Prolonging the Suffering of Yorubas in Nigeria by Forcefully Detaining Them - Akintoye Cautions Tinubu
Yoruba Self-Determination Movement Urges President Tinubu for Peaceful Separation
In an unprecedented move, Banji Akintoye, leader of the Yoruba Self-Determination Movement, has called on President Bola Tinubu to mediate the peaceful secession of the Yoruba nation from Nigeria.
Akintoye, in a letter to the President, has warned that continuing to keep the Yoruba nation within Nigeria will result in devastating deprivations, insecurity, and pain. The Yoruba people, he said, aspire to establish their own sovereign state, where they can rebuild their lives according to their desires, culture, and abilities.
Tracing back to President Muhammadu Buhari's administration, Akintoye outlined several letters requesting independence, the most recent being dated May 25, 2025. To date, these requests have not led to any dialogue between the Presidency and the Yoruba Nation movement.
"Mr. President," the letter reads in part, "grant us, your Yoruba people, what we have asked for in our separate letters to your predecessor, President Buhari, and to you. We seek that, as the President of Nigeria, you should facilitate negotiations between representatives of the Nigerian Federal Government and our Yoruba people to negotiate our Yoruba nation's peaceful separation from Nigeria."
The statement continues, expressing concerns over the prolongation of the Yoruba people's suffering, "Forcibly keeping us in Nigeria is only prolonging our people's abominable deprivations, insecurity, and pains. Please act on this without delay."
Akintoye alleged that the Yoruba people are confronted with harassment and arbitrary arrests, specifically mentioning the detention of Yoruba youths as an attempt to intimidate them.
As of the latest available information, President Tinubu has not publicly responded to the call by the Yoruba Self-Determination Movement.
- The Yoruba Self-Determination Movement advocates for peaceful separation from Nigeria, appealing to the presidency and President Tinubu in particular.
- Akintoye, the leader of the movement, has written several letters to ex-President Buhari, including one dated May 25, 2025, seeking independence without success.
- As the President of Nigeria, Tinubu is encouraged to negotiate a peaceful secession of the Yoruba nation from the country, according to Akintoye's recent letter.
- The Yoruba people face harassment and arbitrary arrests, as mentioned in the latest appeal, with the detention of Yoruba youths seemingly aimed at intimidation.
- The ongoing struggle for secession is causing the Yoruba people continued deprivations, insecurity, and pain, as Akintoye warns, and resolution is urged without delay.
- The call for peaceful separation has been linked to the general news category, as well as crime and justice, indicating a significant impact on the nation's political landscape and social climate.
- This recent move by the Yoruba Self-Determination Movement serves as a pressing issue in Nigerian politics, immigration, war and conflicts, policy and legislation, crime, accidents, fires, and other general news, as the future of the Yoruba people remains uncertain.
