Yoruba Union Blasts Tinubu Over Insecurity, Says ‘Terrorists Are Kidnapping Your King While You Enjoy Taxpayers’ Money Abroad’

Ikeja,  Lagos State– A pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Ìgbìnmó Májékóbájé Ilé-Yorùbá, has accused President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of maintaining a deafening silence and showing an alleged lack of decisive action in the face of worsening insecurity across the country, following the abduction of a Yoruba monarch in Kwara State.

The union condemned the kidnapping of a traditional ruler in the Ile-Ire district of Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State, where suspected terrorists abducted the monarch, His Royal Highness, Oba S. Y. Olaonipekun, alongside one of his sons, Olaolu, last week Thursday.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the union accused President Tinubu of abandoning his responsibility as the nation’s chief security officer, even as violent attacks, kidnappings and killings continue to spread across Yoruba land and other parts of Nigeria.

The statement was signed by the Convener of Ìgbìnmó Májékóbájé Ilé-Yorùbá, Olusola Badero, and released through its Home Director, Princess Balogun.

According to the union, the abducted monarch had long been a target of armed groups known as terrorists, parading themselves as Fulani herdsmen, who have allegedly turned forests and rural communities in parts of Kwara and the wider South-West into safe havens for criminal operations.

“We all know that in Yoruba land we used to say ‘Oríadé kì í sùn tán’ (The crown head does not sleep outside), but today terrorists have subjected our traditional rulers to public humiliation,” the statement read.

“This humiliation is happening because those saddled with the constitutional responsibility of securing lives and property have failed woefully to protect our territory. Worse still, some traditional rulers have also betrayed the sacred trust and values of Yoruba land, leaving our people exposed.”

The group lamented that the kidnapping of Yoruba traditional rulers was once unheard of in the region’s history, describing the current situation as a dangerous departure from long-standing cultural and security norms.

“Never in our history as Yoruba people have we experienced the kidnapping of our traditional rulers. Yet this disgraceful development is happening under the watch of President Bola Tinubu, who himself is a son of the soil,” the union said.

“Tinubu has the power, authority and privilege to change things for the better. Instead, he has prioritised himself, his family and his cronies over the collective safety and welfare of Yoruba people and Nigerians at large.”

Ìgbìnmó Májékóbájé Ilé-Yorùbá further accused the President of maintaining silence in the face of daily killings, mass abductions and growing fear across communities, arguing that press statements without concrete action have failed to stem the tide of violence.

“One would think President Tinubu is not living on the same planet as the rest of us,” Yoruba Union said. “He found his way into power by hook and by crook, yet someone who claimed to be a democrat has turned into a tyrant overnight.”

“He appears unconcerned and unmoved by the insecurity ravaging the country. All we hear are statements without action. He has refused to sack incompetent officials entrusted with national security and replace them with capable, committed professionals.”

The union also criticised Tinubu’s frequent foreign trips, particularly to Europe, accusing him of enjoying the benefits of public office while ordinary Nigerians grapple with poverty, fear and deteriorating public infrastructure.

“President Tinubu is enjoying the people’s taxes abroad despite the widespread poverty, crippling insecurity, dilapidated schools and collapsing hospitals at home,” the group alleged.

“He continues to implement anti-people policies. Recently, he slammed Nigerians with heavier taxes without providing any tangible benefits. These policies have only deepened hardship and impoverished the masses even further.”

Beyond the President, the group also held the Kwara State Government responsible, accusing Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of failing to protect residents of the state from criminal violence.

“We are calling on President Bola Tinubu and Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, who have both failed in their duty to secure lives and property, to immediately ensure the release of Oba S. Y. Olaonipekun, his son Olaolu, abducted government workers from the Kwara State Ministry of Works, and all other abducted persons across the country,” the statement demanded.

Ìgbìnmó Májékóbájé Ilé-Yorùbá recalled several previous attacks on Yoruba monarchs and prominent figures as evidence of a growing pattern of lawlessness in the region.

It cited the killing of Segun Aremu, a retired army general and monarch, the Olúkòrò of Koro, who was reportedly shot dead by suspected Fulani herdsmen in February 2024, while his wife was abducted during the same incident.

It also referenced the abduction of the Oníbàrà of Bayagan Ile in Ifelodun Local Government Area, Kwara State, Kamilu Salami, who was held captive by bandits for about 25 days before regaining his freedom after a ransom was paid.

“Our region has become a hub for terrorists,” the union warned. “Yet President Tinubu seems more concerned about the 2027 elections—who will vote for him or his allies—than about securing our communities.”

“Who will be alive to vote if our villages are deserted, our farmlands abandoned, and our forests fully occupied by terrorists without any serious effort by the federal government to neutralise them?”

In a further swipe at the President, the group claimed Tinubu appeared more fearful of foreign powers than committed to defending Nigeria’s sovereignty.

“Tinubu is only afraid of Donald Trump, while he has failed to secure the Giant of Africa and the most populous Black nation on earth,” the statement alleged.

The union called on Yoruba people at home and in the diaspora to take collective and decisive action to protect their communities, warning that continued reliance on political leaders who have “clearly failed” could lead to further devastation.

“We cannot continue like this,” the group declared. “Yoruba people, both at home and abroad, must rise up and take decisive steps to secure our region, since those saddled with responsibility have abandoned their duty.”