ALAAFIN of Oyo, Oba Akeem Owoade, has expressed concern over threats by terrorists to launch attacks on some indigenous Yoruba communities in Kwara State.
Some of the listed communities as revealed in a letter signed by his Personal Assistant, Revd Dele Kolade, include: Ira, Inaja and Aho in Oyun Local Government Area of Kwara State.
The terrorists had, in a threat letter allegedly dropped at Ira market, threatened to strike soon.
Oba Owoade described the development as a direct affront to the authority of the Nigerian State and a grave assault on the fundamental rights of citizens to live, farm, trade, worship, and raise their children in peace, without coercion, without extortion, and without fear.
The monarch submitted that no Nigerian community anywhere should be forced to live under terror or to contemplate displacement from ancestral soil by faceless criminals.
The statement reads, “The throne of the Alaafin of Oyo has received, with profound concern, reports of a threatening letter allegedly dropped at the Ira market area, targeting the communities of Ira, Inaja and Aho in Oyun Local Government Area of Kwara State, and vowing to strike ‘anytime soon’.
“The report further suggests that the authors of this cowardly letter claimed a spurious identity and sought to create panic through intimidation and fear.
“Ira holds deep cultural significance within the wider Yoruba heritage as the ancestral hometown of the legendary Oya, wife of Sango. No community with such history and dignity, and indeed no Nigerian community anywhere, should be forced to live under the shadow of terror or to contemplate displacement from ancestral soil by faceless criminals.”
The Alaafin noted that the situation must not be normalised where law-abiding people live at the mercy of faceless criminals.
“We must not accept a reality in which villages empty at the sound of rumours, markets close under threat, and communities look over their shoulders as though fear has become a permanent resident,” he said.
The monarch noted that it is encouraging that both the Kwara State government and the Federal Government have continued to demonstrate commitment to addressing insecurity and safeguarding affected communities.
He said sustained, visible and well-coordinated efforts would, however, further reinforce public confidence and reassure citizens that government protection remains active and dependable.
“It is in this spirit of constructive national partnership, and with the urgency the moment demands, that the Alaafin respectfully calls on the Federal Government of Nigeria and all relevant security and intelligence institutions to intensify action immediately,” the statement added.
“The ongoing deployments, patrols, and operational engagements aimed at protecting law-abiding communities, particularly those situated along forest pathways and other vulnerable terrains, deserve commendation.
“However, the present situation calls for a sustained and well-coordinated security presence, backed by rapid response mechanisms, to reassure residents that protection is not occasional but consistent, not symbolic but effective.”