A chapter from the forthcoming book
“Reawakening the Yoruba Nation: Pathway to Freedom”
OUR LAND IS UNDER ATTACK
Let us speak the truth without fear. Armed men now roam freely in our forests, well-trained, heavily armed, and dangerously bold. They come not in peace but in conquest. They are committing hideous crimes against our men and women, slaughtering our people and destroying everything in their path. And the government seems incapable of dealing with them! Our people seem to have been left to their fate. Will you stand up for them? Wouldn`t evil prevail when you stand aloof, say nothing and do nothing?
*WHERE IS THE AUTHORITY WE WERE PROMISED?*
The Nigerian Constitution begins with “We, the people…” But if the people are being killed, robbed, and left defenceless, then who really holds the power? Those in political office and on royal thrones have failed to protect our lives and properties. That authority either no longer exists or was never meant for us. So let us take it back. If we must defend ourselves, then so be it. That is our right. That is our duty.
*OUR GUARDIANS ARE POWERLESS, OUR VICTIMS ARE CRIMINALISED*
We hoped Amotekun would protect us. And they are trying, but they are not properly equipped to face this kind of threat. They are brave, but they are under-resourced. And even when they or local communities manage to apprehend the criminals, the police often release them quietly. Meanwhile, the victims, the same people defending their farms and families, are locked up. What kind of justice is this?
Fulani attackers are treated like sacred cows, untouchable. Above the law. That is not peace. That is quiet oppression.
*THEY DESTROY OUR ECONOMY TO FEED THEIRS*
Our farmlands, our food supply, our local economy, everything is being destroyed. These lands feed us, yet they’re now grazing fields for Fulani cattle. Their cows eat what our farmers planted, and yet it is we who are chased away. Their economy grows, while ours dies.
Let our people stop eating Fulani meat. Why should we continue to empower those who trample on us?
*STOP TURNING OPPRESSORS INTO HEROES*
This is where we must look inward. One of our deepest wounds is self-inflicted. We, the Yoruba, have developed a dangerous habit of honouring our oppressors. We clap for those who hurt us, praise those who exploit us, and even idolise those who sell us out.
Let us stop it. Stop giving honour to those who bring us shame. Let us stop celebrating Omo Yahoo and Agba Yahoo as if they are role models. They are not. They do not represent the dignity of the Yoruba Nation. We must begin to celebrate integrity again. The true heroes are not the loudest or the richest; they are the ones who stand for justice, who protect the land, and who carry the legacy of our ancestors with humility.
*OUR RIGHT TO LIFE IS NOT UP FOR DEBATE*
We are not calling for chaos. We are standing on the side of truth and survival. International law supports us. *Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights gives every person the right to life and security. Article 4 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights affirms that human life must be respected and protected*. When a state abandons its duty, people have a legal and moral right to protect themselves and their communities.
*LET US BURY FEAR BEFORE IT BURIES US*
Fear has held our people hostage for too long. Fear of speaking. Fear of standing up. Fear of offending the wrong people. But fear cannot protect us. It only weakens us. As our elders say, Were ilé ni a fi n wò ti ita. the fire within must be used to face the fire outside. Let us rise, not with lawlessness, but with unity, strength, and resolve.
*THE YORUBA SPIRIT MUST RISE AGAIN*
We are not a people of weakness. We are not cowards. We are descendants of kings and warriors. In 1845, our ancestors put aside their internal quarrels and stood united at Osogbo to defeat the Fulani. It is time we did the same. Let us remember who we are. Let us stop begging and start building.
*TO YOUR TENTS, O YORUBA PEOPLE*
Nigeria is broken. What remains is a theatre of deception. But the Yoruba Nation is still breathing. We still have a duty, to ourselves, to our children, to the generations yet to come.
I will not sit back and watch my people slaughtered. I will not keep quiet while our dignity is trampled. If we are pushed to the wall, we must lawfully and decisively protect our own.
Let the world hear this loud and clear: we are rising not to destroy but to live.
And when madness comes to our doorstep, we shall meet it with courage, with wisdom, and with everything we have left.
*Enough is enough. Let the Yoruba stand up and defend our lives and ancestral homeland.*
