YORUBALAND UNDER SIEGE: THE TASK OF SELF-DETERMINATION, SELF-DEFENCE AND NATIONAL SURVIVAL — WALE BALOGUN
Press Statement
 |
Mr. M. O. Oyedokun,
Abducted with some
students by bandits |
The worsening insecurity across Yorubaland has once again exposed the harsh reality that no people can survive without the capacity and collective will to defend their land, civilisation, culture and future. What was once dismissed as isolated attacks and rural criminality has now evolved into a dangerous and coordinated assault on the peace, territorial integrity and indigenous identity of the Yoruba nation.
From Owo in Ondo State to the forests and farming settlements of Oyo, Ogun, Kwara and Kogi States, armed terrorists, bandits and criminal herders have continued to invade communities, sack villages, kidnap citizens and destroy livelihoods with alarming boldness. Our people are increasingly becoming refugees in their ancestral homeland while those entrusted with the responsibility of governance continue to play politics with the lives of innocent citizens.
Many continue to ask how we arrived at this dangerous point. Without unnecessary historical excursion, the present crisis cannot be divorced from the structural imbalance and political betrayal that followed the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election. That annulment was not merely an attack on democracy; it was an attack on the political future and collective dignity of the Yoruba people.
The years that followed witnessed the steady consolidation of a political and ideological agenda that sought to weaken regional autonomy while centralising power in a deeply compromised federal structure. Under successive administrations, particularly after the return to civil rule in 1999, extremist tendencies gained confidence while constitutional contradictions surrounding religion, security and governance were deliberately ignored for political convenience.
It was during this era that the aggressive expansion of Sharia across several Northern states was normalised despite the constitutional controversies surrounding it. Many dismissed the implications at the time, but what we are witnessing today is the dangerous consequence of years of appeasement, silence and elite compromise.
The bitter truth is that Yorubaland has been politically betrayed not only by external forces but also by some internal actors whose personal ambitions took precedence over the collective survival of the Yoruba nation. The establishment of Amotekun, which should have emerged much earlier as a formidable regional security architecture, was weakened by political calculations and the desperation of certain power blocs seeking Northern political support for presidential ambitions.
It is on record that the Lagos State Government was reluctance towards, reject and refuse regional security vision behind Amotekun because of fears that robust regional self-defence structures might jeopardise strategic alliances ahead of national elections. That hesitation weakened the urgency required at a critical moment when Yorubaland needed unity, courage and decisive leadership.
The tragedy is further compounded by the conduct and utterances of certain influential figures whose actions continue to undermine Yoruba historical consciousness and collective resistance. One cannot ignore the symbolic implications of the Alaafin of Oyo paying homage and pledging allegiance to the Sultan of Sokoto shortly after his coronation while simultaneously attacking the Ọọni of Ifẹ̀ and questioning aspects of Yoruba history and civilisation.
Similarly, the self-styled Emir posture adopted by the Oluwo of Iwo, including statements portraying Iwo as a natural settlement space for displaced Fulani populations, raises serious concerns about the gradual cultural and political erosion of Yoruba identity through elite collaboration and internal sabotage.
The political class at the federal level has also demonstrated troubling insensitivity. Senate President Godswill Akpabio’s controversial remarks suggesting that insecurity may persist until after the 2027 elections created the disturbing impression that political elites already understand the scale of the crisis but lack either the will or sincerity to confront it decisively.
Likewise, statements attributed to the Chief of Army Staff advocating negotiations with terrorists because “they are Nigerians too” continue to demoralise citizens whose communities remain under siege. While dialogue may have strategic value in certain conflicts, no nation can normalise terrorism or reward violent criminality without undermining justice and national security.
At this stage, over-analysis without action will only produce collective paralysis. Yorubaland must now begin to embrace a realistic and organised self-determination consciousness anchored on self-preservation, regional unity, security coordination, economic independence and cultural rebirth.
Self-determination does not merely mean agitation or emotional rhetoric. It means building the institutional, political, cultural and security capacity necessary for a people to protect their existence and determine their future. It means developing strong regional consensus beyond partisan politics and rejecting every form of divide-and-rule manipulation.
To save Yorubaland from further deterioration, the following urgent steps have become necessary:
*Immediate Community Defence Structures:*
* Every Yoruba community must establish coordinated and lawful COMMUNITY DEFENCE COMMITTEES (CDC), vigilance networks and local intelligence structures working in synergy with Amotekun and other legitimate security outfits.
*Strengthening Amotekun:*
* Amotekun must be transformed into a fully funded, technologically equipped and operationally independent regional security institution with modern intelligence capabilities and forest surveillance systems.
*Regional Security Summit:*
* All Yoruba stakeholders, traditional rulers, youth organisations, civil society groups, hunters, farmers, professionals and self-determination groups, should convene an emergency Yoruba Security and Survival Summit to develop a unified regional security strategy.
*Economic and Political Self-Reliance:*
* Yorubaland must reduce dependency on the dysfunctional federal structure by strengthening regional economic integration, food security, local industries and internal cooperation among Southwest states.
*Cultural Reawakening* :
* The Yoruba people must consciously defend and preserve their history, language, traditional institutions and civilisational identity against both external domination and internal distortion.
*Demand for True Federalism and Restructuring* :
* The current over-centralised Nigerian structure has failed. The Yoruba nation must intensify constitutional advocacy for genuine federalism, regional autonomy and resource control as minimum conditions for peaceful coexistence.
*Reject Political Opportunism:*
* Those seeking political offices ahead of 2027 must clearly state their positions on regional security, restructuring and Yoruba self-preservation. Empty slogans and transactional politics can no longer guarantee public trust.
The time has come for the Yoruba people to stop outsourcing their destiny to external powers, foreign governments, political merchants or opportunistic actors masquerading as freedom fighters. No foreign government will save Yorubaland. No messiah is coming from abroad. The survival of our people depends ultimately on our collective consciousness, organisation, courage and readiness to act.
History has placed before this generation a difficult but unavoidable responsibility: either we rise to defend our land, identity and future, or we continue the dangerous path of complacency, disunity and gradual displacement.
The choice is ours. Fatherland or death !
Comrade Wale Balogun
Afenifere Chieftain and Convener, Mẹkunnu Koya.
Writes from Lagos.
20/05/2026
Press Statement
|
Mr. M. O. Oyedokun,
Abducted with some
students by bandits |
The worsening insecurity across Yorubaland has once again exposed the harsh reality that no people can survive without the capacity and collective will to defend their land, civilisation, culture and future. What was once dismissed as isolated attacks and rural criminality has now evolved into a dangerous and coordinated assault on the peace, territorial integrity and indigenous identity of the Yoruba nation.
From Owo in Ondo State to the forests and farming settlements of Oyo, Ogun, Kwara and Kogi States, armed terrorists, bandits and criminal herders have continued to invade communities, sack villages, kidnap citizens and destroy livelihoods with alarming boldness. Our people are increasingly becoming refugees in their ancestral homeland while those entrusted with the responsibility of governance continue to play politics with the lives of innocent citizens.
Many continue to ask how we arrived at this dangerous point. Without unnecessary historical excursion, the present crisis cannot be divorced from the structural imbalance and political betrayal that followed the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election. That annulment was not merely an attack on democracy; it was an attack on the political future and collective dignity of the Yoruba people.
The years that followed witnessed the steady consolidation of a political and ideological agenda that sought to weaken regional autonomy while centralising power in a deeply compromised federal structure. Under successive administrations, particularly after the return to civil rule in 1999, extremist tendencies gained confidence while constitutional contradictions surrounding religion, security and governance were deliberately ignored for political convenience.
It was during this era that the aggressive expansion of Sharia across several Northern states was normalised despite the constitutional controversies surrounding it. Many dismissed the implications at the time, but what we are witnessing today is the dangerous consequence of years of appeasement, silence and elite compromise.
The bitter truth is that Yorubaland has been politically betrayed not only by external forces but also by some internal actors whose personal ambitions took precedence over the collective survival of the Yoruba nation. The establishment of Amotekun, which should have emerged much earlier as a formidable regional security architecture, was weakened by political calculations and the desperation of certain power blocs seeking Northern political support for presidential ambitions.
It is on record that the Lagos State Government was reluctance towards, reject and refuse regional security vision behind Amotekun because of fears that robust regional self-defence structures might jeopardise strategic alliances ahead of national elections. That hesitation weakened the urgency required at a critical moment when Yorubaland needed unity, courage and decisive leadership.
The tragedy is further compounded by the conduct and utterances of certain influential figures whose actions continue to undermine Yoruba historical consciousness and collective resistance. One cannot ignore the symbolic implications of the Alaafin of Oyo paying homage and pledging allegiance to the Sultan of Sokoto shortly after his coronation while simultaneously attacking the Ọọni of Ifẹ̀ and questioning aspects of Yoruba history and civilisation.
Similarly, the self-styled Emir posture adopted by the Oluwo of Iwo, including statements portraying Iwo as a natural settlement space for displaced Fulani populations, raises serious concerns about the gradual cultural and political erosion of Yoruba identity through elite collaboration and internal sabotage.
The political class at the federal level has also demonstrated troubling insensitivity. Senate President Godswill Akpabio’s controversial remarks suggesting that insecurity may persist until after the 2027 elections created the disturbing impression that political elites already understand the scale of the crisis but lack either the will or sincerity to confront it decisively.
Likewise, statements attributed to the Chief of Army Staff advocating negotiations with terrorists because “they are Nigerians too” continue to demoralise citizens whose communities remain under siege. While dialogue may have strategic value in certain conflicts, no nation can normalise terrorism or reward violent criminality without undermining justice and national security.
At this stage, over-analysis without action will only produce collective paralysis. Yorubaland must now begin to embrace a realistic and organised self-determination consciousness anchored on self-preservation, regional unity, security coordination, economic independence and cultural rebirth.
Self-determination does not merely mean agitation or emotional rhetoric. It means building the institutional, political, cultural and security capacity necessary for a people to protect their existence and determine their future. It means developing strong regional consensus beyond partisan politics and rejecting every form of divide-and-rule manipulation.
To save Yorubaland from further deterioration, the following urgent steps have become necessary:
*Immediate Community Defence Structures:*
* Every Yoruba community must establish coordinated and lawful COMMUNITY DEFENCE COMMITTEES (CDC), vigilance networks and local intelligence structures working in synergy with Amotekun and other legitimate security outfits.
*Strengthening Amotekun:*
* Amotekun must be transformed into a fully funded, technologically equipped and operationally independent regional security institution with modern intelligence capabilities and forest surveillance systems.
*Regional Security Summit:*
* All Yoruba stakeholders, traditional rulers, youth organisations, civil society groups, hunters, farmers, professionals and self-determination groups, should convene an emergency Yoruba Security and Survival Summit to develop a unified regional security strategy.
*Economic and Political Self-Reliance:*
* Yorubaland must reduce dependency on the dysfunctional federal structure by strengthening regional economic integration, food security, local industries and internal cooperation among Southwest states.
*Cultural Reawakening* :
* The Yoruba people must consciously defend and preserve their history, language, traditional institutions and civilisational identity against both external domination and internal distortion.
*Demand for True Federalism and Restructuring* :
* The current over-centralised Nigerian structure has failed. The Yoruba nation must intensify constitutional advocacy for genuine federalism, regional autonomy and resource control as minimum conditions for peaceful coexistence.
*Reject Political Opportunism:*
* Those seeking political offices ahead of 2027 must clearly state their positions on regional security, restructuring and Yoruba self-preservation. Empty slogans and transactional politics can no longer guarantee public trust.
The time has come for the Yoruba people to stop outsourcing their destiny to external powers, foreign governments, political merchants or opportunistic actors masquerading as freedom fighters. No foreign government will save Yorubaland. No messiah is coming from abroad. The survival of our people depends ultimately on our collective consciousness, organisation, courage and readiness to act.
History has placed before this generation a difficult but unavoidable responsibility: either we rise to defend our land, identity and future, or we continue the dangerous path of complacency, disunity and gradual displacement.
The choice is ours. Fatherland or death !
Comrade Wale Balogun
Afenifere Chieftain and Convener, Mẹkunnu Koya.
Writes from Lagos.
20/05/2026
