In a bid to avoid reprisal attacks from any part of Nigeria, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi has urged groups within the Yoruba and the Hausa tribes to be cautious of making inflammatory statements on the ethnic clash that engulfed the ancient city.
Oba Ogunwusi while playing host to leaders of Pan- Yoruba group, Afenifere who paid him a condolence visit in his palace in Ile-Ife on Wednesday said that violent reactions will only worsen the crisis.
The monarch who was not happy with the recent harsh reactions that greeted the crisis from different quarters, said that the crisis seems to have been hijacked by politicians.
Oba Ogunwusi expressed surprise at the influx of politicians to Ife after the violence wondering that no politician had visited the town to identify with any tribe in the town.
He also warned youths against being used as instruments of crisis by politicians and other self-serving individuals and charged them to use their strength for productive activities rather than violence.
According to Oba Ogunwusi, “The unity of this nation is very important and we must all defend it. We must all ensure peaceful co-existence. Painfully, the misfortune has happened but we just have to allow peace to reign. We cannot settle violence with violence. We all should persevere and realise that people of different tribes live in other parts of the country. It is patience that we need to get this case resolved.
“I have communicated with necessary authorities in the police force over the matter. There is a unique co-existence among people of different tribes and religions here and we must maintain that model.
“We only know the beginning of a war, nobody knows the end. I plead with Afenifere and other groups to let peace reign so that the crisis will not degenerate.”
Speaking earlier on behlaf of the group, one of the leaders, Pa Ayo Adebanjo said that the police have been biased in their arrest.
He stressed that it was wrong to arrest majority of Ile-Ife indigenes.
His words: “we are not happy with the crisis. One could be surprised as to the reason for the clash because since over forty years that Yoruba and Hausa have been cohabiting, there had not been any record of violence between the two tribes.
“Even during Ife/Modakeke crisis, nobody attacked the Hausas in Ife. The Police are to be blamed for this crisis. They caused the crisis. They arrested only Yoruba people after the crisis. It points to the fact that the arrest was pre-planned. The Police appear to be against the Yoruba and the Inspector General of Police has said he doesn’t have any apology.
“What Afenifere is saying again is that the arrest is one-sided. Some of the people that died in the clash are Yoruba and their houses torched. Nonetheless, we are here to sympathise with both the Yoruba and Hausa residents of Ife.”
Among the delegation to the Ooni’s palace are the former Secretary To The Federal Government, Chief Olu Falae, spokesperson of the organization, Yinka Odumakin and foremost Ife son, Chief Iyiola Omisore among other notable members of Afenifere.
During the visit, the Yoruba leaders met with Yoruba and Hausa leaders and also distributed relief materials to the victims.
Packaged by Bunmi Oladejo
