Insecurity: Igboho defends action as ACF, NEF warn of anarchy

The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) and the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) have issued a stern warning that Nigeria could descend into anarchy if the Federal Government fails to curb the actions of Yoruba Nation agitator Sunday Adeyemo, known as Sunday Igboho. Their concern stems from reports of Igboho issuing an ultimatum to Fulani leaders in Oyo State following the abduction of a pregnant woman and her relatives. The northern groups, alongside several Fulani associations, accused Igboho of ethnic profiling, cautioning that holding an entire ethnic group responsible for the actions of criminals could escalate tensions and undermine national unity.

“

It is, therefore, the duty of the state, security agencies and community leaders, religious clergy, etc., to call him to order and to make it clear that ethnic profiling is a many-sided sword, a recipe for anarchy and an aberration in the modern world.

In response, Igboho defended his actions on Monday, asserting that his advocacy for security in the South-West is not aimed at any specific ethnic group but rather at criminal elements involved in abductions and killings. Meanwhile, the Oyo State police command and the Oorelope Local Government chairman dismissed reports of the abducted woman, Mrs Kuburat Omowumi, her son, and other relatives regaining their freedom. They confirmed the victims remain in captivity and that rescue operations are actively underway.

The controversy intensified following a viral video where Igboho reportedly gave Fulani leaders in the Igboho community, Oyo State, a two-hour ultimatum to release the abducted victims. He accused unnamed Fulani men of perpetrating kidnappings in the area and claimed the victims were held in a nearby forest. The National Publicity Secretary of the ACF, Prof Tukur Muhammad-Baba, described Igboho's ultimatum as unconstitutional and dangerous, warning it could worsen the nation's security challenges. He urged the Federal Government, security agencies, and traditional and religious leaders to intervene swiftly to prevent escalation.

“

The ultimatum is condemnable as it presumes the specific kidnappers represent the whole Fulani group without exception.

Muhammad-Baba argued that the ultimatum unfairly implicates all Fulani people for the alleged crimes of a few individuals. He stressed that there is no evidence to confirm the ethnic identity of the abductors, noting that kidnapping has become a criminal enterprise involving people from diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds. He questioned how Igboho concluded the kidnappers were Fulani without concrete proof, especially given the varied nature of criminal activities in the country.

“

It is not clear how he has concluded that the kidnappers are of the Fulani ethnic group, when we know that the criminal enterprise that kidnapping has evolved into involves all manner of people irrespective of social identities, ethni