t appease evil. You crush it.
“Invaders of our land must not be given any breathing space. I still don’t know why anybody will choose to live in forests in Yorubaland and some external forces will defend such a barbaric action.
“We will not accept this open hostility. I believe the time to check this madness is now.
“Since the killing of the three traditional rulers, I have received several calls, especially from outside Nigeria, from prominent Yoruba professionals who are afraid of what the future holds for us in the country.
“I told them that as the Aare Ona Kakanfo, I have the capacity and the network to deal with enemies of Yorubaland.
“But, I reminded them that even in the days of yore, the Aare Ona Kakanfo must get permission from the Alaafin of Oyo before embarking on any conquest.”
He asked the governors to wake up and join in the war to be effectively coordinated.
“And as the Aareonakakanfo of Yorubaland,I have my strategy and I am ready to give you my maximum support as the Chief Security Officer of your state.
“I can assure you that within six months, insecurity will reduce drastically across southwest.
“This is not the time to be liaising with some groups in isolation, (majority of them are members of South West Security Stakeholders Group and they are under my leadership as the convener of the group and as the Aareonakakanfo of Yorubaland) to wage this battle against the marauders.
“I write to have an urgent meeting with Your Excellency and other governors on this threat to our collective existence.
“Obviously, the agenda will centre on security in Yorubaland. All the governors will also decide the date, venue and time for the meeting.”
We reproduced the full text of the letter hereunder:
Dear Sir,
Yorubaland is troubled, Darkness looms. Evil has entered Yorubaland.

The more than 60 million Yoruba living in the South-West, parts of South-South and North-Central of Nigeria, are troubled.
On November 26, 2020, a first class traditional ruler in Ondo State, the Olufon of Ifon, Oba Israel Adeusi, who just left the Governor’s Office, Akure after a security meeting with the then Governor, the late Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, (may his soul rest in peace), was shot dead by suspected Fulani herdsmen on Akure-Owo Highway.
All hell was let loose. Imagine the insult on the Yoruba race.
The Yoruba, home and abroad, saw this as an unprecedented sacrilege.
Youths in Ondo State immediately threatened to take up arms but the then President Muhammadu Buhari pacified the Yoruba, saying the killers would be apprehended.
Till today, the killers have not been apprehended.
We thought we had seen the last of that sacrilege. But now, ‘Eemo ti Wolu’ (there is evil in the land). Even during the Kiriji War, I don’t think what happened a few days ago ever happened in Yorubaland.
From Ekiti to Kwara states, three traditional rulers were shot dead by these blood-thirsty maniacs.
The Alara of Ara who escaped in Ekiti narrated what happened and the people who perpetrated this heinous crime.
Never in the history of Yoruba were three Obas shot dead in a spate of four days. So, obviously, evil has entered Yorubaland.
And as our progenitors did, we must not appease this evil in our land. It must be dealt with immediately and decisively.
But, that decisive action requires speed.The evil gradually creeping into Yorubaland is a monster which must be fought with all powers at our disposal.
This scourge of foreign banditry is similar to the scorched-earth policy of the Fuhrer, Adolf Hitler, during the Second World War, an intentional course of military and para-military action that was drastic, maximum and ruinous.
Your Excellency, the ‘clear and present danger’ is to behave as if this hydra-headed monster is not already constituting a problem.
The matter is so serious now that some Yoruba are being abducted on the highway. If our people are afraid of going to their farms and travelling on the highway, danger looms.
Due to the fact that this ‘cancer’ was not given an urgent and decisive operation when it started, it is now spreading like wild fire because the perpetrators get high financial returns with less risk, unlike armed robbery which involves a lot of risk and high uncertainty.
We have a situation on our hands now in which if an intending victim escapes, the kidnappers will go for the wife. If she escapes, they will go for the children.
Since nobody wants to lose a loved one, family members look for money by all means to pay these evil doers. And the vicious circle continues.
Aside making money from this evil venture, these killers and their sponsors want to destroy the economy of Yorubaland. That is why they must be stopped now.
Kidnapping for ransom is already creating fear in Yorubaland and if our people can no longer go to farms or travel through the highways, our economy will be affected.
We must wage war against kidnapping and the time for that fight is now.
When I was installed as the 15th Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland by His Imperial Majesty, Iku Baba Yeye and Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III, on January 13, 2018, I vowed, before the distinguished audience, that I would do everything to project the image and protect the name of Yorubaland.
I also said the first fundamental right of a Yoruba and a Nigerian is the ‘Right to Life’.
Sadly, my zeal to protect Yorubaland, and the will of millions of Yoruba to defend their fatherland, are being tested with the invasion of some parts of our land by these killers.
I find it difficult to comprehend this open insult that some murderers, whose kinsmen live in our villages, towns and cities, will invade Yorubaland at will and plunder by force.
The insecurity in the land is reaching an alarming peak. Our people can no longer go to their farms.
I ask, if we allow killings of innocent farmers and destruction of farmlands in any part of Yorubaland to continue, where is our determination to defend the Yoruba society, values, culture and territory?
Obviously, our silence is being misconstrued for foolishness.
Elementary law of nature has taught us, for centuries, that you don’t appease evil. You crush it.
Invaders of our land must not be given any breathing space. I still don’t know why anybody will choose to live in forests in Yorubaland and some external forces will defend such a barbaric action.
We will not accept this open hostility. I believe the time to check this madness is now.
Since the killing of the three traditional rulers, I have received several calls, especially from outside Nigeria, from prominent Yoruba professionals who are afraid of what the future holds for us in the country.
I told them that as the Aare Ona Kakanfo, I have the capacity and the network to deal with enemies of Yorubaland.
But, I reminded them that even in the days of yore, the Aare Ona Kakanfo must get permission from the Alaafin of Oyo before embarking on any conquest.
Now, we are in the 21st Century. Elected governors are the Chief Security Officers of their respective states. For me to move against enemies of Yoruba in this land, I will need their permission and cooperation.
Aside the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) which has solid network in all the wards, villages, towns and cities in Yorubaland, I also control 13 other groups working with the OPC.
They are the South West Security Stakeholders Group (SSSG) and this group includes the Agbekoya,the Professional Hunters, Vigilante Groups of Nigeria, Vigilante Jahun, Agbekoya Peace Movement, Agbekoya Farmers Society, COMSAIC and Isokan Ile Oodua among others.
We already have the troops and logistics to flush out undesirable elements in the land but I need the permission of our governors.
Your Excellency sir, for this war to be fought effectively, coordination is central.
And as the Aareonakakanfo of Yorubaland,I have my strategy and I am ready to give you my maximum support as the Chief Security Officer of your state.
I can assure you that within six months, insecurity will reduce drastically across southwest.
This is not the time to be liaising with some groups in isolation, (majority of them are members of South West Security Stakeholders Group and they are under my leadership as the convener of the group and as the Aareonakakanfo of Yorubaland) to wage this battle against the marauders.
I write to have an urgent meeting with Your Excellency and other governors on this threat to our collective existence.
Obviously, the agenda will centre on security in Yorubaland. All the governors will also decide the date, venue and time for the meeting.
It is high time we stopped this cancer that is spreading its virus across Yorubaland. We must act now before the situation becomes unbearable.

Please accept the assurances of my highest considerations.
Oodua a gbe wa o. Ile Yoruba ko ni baje o.
Iba Gani Abiodun Ige Adams
15th Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland.

Source: The Eagle online.

The Commissioner of Police in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Benedict Igwe has said that the Command has embarked on serious cleaning up from Abuja, of Kidnappers, robbers, one-chance criminals that have made life difficult for the residents of the capital city.
The Commissioner, who received in audience, the FCT minister, Nyeson Wike at the Command headquarters in Abuja today, February 14, said that the operatives of Utako Divisional Headquarters, in concert with the Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the FCT Police Command, arrested seven wanted kidnapping suspects, including two women.
He said the arrested suspects were responsible for some of the heinous crimes in the FCT, including kidnappings and killing of 14 victims between November last year and January 2024 before their arrests.
According to the Police Commissioner, the suspects were arrested in Pyakassa, Tudun Wada, and Ketti village, and held in connection with the kidnapping of 14 notable persons in the Federal Capital Territory.
He said that the police also recovered N9 million cash, purportedly paid as ransom to the kidnappers and recovered guns, machetes, amulets, bulletproof vests and a locally fabricated walkie-talkie, which the criminals used for their operations.
“These kidnappers, who have been giving FCT sleepless nights and on the wanted list of the command for a long time, have now been arrested.
“They are responsible for the kidnapping of five victims in Federal Mortgage Housing Estate, Kabusa, three persons at Ketti village: Fulani residents of Alhaji Sani, a woman and her gateman in Kabusa Estate, as well as one Mr Sunday Zakwai and four others.
“The kidnapping gang equally killed the district head while two staff were kidnapped at Defence Estate Kabusa by the gang.”
The police boss said that a gang of armed robbers and one-chance criminals who have perpetrated several one-chance attacks on unsuspecting members of the public, causing pain and injuries, have also been arrested.
He said that the operatives of the Command attached to Mabushi Divisional Headquarters, in the continued fight against criminality, arrested eight notorious armed robbery suspects terrorizing FCT.
He thanked the Minister for his assistance towards the success achieved so far by the Command and pledged that the Command will continue to take the fight to criminals and in order to stamp criminality out of the FCT.

Meanwhile, minister Wike has offered a N20 million reward to the Command for the arrest of two suspected kidnappers that are currently on the run

The two suspected kidnappers were said to have fled into hiding when their wives were arrested at the point of collecting ransom payments for kidnapped victims in Abuja.
The minister directed the police to go after the criminals wherever they may be hiding and make sure they are apprehended.
“Let me put money on their head. Wherever they are, put your men out there. I will give them N20 million. Go and fish them out wherever they are. I want to see them alive or dead.”
The Minister commended the Commissioner of Police and his men for their efforts in addressing the security challenges in the FCT, saying that there has been marked improvement in the security situation in the FCT since the new CP assumed office.
He assured them that the FCT Administration, with the support of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, will provide operational vehicles and other communication gadgets to the Command in the next few days to improve their crime-fighting capabilities.
“Let me assure you that we will do everything humanly possible to provide you with all that you require to fight crime and criminality in this FCT. We believe that in the next few days, you will have more vehicles, you will have more communication gadgets that will enable you and your men to face these criminals”.
Wike called on members of the public to see the police as their friends and provide credible intelligence that will lead to the arrest of criminals.
He advised the police too to improve their intelligence-gathering ability.
The Minister called on the media practitioners to report the positive achievements of the security agencies, saying that it is wrong to focus only on the negatives.
“Try and publicize the positive aspects of what they are doing, not everyday negative because if FCT is not safe, you as journalists too, you can’t be here. So, we need a safe environment for you to be able to carry out your own job.”

The Registrar of the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, Faruk Abubakar has said that over 15,000 nurses and midwives left the country in 2023 to seek greener pastures in other countries.
Reacting to the controversy surrounding the new rules on the nurses’ certificate verification, on Channels Television’s Morning Brief, the Registrar said that the number of nurses leaving the country is increasing every year.
“42,000 nurses left the country in the last three years. Last year alone, it was over 15,000. The number is increasing year by year.”
On the welfare of the nurses, he said that the Federal Ministry of Health is working towards improving the nurses’ working conditions, allowances, and salaries.
“The FMoH and the honourable Minister of State (for health) are working hard to ensure a very conducive working environment, with the provision of state-of-the-art equipment, and instruments, that will help them provide quality care for Nigerians.
“And I want to assure (you) that within a couple of months, a lot has been integrated and provided in 2024 that will improve the welfare of the nurses that we are talking about. “When talk about the salary, I think it’s a general phenomenon, and I believe it’s a general thing.
“There is a lot of progress that is going on to review the salary and nurses are also included in that policy. I think it’s a general phenomenon, all other sectors are also complaining and the government is doing a lot.”
He said that the Council is not responsible for the remuneration of nurses in the country, saying: “our responsibility is to ensure that nurses are regulated to better education and practice for Nigerians.
“Those who are responsible are doing their best to ensure that welfare is attended to.
“Additionally, the NANNM, which is the umbrella body (of nurses and midwives) is doing a lot. I know that there was a lot of discussion with the honourable Minister some weeks back, and all related to their welfare.
“The association that is responsible for that is doing its best to ensure that welfare is improved drastically.”
The nurses had staged protests at the NMCN’s offices in Abuja and Lagos, respectively to express their displeasure over what they described as an attempt to hinder their freedom to pursue career opportunities.
They also asked the Council to address nurses’ welfare, salary scale, shortage of staff, and other rights.
The Council had issued a revised guidelines asking that applicants seeking verification of certificates from foreign nursing boards and councils must possess two years of post-qualification experience from the date of issuance of the permanent practising licence.

The Vice-Captain of the Super Eagles football team, William Troost-Ekong, has assured President Bola Tinubu that the team will bring gold medal home in the next African Cup of Nations (AFCON) competition.
“All we can promise is that we will continue to work hard, and the next time we meet, hopefully next year, we will be bringing home a gold medal,” the Vice-Captain told President Tinubu who hosted the players today, February 13, at the Presidential villa in Abuja.
Ekong expressed the team’s appreciation of the support of the President during their stay in Ivory Coast.
“We did our best until the final. I wish that we were here carrying the trophy for you.
”In 2019, I was here with a bronze medal. Now we are here with a silver medal. I have two gold-medal winners beside me here.”
This was even as the minister of Sports Development, Senator John Enoh applauded the President for prioritizing sports development in the country and ensuring support for the team.
He lauded the decision by the President to create a separate Ministry of Sports Development, saying: “for the first time, we have gone through a major competition; we have come back without any crisis, without any complaint, without any issues whatsoever relating to allowances, bonuses, or whatever. “This kept the team focused on the matches in front of them with quality results.”
President Tinubu, who decorated each member of the Super Eagles team with the national honour of Member of the Order of the Niger (MON) lapel pins, observed that the team demonstrated a team spirit and discipline at the AFCON in Côte d’Ivoire and proved that diversity is a source of strength.
The President commended the players for their exemplary display of unity, determination and resilience on the field.
He emphasized the pride Nigerians felt in the Super Eagles’ remarkable journey throughout the competition.
“It is a great honour for me to receive you, our Super Eagles. As a team, you taught us lessons on resilience, togetherness, diversity and excitement in competitive games.
”You started the tournament as if Nigeria would not assert itself, but you progressed to the finals. Through all the challenges and dealing with great humility in the host country, you left your clubs and honoured your country. You gave us great excitement.
”You were determined. We salute your resilience. You lifted our spirits, and you made us proud. You made us smile as Nigerians.
”It is not easy to absorb a loss, particularly when the expectations are high. But you have demonstrated sportsmanship, resilience, and teamanship throughout the entire tournament. “That is what AFCON stands for, the unity and resilience of the continent. You have done a great job, and I am very proud of you.”
President Tinubu pledged to continue investing in sports and youth development, adding: ”we will consult with you on how to facilitate and promote sports development. As your President, I will go out to attract greater private sector investment in the Nigerian Professional Football League. We have to grow our local league and I promise to be a super promoter of sports in our country. Many of you may in the future become managers of our local premiership system. I want to say once again that I am proud of you, and Nigeria is proud of you. You are a lifter of spirits.”
Meanwhile, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has moved to allocate a plot of land to each of the players by distributing forms for them to fill, even as he announced the donation of a flat to each of them.
The Super Eagles came second with silver medal in the just concluded African Cup Of Nations competition in Côte d’Ivoire.

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has jerked its demand for new monthly minimum wage for workers in Nigeria to one million Naira.
The NLC President, Joe Ajaero, in an interview on Arise Television today, February 12, said that the earlier N200,000 which the labour gave as acceptable new minimum wage is no longer adequate to meet the needs of an average worker.
He insisted that the new minimum wage must reflect the country’s economic conditions and other economic indicators.
“This N1 million may be relevant if the value of the Naira continues to depreciate; if the inflation continues to depreciate. “The demand of Labour is equally dependent on what is happening in society.
“You will remember that by the time we contemplated N200,000, the exchange rate was about N900. Today, the exchange rate is about N1,400 or even more.
“Those are the issues that determine the demand, and they are equally affecting the cost of living, and we have always said that our demand will be based on the cost of living index.
“You will agree that a bag of rice is about N60,000 to N70,000. Foodstuff is getting out of reach. “Now, will we get a minimum wage that is insufficient for transportation, even for one week?
“We have to factor in all these issues. And that will determine the federal government’s commitment to these negotiations.”
He confirmed that the organized Labour is meeting with the Federal Government today to discuss resolutions around the strike notice issued by the NLC and Trade Union Congress (TUC) last week.