Group urges Southwest governors to work together to end banditry

Monday, October 27, 2025 - Yoruba Assembly, a coalition of diverse Yoruba socio-political and cultural groups, has warned of grave consequences, should there be any attempt to stage a military coup in Nigeria.

The group said such an action would destabilise the country, erode democratic gains and plunge the nation into turmoil.

The warning was issued in a communiqué released after the group’s conference on the State of the Nation, held in Lagos and attended by over 1,000 delegates from across Yoruba-speaking states, including representatives from the Yoruba diaspora and other ethnic nationalities like the Itsekiri.

The Chairman, Olawale Oshun, who read the assembly’s statement, said the group was disturbed by reports suggesting the possibility of anti-democratic conspiracies in the country.

He cautioned against any attempt to truncate Nigeria’s democratic process, noting such an act would have “unprecedented and irreversible consequences.”

Oshun, Chief Whip of the House of Representatives during the aborted Third Republic, said: “We warn military adventurists to stay away from politics. Any attempt to truncate democracy at this moment will end up creating unprecedented violence and instability.”

The assembly expressed concern about intelligence reports alleging planned attacks by the Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) on parts of Ondo, Ekiti, Kwara and Osun states, warning that Yoruba communities must begin to organize themselves for self-defence.

“Our people cannot remain silent witnesses to the invasion of our homeland. The Yoruba must unite to resist any attempt to subjugate or destroy our heritage,” the group said.

The assembly condemned the recent spate of killings in Kwara, Kogi states and Itsekiri land, describing attacks on Yoruba people anywhere in Nigeria as “an attack on all Yoruba.”

It called on the Federal Government to protect Itsekiri communities in Delta State and Yoruba populations in Kogi and Kwara states, warning that ‘’the continued neglect of these vulnerable areas can lead to unrest.

“The Yoruba in Kogi and Kwara states are facing a declaration of war. Itsekiri people are also facing historical injustice, with pipeline protection contracts handed to their adversaries. These situations can no longer be tolerated,” the communiqué said.

The body identified restructuring as the most viable solution to Nigeria’s lingering instability, urging the Federal Government to return the country to a true federal system similar to the pre-independence arrangement.

“The antidote to Nigeria’s instability is to restructure the federation along regional lines, allowing each unit to control its resources and chart its development path,” the statement said.

The group criticized Southwest governors for failing to collaborate on security and development issues, enjoining them to prioritise governance and work together to establish subnational policing systems to safeguard lives and property.

“No single governor can protect his people alone. They must work collectively and push for state and regional policing to confront the security challenges head-on,” it said.

The assembly underscored the critical role of Yoruba traditional rulers in uniting and defending their people, calling for a summit of Yoruba monarchs to be convened by the Ooni of Ife and the Alaafin of Oyo to reassert cultural and ancestral leadership.

“Our monarchs must take their rightful place as custodians of our spirit and heritage. Their unity is essential to the preservation of Yoruba civilization,” the statement emphasized.

It acknowledged recent improvements in macroeconomic indicators — including a decline in inflation from 34 per cent in mid-2024 to 22 per cent by September 2025, and GDP growth of 3.8 per cent — but expressed concern that ‘’these figures do not translate into real benefits for ordinary Nigerians.’’

“We can recite positive statistics, but they mean little if they do not improve the lives of our citizens. Development must be people-centred, not just paper growth,” Oshun noted.

The group called for renewed investment in agriculture, small-scale industrial production and the revival of Industrial Development Centres (IDCs), to promote local enterprise and job creation across the Southwest.