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Ife Clash: Afenifere, OPC Kick Against One-sided Arrest
THE pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere and the Oodua Peoples Congress, OPC, have kicked against what they call one-sided arrest of some Ile Ife residents by security operatives over the communal clash in the area recently. In a statement, Afenifere’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr Yinka Odumakin said though it was concerned that lives were lost in the clash but faulted security operatives for carrying out a one-sided arrest of some innocent residents.
In a statement entitled: ‘Ife Crisis:The Hounding After and Yoruba Stand’, Afenifere said: “We are miffed that security operatives sectionally mobilized have moved to Ife after the incident to carry out one-sided mass arrests of Yoruba people who are mostly notables and could never have participated in any riot. As at the time of making this statement,all of those so indiscriminately arrested have either been taken to either the state police command in Osogbo or Force Headquarters in Abuja.’’ On its part, National Coordinator of the OPC, Otunba Gani Adams called for caution in the handling of the recent feud between the Ife indigenes and their Hausa dwellers, by security operatives.
In a statement by the Publicity Secretary of OPC, Mr Yinka Oguntimehin said: “We will not want this hospitality to be mistaken for cowardice. The Yoruba race is not and will never submit to being a conquered nation. We say no, to any treatment that will restrict us to being slaves on our own land. We say no to any measure skewed to favour only a side in a crisis of this nature.
We call for the release of all the arrested Ife indigenes while a better amicable way be proffered to settle frayed nerves and settle the crisis permanently.’’ Omoworare provides succour to victims Meantime, Senator Babajide Omoworare representing Osun East Senatorial District at the National Assembly has donated relief materials to the victims of the clash between the Yoruba and Hausa in Ile-Ife.
Omoworare who described the clash as unfortunate and avoidable, distributed food items to the Yoruba and Hausa communities, pleading with both sides to embrace peace.
The senator visited the Sabo area where the crisis erupted where he donated bags of rice, beans, and cow to the northerners. Also, the Supreme Council for Sharia in Nigeria, SCS, has assured that the council would ensure that the recent bloody clash in Ile-Ife between the Hausa and Yoruba comm unities does not lead to religious crises in the country.
