A former Ministeer of Aviation, Olufemi Fani-
Kayode has broken his silence on the recent crisis
that rocked Ile-Ile, the ancestral home of the
Yorubas.
DAILY POST recalls that bloody crisis erupted in
the ancient town last week between Hausa settlers
and Yoruba indigenes, leaving several persons
dead and many injured.
The crisis ensued after Yoruba man accused an
Hausa man of taking advantage of his wife.
The altercation, however, resulted into serious crisis
when the kinsmen of the Hausa man ganged up to
defend one of their own.
Several persons were reported dead and many
houses burnt during the melee.
In an article entitled, The Hausa Fulani, the Yoruba
and the slaughter in Ile Ife (1), the controversial
PDP chieftain warned intruders against provoking
the ‘Yoruba aggressive spirit.’
He wrote, “We are not Southern Kaduna or Agatu in
Benue state. We find it difficult to sit by idly and
watch our people being slaughtered in cold blood.
And neither do we bow down before our
oppressors.
“There is something deep in the Yoruba spirit and
soul and particularly that of the Ifes that resists
and rebels against injustice, brutality, barbarity and
subjugation and the history of the Yoruba proves
that.
“We are slow to anger but irresistible in battle and
the fact is that for one hundred years before the
British colonial masters arrived on our shores we
were fighting brutal civil wars against one another.
“We know the tragedy, the pain, the terror, the evil
and the horrendous sacrifice that comes with war
and conflict and though we avoid it as best as we
can, we never shy away from it once it is forced
upon us. Worse still the youth of Ile Ife, many of
whom are veterans of numerous Ife-Modakeke
wars, are hardened and battle-ready any day and
any time.
“This is indeed a potentially volatile and dangerous
mix. In this respect relevant and insighful are the
words of Oloye Gani Adams, the leader of the Odua
Peoples Congress (OPC), when he said, just
yesterday, that ‘the Yoruba cannot be conquered!’”.
Kayode has broken his silence on the recent crisis
that rocked Ile-Ile, the ancestral home of the
Yorubas.
DAILY POST recalls that bloody crisis erupted in
the ancient town last week between Hausa settlers
and Yoruba indigenes, leaving several persons
dead and many injured.
The crisis ensued after Yoruba man accused an
Hausa man of taking advantage of his wife.
The altercation, however, resulted into serious crisis
when the kinsmen of the Hausa man ganged up to
defend one of their own.
Several persons were reported dead and many
houses burnt during the melee.
In an article entitled, The Hausa Fulani, the Yoruba
and the slaughter in Ile Ife (1), the controversial
PDP chieftain warned intruders against provoking
the ‘Yoruba aggressive spirit.’
He wrote, “We are not Southern Kaduna or Agatu in
Benue state. We find it difficult to sit by idly and
watch our people being slaughtered in cold blood.
And neither do we bow down before our
oppressors.
“There is something deep in the Yoruba spirit and
soul and particularly that of the Ifes that resists
and rebels against injustice, brutality, barbarity and
subjugation and the history of the Yoruba proves
that.
“We are slow to anger but irresistible in battle and
the fact is that for one hundred years before the
British colonial masters arrived on our shores we
were fighting brutal civil wars against one another.
“We know the tragedy, the pain, the terror, the evil
and the horrendous sacrifice that comes with war
and conflict and though we avoid it as best as we
can, we never shy away from it once it is forced
upon us. Worse still the youth of Ile Ife, many of
whom are veterans of numerous Ife-Modakeke
wars, are hardened and battle-ready any day and
any time.
“This is indeed a potentially volatile and dangerous
mix. In this respect relevant and insighful are the
words of Oloye Gani Adams, the leader of the Odua
Peoples Congress (OPC), when he said, just
yesterday, that ‘the Yoruba cannot be conquered!’”.
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