LAGOS – In a move that signals a breaking point for regional patience, the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) has issued a blistering ultimatum to governors across the Southwest, Kwara, and Kogi states: Declare a state of emergency now or watch our ancestral lands fall.
The call to arms follows the harrowing massacre of over 100 people in the Woro and Nuku communities of Kaiama, Kwara State—an event the OPC describes as a “heartbreaking and provocative” attempt by jihadist terrorists to establish a foothold in Yoruba-speaking territories.
The “Kanu Warning” Comes Home to Roost
For many, the OPC’s latest stance carries a haunting sense of déjà vu. The group’s statement pointedly criticized the Federal Government for “pampering” terrorists while aggressively prosecuting figures like Nnamdi Kanu and others who “mustered the courage to defend their own.”
This shift in rhetoric has reignited a fierce debate across the region. Many are now revisiting the earlier, often-dismissed warnings from the detained IPOB leader regarding a “Fulanisation” agenda. As Leadership News reports, the OPC is no longer minceing words, warning that the “existential threat” Kanu spoke of is no longer a theory—it is a bloody reality at the doorstep of the Southwest.
“We Won’t Ask for Permission to Live”
Kazeem Lawal, Chairman of the Dr. Frederick Fasehun-led OPC Caretaker Committee, made it clear that the era of “politicising” security is over. The group’s demands are as blunt as they are urgent:
- Shoot on Sight: Lawal insisted that the killers are “not spirits” and must be hunted down and “annihilated” immediately by security agencies. Vanguard
- A Unified Front:Â The governors of the 10 Yoruba-speaking states have been told to stop acting in silos and procure “rapid solutions” together.
- Total Self-Defense:Â Perhaps most strikingly, the OPC declared it would no longer “seek or wait for permission” from the government to protect its people. “We shall not cede the land of our birth to foreigners invading our lands to kidnap, rape, and kill at will,” the statement read.
A Siege on the Presidency?
The OPC also hinted at a deeper political motive behind the spike in violence, suggesting that the insecurity is a “deliberate ploy” to undermine the administration of President Bola Tinubu. By turning the President’s home base into a war zone, the group argues, non-state actors are trying to destabilize the very heart of the current government.
While the Nigeria Police Force maintains it is doing its best to secure the region, the OPC’s message is loud and clear: The “drums of war” are beating, and the people of the Southwest will not be caught sleeping.
