The Yoruba Self-Determination Movement, led by Prof. Banji Akintoye and Chief Sunday Adeyemo, also known as Sunday Igboho, recently addressed an open letter to President Bola Tinubu, expressing their desire for a peaceful secession of the Yoruba people from Nigeria.
Dated April 17, 2024, the open letter was jointly signed by Akintoye, Igboho, and Ola Ademola. In the letter, they urged President Tinubu to establish a negotiation team within the next two months to facilitate the exit of the Yoruba people from Nigeria.
This letter comes in the wake of an incident where armed agitators attempted to hoist their flag at the Oyo State Government House, an action that was dissociated from by both Akintoye and Igboho. Following the incident, 29 of the agitators were brought before a magistrates’ court in Ibadan and remanded in prison custody.
The Yoruba Self-Determination Movement emphasized their reasons for seeking secession, citing years of violence and instability caused by Fulani attacks. They accused the Fulani of widespread killings, destruction of farms and villages, as well as kidnapping for ransom. The group alleged that since 2015, as many as 29,000 Yoruba people have been killed by the Fulani.
In their letter, the movement highlighted the ongoing violence in the Middle Belt region, where many families have been displaced and villages seized by the Fulani. They expressed concern that the Fulani attacks have led to widespread instability, forcing many Yoruba farmers to abandon their farms and plunging the region into famine.
The group stated that they have lost confidence in the restructuring of Nigeria as a solution to the Fulani violence, arguing that restructuring would not prevent further attacks. They expressed skepticism that restructuring would deter the Fulani from continuing their attacks and land grabs in Yoruba territory.
The movement emphasized that their request for secession is on behalf of the 60 million Yoruba people in Ekiti, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, and Oyo States, as well as Yoruba communities in Kogi and Kwara States, and the Itshekiri homeland in Delta State.
They outlined their requests to the Nigerian Federal Government, which include:
Within the next two months, but no later than June 15, 2024, the government should inform the Yoruba Self-Determination Movement of its agreement to their proposal for negotiation and establish a negotiation team.
The Nigerian Federal Government should invite observers from the United Nations, African Union, and the Economic Community of West African States to attend the negotiation meetings.
The movement pledged to provide the government with the list of their negotiation team once they receive a response to their request for negotiation.
