One of the leading Yoruba self-determination groups, Ilana Omo Oodua, has alleged that the Emeritus Professor Banji Akintoye’s son’s residence was attacked by gunmen.
The group also claimed that the gunmen attacked the daughter-in-law of its leader Akintoye last Saturday night at her residence in Agbor, Delta State.
The group made the allegation in a statement by its spokesperson, Maxwell Adeleye, titled, ‘Daughter-in-law escapes assassination as gunmen exterminate Akintoye’s son’s house, fish pond’, on Saturday.
The group, however, refused to state the names of those affected, claiming it is for security reasons.
Efforts to reach the Delta State Police Command on the attack proved abortive as of the time of filing this report.
However, the group made pictures and videos of the incident available to our correspondent.
“The house of the scion of the Akintoye dynasty was burnt down during the week with properties worth an estimated N70m, including a multi-million naira fish pond, exterminating adult fish which filled the fish farm to the brim,” part of the statement read.
The self-determination group also alleged that gunmen were trailing some relations of Akintoye, a second republic member of the senate, in a bid to intimidate him out of the struggle for Yoruba Self-Determination.
The statement read in part, “It started some weeks ago, but we ignored the threat in order not to cause tension and panic in a territory already enveloped by tension but we are forced to speak out now because these satanic agents have intensified their efforts.
“To say it very succinctly because we won’t be going into details and we won’t be mentioning names for security reasons, the wife of the son of our leader was attacked in her residence at Agbor, Delta State a week ago.
“She escaped being assassinated because of the vigilance of her neighbours who raised an alarm. Three guns were pointed at her, as the men of the underworld queried her for information on the Yoruba struggle for liberation. She was traumatised, harassed, and intimidated but the courageous woman refused to buckle.
“As if that was not enough, these agents of the state returned to the property three days later and exterminated everything therein. They first poisoned the fish in the pond inside the massive compound before burning down everything on sight.
“Our leader, Professor (Senator) Banji Akintoye has been well briefed and he has told us never to be intimidated.
“We at Ilana Omo Oodua hereby alert all Yoruba people in the world that the Nigerian State shall be held responsible if anything happen to our Alana, Professor Banji Akintoye or any members his family members.
“When these marauders killed the daughter of one of our respected leaders in Yoruba Nation, they merely paraded the suspects, and nothing has happened since then. The bad news we have for these satanic agents is that we have decided to continue with our struggle. We won’t be intimidated nor oppressed. It is no retreat, no surrender.”
PUNCH
