From: Taiwo Oluwadare,  Ibadan

The Chairman Legal committee on Ife crisis, set up by Ife community, Mr. Olugbenga Awosode, has condemned Yoruba leaders’ silence on Yoruba/Hausa crisis that erupted in Ile Ife, Osun State some weeks ago.

Awosode, while addressing journalists yesterday during Press Briefing organized by Atayese,  a Yoruba Movement, said the crisis was a planned attack by Hausa leaders from the North to test Yoruba’s patience in Ile Ife.

His words,  “From our findings after this crisis,  we learnt Hausa leaders sent some of their emissaries to some part of Yorubaland to cause chaos. Therefore,  the crisis didn’t caused by Hausas resident in Ile Ife because they are part of Yorubas.

“And that is why there had been no crisis between us since all these year long.  But this recent crisis is a test water to see what Yoruba will do and a reason, organisations like Atayese, is rising to the occasion”, he stated.

Narrating what caused the crisis,  Awosode, a resident and indigene of Ile-Ife, continued, “This is how the crisis started;  the NURTW in Sabo parked their buses in a garage in the area when Hausa people came to tell them is their land and that’s how the Hausas started setting fire on the buses.

“The following day,  the women selling in the market gathered to find solution on the fight and alas,  one Hausa man just came and cut off the head of a Yoruba Vulganiser in the area.  And they did the worst by putting the severed body of the man in the wheel barrow and started parading it in the market.

“And for Yoruba not to be seen as a coward,  they mobilized themselves to retaliate and that was how the crisis escalated”, he narrated.

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He continued: “We learned that almost 25 Yorubas whose properties were vandalized went to the police station to complain but surprisingly none of the single Hausa man alleged for the vandalised properties were arrested.

“Another maltreatment on Yoruba was that,  Yorubas who are not involved in the crisis, and were even vindicated by Hausas were arrested and  bundled to Abuja to be detained.

“We sent some lawyers to Abuja yesterday (Wednesday) because we heard the arrested Yorubas that are to be charged will be brought to Osun, on Wednesday.

“We learned from some police officers that the soldiers sent to settle the crisis were rather killing the Ifes while they safeguard the Hausas in the crisis and evacuated them to save place”, he said.

He noted that Yoruba has never been docile during the time of Obafemi Awolowo, as leader of Yorubas, noting that all these maltreatments are possible because Yoruba doesn’t have leader adding that those parading themYorubasas Yoruba leaders are only looking for political relevance to be part of Hausa/Fulani oligarchy.

He said the last Yoruba leader was Pa Abraham Adesanya who’s now late saying, “And because of the crisis in Afenifere, we are deprived of notable leader. It is also noted that there’s no governor standing against Fulani/Hausa menace in their respective states except governor Fayose of Ekiti State.

“This recent crisis in Ile Ife should force us to have a central Yoruba  leader as you can imagine,  Senator Kwakwaso when visited his people in Ile Ife, he was asking compensation from their Yoruba counterpart for killing his people”, he said.