Yoruba land Aare Onakakanfo, Gani Adams, has dismissed as false reports that members of the Oodua Peoples Congress were involved in the crisis that erupted in Ojota, Lagos, on Monday.
In a statement from his Special Media Assistant, Kehinde Aderemi, Adams said the Ojota rally came as a surprise, adding that none of its members were part of the crisis.
“Allow me to clear the air about the crisis that had engulfed Ojota this morning. There were unconfirmed reports linking OPC members to the chaos. I want to make it clear that none of our members were at the scene of the incident.
“The OPC is not against the liberation of the Yoruba race, however, it is a fact that the struggle for the liberation of the Yoruba race is an inalienable right of all Yoruba to champion self-determination. We are not part of the peaceful rally held in Ojota.
“Our position on regionalism is very clear. It’s sacrosanct because that’s what we’re looking for right now.
“Nigeria must be restructured to full regional autonomy, where each region will be free to operate at its own pace.
“It is unfortunate that the report was made in bad faith to discredit our organization.
“So members of the public should not be misled by unconfirmed reports.
“The information at my disposal of the visual contents of the events in Ojota indicated a peaceful demonstration that later failed, leaving behind a bitter experience that led to the death of one of the agitators of the Yoruba nation.
“It is unfortunate that a crisis of this type could lead to such altercations that eventually claimed a life,” he said.
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