On behalf of over 60 million Yoruba people of South Western Nigeria, and our brothers, sisters and children all over the world, the Yoruba Emancipation Union (YEU) Worldwide, in association with other Yoruba Organisations home and abroad, hereby humbly and unequivocally, present to your Excellency and the Nigeria National Assembly, our firm stand on the Nigeria POLITICAL QUESTION - viz a viz - the need to put an end to the intractable myriads of problems of Nigeria. We hereby draw your attention to historical facts at our disposal. We shall also elucidate and point out the realities and obvious truths about the historical falsehoods why Nigeria was founded, and being managed.

We shall endeavour to point out certain injuries, injustices and undeniable lasting damages already inflicted, being inflicted and will continue to be inflicted perpetually, if the present political structure and the Nigeria constitution, is allowed to stay.

We shall also express our distaste and rejection to allow these obvious damages and hardships to continue, in view of the available facts. We shall offer alternatives and very profound actions and political systems to assuage and ameliorate the deplorable and abhorrent situations under which the Yoruba people, are being held down willy-nilly.

We will therefore crave your indulgence and appeal to you and the National Assembly for independence of mind, empathy, undiluted attention and quick actions to address this issue finally and comprehensively, as opposed to the pretentious behaviours and attitudes of your predecessors, at the corridors of power, who woefully failed to boldly and courageously address the Nigeria political question, thereby not only postponing the evil days but have exacerbated Nigerian political, economic, social and other woes.

We hope and sincerely believe you will all stand firmly, courageously, truthfully and write your names in gold as the President and the National Assembly of distinguished icons, who put an end to obvious damages and hardships inflicted on the ethnic nationalities of Nigeria, by successive regimes who for their egocentric interests, has held incompatible bedfellows together, as a country.

Historical facts

For the purpose of this open letter, we shall restrict ourselves only to the Yoruba people of South Western Nigeria.

Before the 1914 amalgamation of Southern and Northern parts of Nigeria, the parts which British colonizers mischievously termed, "protectorates," a derogatory term, which does not reflect their true intentions of exploitations of our resources, political domination and cultural devaluations, was to us obvious travesty of justice. And indeed, the 1914 British amalgamation of South Western Yoruba people with Nigeria, remains the most unfortunate, unreasonable and calculated misfortune that befell us as a people, in the 20th century.

That singular event of 1914 amalgamation, not only merged the Yoruba people with strange bedfellows from other ethnic nationalities, but undoubtedly polluted our cultural value systems and created the greatest distortions to our highly developed political and economic landmark achievements.

We cannot but reference the Yoruba civilisation and developmental strides traceable to over 7000 years ago. Ile-Ife, the cradle of the Yorubas, had existed with very strong political, economic, religious, social and justice systems and mass media values, long time ago. Also in existence centuries ago, was the Oyo Kingdom. By far, the Yoruba people had the highest levels and numbers of urbanisation not only in Africa, but in comparison with many parts of the world.

We are a distinct, very unique, credible and creative people with highly developed cultural value systems, totally at variance with the other ethnic nationalities of adjourning geographical areas, named Nigeria by Flora Shaw; and Fredrick Lugard - the colonial Governor General, lumped us together in his misguided misadventures, to fulfil his devilish "dual mandate" in Africa. We are therefore never under any illusions whatsoever, as regards the obvious incalculable damages inflicted on our race by Britain, under colonial rule in Yorubaland and by extension, Nigeria.

Before independence of Nigeria in 1960, the late Sir Ahmadu Bello, in his wisdom and understanding of the uniqueness of his ethnic Fulani people, and all other Northern ethnic nationalities, made it abundantly clear, the need for each ethnic nationality within Nigeria to exit Nigeria whenever such ethnic nationality felt retarded, stagnated and uncomfortable in the forced unholy marriage.

Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the leader of the Yoruba people also elucidated the fact that Nigeria is not a nation like France, of French people, Germany of the Germans, Portugal of the Portuguese. He too, wisely made a case for each ethnic nationality who wished, to be given the right to exit Nigeria. This is called secession clause.

However, in view of the available facts at the disposal of Chief Nnamdi Azikiwe on 12th May 1953, made a public speech (see https://www.blackpast.org/global-african-history/1953-nnamdi-azikiwe-speech-secession/), unrepentantly against secession clause, antagonising the position of Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Ahmadu Bello. Supported by Britain, and goaded by his Igbo supporters and some unpatriotic elements, Nnamdi Azikiwe and his group, had their way.

There came a great opportunity for South Western Yorubaland in 1952 to 1959. Yorubaland witnessed very rapid developments at such a phase which surprisingly surpassed many European countries under the regime of Late Chief Obafemi Awolowo. Indeed, Yorubaland scored many firsts in terms of developmental projects and infrastructural facilities. For instance, we had the First Free Education programme in the whole of Africa and Asia. We had the First Television Station in the whole of Africa and indeed before France and many nations in Asia.

During this period, the Annual Budget of South Western Nigeria, Yorubaland, was not only higher but far better and people-oriented than that of the whole of Nigeria and many Africa and Asia nations. We developed at a pace very unique and unparalleled in Africa.

We must emphasise here certain obvious damages done by Nigeria to Yoruba race. Many valuable assets of the Yorubas in Nigeria and overseas were seized and misappropriated by Nigeria without any compensation whatsoever. A good example is the Western Nigeria Broadcasting Corporation which is now Radio Nigeria and NTA, ditto were prime lands.

And the Yoruba House in London, a property fully owned by the Western Regional Government and with strategic intent of Chief Obafemi Awolowo, earmarked for the purposes of providing welfare services and accommodation for Yoruba people in London. This house was taken over by Nigeria, without any compensation.

After the 1960 independence

Since 1960, the Yoruba race has been denied opportunities to develop at its pace.

It was only in Western region that Mid-Western region was carved out in 1963 after Chief Awolowo had been thrown into jail, whereas minorities in Benue-Plateau and Ijaw-Ogoni axis of Northern and Eastern regions have been agitating for their separate regions.

Many political machinations and economic crises were orchestrated by the past rulers of Nigeria to stop and stagnate the Yoruba people from developing at a faster rate than the other regions. Political turmoil and crises were deliberately engineered by the rulers of Nigeria in the South Western Nigeria. It was only in the South Western Nigeria that Emergency Rule was declared by Tafawa Balewa government in 1962 after some internal political disagreements. It was only in the South Western Yoruba that our leader, Chief Obafemi Awolowo was jailed even though many other regions had more serious political issues.

A coup detat organised mainly by the Igbo soldiers on 15th January 1966, unleashed killings on many Yoruba military and political leaders. No Igbo leader was killed - they were tipped off to escape the sordid acts. Another revenge coup detat of 29th July 1966 by the Northern military men, disrespected and callously maltreated the most senior Yoruba military officer who was supposed to take over power. The Northern elements refused to allow him to take over but chose a junior officer from the North, a Lieutenant by rank in the name of Yakubu Gowon, to take the place of Brigadier Ogundipe, a man of Yoruba extraction, in South Western Nigeria.

Notwithstanding many sacrifices like the unwarranted killing of Lt. Colonel Adekunle Fajuyi in Ibadan by the Northern mutinous military elements. The Igbos who started the political crises which culminated in the civil war between 1967 to 12th January1970, never accepted their fault, rather came with ferocious bombings of Yaba Casino and moved their military to destroy Yorubaland until our Yoruba people rallied both resources and military to halt their escapades at Ore, a retaliation popularly referenced in history as ?oleku ija ore.? All the foregoing were a few of the obvious hatred of the Igbos, the Fulanis, the rulers of Nigeria against Yoruba people, and indeed Yorubaland.

To completely halt the political, economic and social development of the South Western Nigeria, many plans were hatched and unleashed on the political scene of Nigeria. One of it were policies which destroyed the industrial, agricultural and educational developments in South Western Nigeria. In particular, the Coker Commission of Enquiry was set up by the rulers of Nigeria, to destroy the finances of the South Western Regional Government.

The ?Quota System? in education, where South Western Yoruba children who score higher marks in tertiary admission examinations, was deliberately designed to forfeit their chances of getting admission into universities and other tertiary institutions, including Unity Secondary Schools in Nigeria, however, the children from Northern Nigeria who score lower marks or failed out rightly were admitted, this is nauseous and totally unacceptable to us in Yoruba Emancipation Union. We totally denounce these obvious callous audacity, and deprivations.

The ?Federal Character? introduced by the Northern elites to favour them and their children, certainly inflicted unimaginable damages to our children's development and rights are wicked albatross which can no longer be acceptable to our Union, because they are unjustifiable to our sensibilities, sense of justice and human rights. A Constitution which promotes injustice to be inflicted on over 60 million Yoruba people, under the guise of "Quota System and "Federal Character" to us in Yoruba Emancipation Union is anachronistic to humanity and a throw back into slavery, discrimination, and unbridled hatred against Yoruba people, we perceive these anomalies as segregation, deprivations and deliberate promotion of inequalities. To all of us in Yoruba Emancipation Union, these acts are against the principles of natural justice and human rights.

For the avoidance of doubts, quite a disturbing large numbers of our most brilliant children have become "foreigners" all over Western Europe, Americas, Asia and Eastern Europe because opportunities to render services in Nigeria are although existing, but not available to them. This unfortunate development to us, must stop.

Any constitution or whatever name called, which provides avenue for our most brilliant children to continue to contribute as scientists, doctors, or experts in foreign countries while we continue to suffer and deprived of such services, shall no longer be accepted or allowed to continue, under whatever pretentious political settings.

We cannot but make it abundantly clear to all our politicians, especially forthwith, that no groups have really succeeded to hold a determined people to ransom for too long, especially, with the kind of horrible deprivations and inequalities in terms access to the basic essentialities of life, which are now prevalent in Yorubaland. This is totally at variance with the truth of the fact of enormous provisions of natural resources - human, physical and environmental - in Yorubaland. There is no excuse whatsoever why we should continue to be subjected to deprivations, by a system which promotes injustice.

There are no justifiable reasons to continue to subject us to accept the Nigerian system and constitution, which promotes injustice and gross deprivations.

On 12th June 1993, the best and freest general elections were conducted in Nigeria, it was annulled by a group who felt Nigeria belongs to them, and they must rule it at all costs and according to their whims and caprices, whether Yoruba people like it or not.

We did not go to war even though, certain groups used rumours of war as one of their characteristic weapons of intimidations, to suppress the will of the people then. The winner of the election, Chief MKO Abiola was killed by the rulers and owners of Nigeria. Certain ethnic nationalities who love to hate Yoruba people, clapped and celebrated this unfortunate episode. Many Yoruba distinguished sons and daughters were murdered by these same forces whose parents, have continue to unleash mayhem and crises, on our soil.

The inglorious Muhammadu Buhari regime 2015 - 2023, best known and remembered for terrorism, corruption and legalising illegalities, not only exacerbated these obvious damages and hardships in Yorubaland, but perfected the perfidy to take over our land. Buhari?s regime of eight years remains the darkest era in Nigeria?s political history, he gave full support to Miyetti Allah Fulani group, who unleashed unprecedented wanton killings, kidnappings, rape, destructions of crops, intimidations, brutalities and ransome payments to these ungodly militants and other imported renegades. After 8 years of inglorious administration, Nigeria became comatose.

We hereby recall with heavy heart, how a ruling party could encourage anti-party activities by the ruling APC top brass, against their own presidential candidate Bola Ahmed Tinubu - just because the man is Yoruba. Buhari as the then Minister for Petroleum withdrew petrol. The national currency, Naira, was stopped from circulation. Change of currency was orchestrated by Buhari the President of the ruling party, whose candidate was contesting for presidential election. Candidates were sponsored or persuaded to contest against the candidate of the ruling party, because of his ethnic origin - Yoruba. We witnessed and bore all the ordeals as Yoruba people.

We have listened to the cacophony of unpalatable noise from the shameless political elites fronting for the North. Their battle cries are just like what they did against Chief Obafemi Awolowo; just like they did on 29th July 1966 when Murtala Muhammed, the rabid Fulani leader of the pushists, shouted "ARABA?, meaning secession. Today, the cries have permeated from the North to the south. Major Gedion Orkar and his group exorcised the far north from Nigeria because of the manifest oppression and domination of all other ethnic nationalities in Nigeria. Their coup detat failed. But they had their say which all right thinking Nigerians are well aware of.

The Nigeria civil war of 1967 to 1970 was another obvious cries for dissolution of the entity called Nigeria. We never listened. It was replied by bitter echoes of sloganeering "To keep Nigeria ONE, is a task that must be done". Adaka Boro and his boys were smoked out because they too felt, Nigeria cannot fulfil their dreams of a true nation. From what we have suffered and still experiencing, we sincerely believe, they were right.

The military 33-year rule in Nigeria

Out of the 65 years since independence of Nigeria from Britain, the military has spent 33 years under 8 regimes; the longest serving being Yakubu Gowon and Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida.

The unitary brand of governance and rigid command structure of ?order from above? has done incalculable damages to the psyche of Nigerians and by extension, their intervention in the political trajectory of the nation, was what sealed the Britain?s selfish 1914 amalgamation of incompatible people of different ethnic nationalities, who are diametrically opposed in cultures, language, tradition, norms and values.

By and large, perhaps all the military regimes seized power in Nigeria not for the love of the country and citizenry, but for their egocentric reasons. They left in their wake obnoxious and highly irresponsible anti people policies, such as, ?Federal Character? and ?Quota System,? besides these is the legacy of a badly politicised army, police, customs, immigration and civil service, more importantly, the successive military regimes in Nigeria have left an indelible record of legalising illegality of forcible union of people who has never and would never harmoniously co-exist, because of unbridgeable fundamental differences as distinct people who have no common identity, above all, the military rule in Nigeria bequeathed to Nigeria and Nigerians the culture of pervasive corruption, especially the eight year regime of self-styled evil genius, Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida.

The popular amalgamation of 1914 in Nigeria is a ruse, and even if true, the Nigeria state has expired

On 12th November 2024, the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) publicly declared through its chairman, Prof. Ango Abdullahi that the Edict that birthed Nigeria expired 10 years ago, this is an information which is within the public knowledge.

Contrary to popular stories and believe held by many that, the amalgamation of Southern and Northern Nigeria was effected on the 1st January 1914 in Nigeria, where 6 persons of Nigeria extraction were claimed to have sighed the documentation validating the union, their names being:

1. Sir Kitoyi Ajasa, a lawyer - representing the African communities in Lagos as a legislative council member of the colony since 1902.

2. His Highness Oladugbolu - Alafin of Oyo

3. Hon. R. Henshaw - Obong of Calabar

4. Hon. Maiturare - Sarkin Mussulumi and Sultan of Sokoto

5. Hon. Abubakar - Shehu of Borno

6. Hon. Usuman - Emir of Kano

This document which successive governments in Nigeria ostensibly have paraded to be Edict which gave birth to Nigeria, it was later discovered to be a ruse and utter falsification. The joining of Northern and Southern Nigeria together in 1914 was a proclamation by the colonial government of Britain, contrary to believe held by many Nigerians and foreigners alike. Put in simple terms, Nigeria is a fraudulent creation and even it was a genuine creation, the time frame set was 100 years and which time lapsed on 1st January 2014.

The Nigeria?s supreme law is fraudulent

The constitution of Nigeria 1999 as amended, is the supreme law governing all things be it animate or otherwise. The said constitution unequivocally declared itself so, by its provision in Chapter 1 Part 1 Section 1 to the effect that this ?constitution is supreme and its provisions shall have binding force on the authorities and persons throughout the Federal Republic of Nigeria.? Since 1999, the people of Nigeria and all things within the geographical bounds of Nigeria, have abided with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution.

Unfortunately, the 1999 Constitution is a fraud perpetrated by the then military government in power because, the opening statement of the document, that is, the Nigeria constitution, stated as hereunder:

We the people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria

Having firmly and solemnly resolve, to live in unity and harmony as one indivisible and indissoluble sovereign nation under God, dedicated to the promotion of inter-African solidarity, world peace, international co-operation and understanding. And to provide for a Constitution for the purpose of promoting the good government and welfare of all persons in our country, on the principles of freedom, equality and justice, and for the purpose of consolidating the unity of our people. Do hereby make, enact and give to ourselves the following Constitution:-

We of Yoruba Emancipation Union (YEU) Worldwide hereby state that the above statement is a blatant lie, and a monumental fraud. There was nowhere and at no time, where the people of Nigeria agreed to make a constitution; there was no plebiscite or referendum conducted by the government for the people of Nigeria, the consent of the people of Nigeria was not sought and we did not give any assent to any constitution, at any time.

In a nutshell, the successive governments which had been operating on the strength of the Nigeria 1999 Constitution are illegal, and by extension, the continuation of any government no matter how benevolent or beneficial to the people of Nigeria, remains illegal. It is on this note that we of Yoruba Emancipation Union hereby strongly appeal to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and all Members of the National Assembly as women and men of honour, to peacefully end Nigeria, because the geographical entity or geographical expression called Nigeria, had expired in 2014 and above all, the supreme law in the land, to wit, is a fraud orchestrated by the Nigeria military regime, who generally should have no place or business in governance.

We submit that a serious calamity had befallen Nigeria and Nigerians, in that the military regimes that governed us were aberrations for they are ab initio illegal, and as if that were not enough, they left a legacy of fraudulent and illegal constitution for us to operate. We submit that there is no further justification to continue as a country, hence this petition

Separatists? agitations in Nigeria

The clamour to end Nigeria which officially expired in 2014, bearing in mind the popular opinion after 100 years of amalgamation, is no longer news, as a matter of fact, the said agitations for independence by different groups is firmly rooted in the multi-ethnic, highly diversified cultural affiliations and traditions of the people joined together in the ?unholy-marriage? in 1914, by United Kingdom.

A profile of the major groups agitating for the division of Nigeria has been carried out by Celestine O. Udeh et al, in The African Review (2023) titled ?Separatist Agitations in Nigeria: A Critical Analysis of National Integration Under Buhari Administration? where the names and modus operandi of the groups were stated to the effect that, the Boko Haram (Boko Haram Islamic State Movement (BKISM)) hails from North East (Fulani). An Islamic Caliphate for self-determination and separate existence based on the Islamic religion of Sharia, was established by Mohammed Yusuf in 2002, Boko Haram use violence to human person and properties.

The Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) South East (Igbo), canvases Sovereign State of Biafra for self-determined government and separate existence based on the ethnic marginalization, founded by Ralph Nwazuruike in 1999 and use of peaceful dialogue and diplomacy.

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) South East (Igbo), canvases for Sovereign state of Biafra for self-determined government and separate existence based on the ethnic marginalization, founded by Nnamdi Kanu in 2012, and use of peaceful dialogue, diplomacy and violence.

The Biafra Zionist Federation (BZF) South East (Igbo), canvases Sovereign state of Biafra for self-determined government and separate existence based on the ethnic marginalization, founded by Benjamin Igwe Onwuka in 2010, and use of peaceful dialogue and diplomacy

The Oodua People?s Congress (OPC) South West (Yoruba), canvases Oduduwa Republic for self-determined government and separate existence based on the ethnic marginalization, founded by Dr. Fredrick Fasehun in 1994, and use of peaceful dialogue, diplomacy and threat of violence.

The Arewa People?s Congress (APC) North (Hausa Fulani), canvases Arewa Republic Self-determination, founded by Sagir Muhammed in 1999, and use mainly peaceful dialogue reactionary utterances and threat of violence.

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) South South Niger Delta Republic Justice, canvases self-determination and resource control, founded by Henry Okah, God?swill Tamuno and Brutus Ebipadei in 2006, and use application of violence, vandalisation, and direct confrontation with government forces

The Niger Delta People?s Volunteer (NDV) South South, Niger Delta Republic Justice, canvases self-determination and resource control, founded by Alhaji Mujahid Asari Dokubo in 2003, and use application of violence, vandalisation and direct confrontation with government forces

The Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) South South, Ogoni Republic Justice, canvases self-determination and resource control founded by Ken Saro-Wiwa in 1990, and use mainly peaceful dialogue and threat of violence

The Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) South South, Niger Delta Republic, Justice, canvases self-determination and resource control founded by Tompolo, and use application of violence, vandalisation and direct confrontation

The Middle Belt Federation North Central Mid-West Republic, emphasises the illegality of Nigerian 1999, regionalism, restructuring of Nigerian State, Middle-Belt Forum 2021. Use of peaceful dialogue and diplomacy

Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) or Jama?atu Ahlus-Sunnah Lidda?Awati Wal Jihad (JAS), violent extremist organizations operating predominantly in the North East, are behind the abductions in Borno.

Ansaru is an al-Qa'ida?affiliated group that operates mainly in Northwest Nigeria.

Its members were originally part of a specialized kidnap-for-ransom wing of the West African terrorist group Boko Haram. They split from Boko Haram in 2012 because they opposed the group's indiscriminate attacks against Muslim civilians.

It has been reported that in the Northwest alone, there are over two dozen major criminal groups and hundreds of small outfits, operating under differing leadership and command structures, across the six states (plus the Federal Capital Territory surrounding Abuja). The estimates are that there are over 30,000 bandits active in the region.

The calamities arising out of agitations

There is no controversy that agitation by separatists? groups across the country has occasioned humongous losses to the Nigeria state, both in terms of deaths, maiming causing bodily permanent incapacities, kidnapping and demand for huge sums of money as ransom, raping, and disappearances of many individuals whose traces has not and may never be found.

Below are some available data regarding the unfortunate advent of agitations and terrorism in Nigeria.

Missing persons in Nigeria

In the wee hours of 14/15 April 2014, 276 predominantly Christian female students aged between 16 and 18 were kidnapped by the Islamic terrorist group known and called Boko Haram, from the Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State.

According to Amnesty International, on the 10th year anniversary, that is, on 14th April 2024, regarding the dastard kidnapping of the innocent girls, 82 were still in captivity of Boko Haram, Amnesty International further reported that most of the kids were forced into marriages with their captors and 17 mass school abductions were recorded in six years, and over 1,700 children abducted by gunmen since 2014.

Per the research embarked upon by Tony Blair Institute for Social Change, between the year 2015 and 2022, more than 55,000 people went missing in Nigeria and main causes of these disappearances are:

1. Islamic terrorism and insurgency

2. Banditry

3. Fulani herdsmen raping and

4. Communal strife

Up to the month of June 2024, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) reported that at least 24,000 people were missing in Nigeria but the report added, there is high likelihood that this figure, is only a fraction of the actual number of people missing

Nigeria is reported to have the highest number of missing people in Africa as the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) attributes the increase in missing people to insecurity and conflicts. In addition, the ICRC and the Nigerian Red Cross Society (NRCS) reported that insurgency in parts of the country, is the major cause of the missing people.

Property losses arising from banditry

In a research documented by Abubakar Mustapha on ?The causes and consequences of armed banditry, kidnapping and cattle rustling in some selected communities in Zamfara State, published in Bakolori Journal of General Studies Vol. 12 No. 2 reported that cattle rustling and armed banditry, kidnapping for ransom have become major problems in Zamfara State. The phenomenon has relatively increased in a complete decade (since 2010) leading to violent conflicts between the Fulani people and their supporters from Niger Republic on one side, and the farmers-land owners on the other. The outcome of this conflict has claimed thousands of lives and destroyed properties worth billions of Naira in the state, excluding other assaults like rape, kidnapping and injuries inflicted on the people, by the bandits.

S. T. Thompson in ?Banditry as rural crime? Journal of Rural Studies Volume 115, stated that Nigeria has garnered international attention for the increase in bandit attacks over the past decade. Thousands of Nigerians have died, and many more have been displaced due to bandit attacks, in addition, that there were 849 bandit attacks have an accompanying identified Local Government Area (hereinafter LGA). Of the 774 LGAs in Nigeria, a total of 139 LGAs experienced bandit attacks from 2012 to June 2022.

The International Review of the Red Cross has submitted that Nigeria's two geopolitical regions at the edge of the Sahel are sites of two different ongoing conflicts that have developed and evolved independently. In the North-East, the decade-long fundamentalist insurgency led by Boko Haram and its spawns has caused around 350,000 deaths, displaced over three million residents and destroyed public infrastructure in a region already blighted by poverty and poor socio-economic outcomes. In the North-West, groups of violent non-State actors, widely referred to as bandits, are laying siege to Nigeria's most populated geopolitical zone, with distressing consequences, that at some point outweighs the fatalities from Boko Haram's insurgency. In 2019, bandits were reportedly responsible for almost half of all violent deaths in Nigeria.

Bandits are a loose collection of various criminal groups involved in kidnap-for-ransom, armed robbery, cattle rustling, rape and other sexual violence, pillage and attacks on traders, farmers and travellers - particularly in Nigeria's North-West region.

A gory details of banditry has been documented by Zamfara State Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, to the effect that in 14 Local Government Areas of the state:

9,410 people were killed by banditry in Zamfara state from 2015-2022

16,016 people were kidnapped by banditry in Zamfara state from 2015-2022

1,412, 625 properties were destroyed by banditry in Zamfara state from 2015-2022

720, 115 people were displaced by banditry in Zamfara state as at 2022.

In a research titled ?Northwest Nigeria has a banditry problem, what is driving it??

The International Peace Institute in its Global Observation publication declared that, it is

estimated that there are about 30,000 bandits spread across numerous groups in Northwest

Nigeria, with the groups? numbers ranging from 10 to over 1,000 fighters. Banditry is a composite

crime that includes kidnapping, massacre, rape, cattle rustling, and the illegal possession of firearms.

The impact of their actions has been devastating, with a staggering 1,087,875 people in

rural communities displaced as of December 2022.

Furthermore, between 2010 and May 2023, approximately 13,485 deaths have been attributed

to banditry in Northwest Nigeria alone.

Nigeria and Nigerians are beleaguered; it beats the wildest imagination of Yoruba Emancipation

Union YEU members across the globe, that we can be in this state that we found ourselves,

as a country of peaceful people, overnight turned to a theatre of acrimony.

Pains and sorrows inflicted by banditry in Nigeria

The institutionalized memories of hurt and pangs inflicted on Nigerians, as a result of real and or perceived sense of injustice is indeed humongous. Directly or otherwise, Nigerians are feeling the avoidable pains of banditry.

Nigeria is believed to have over 250 ethnic groups, but only one ethnic group, the Fulanis representing only about 3% of the total population of Nigeria, is the cause of all banditry challenges and problems in the country. The question which a rational mind would ask is: must we continue as a country? The answer of Yoruba Emancipation Union (YEU) Worldwide is affirmative and emphatically NO. We cannot continue to bear these avoidable pains and sorrows. This is the rationale why we are calling for the dissolution of Nigeria, in a peaceful and amicable manner.

The complexities of Nigeria's socio-political nomenclature have rendered useless the unitary and centralised political administration foisted on the good people of Nigeria by the military regimes of political usurpers; the current political dispensations have failed woefully to address the diverse aspirations of Nigeria constituent groups, hence the persistent agitation and unrelenting clamour for independency by the traumatised ethnic nationalities.

In the literature, SBM Intelligence, in ?The economics of Nigeria?s kidnap industry: Follow the money, 23 August 2023 has it is on record that, kidnap-related incidents and ransom paid in Nigeria, from July 2022 to June 2023, are as hereunder stated:

Number of kidnap-related incidents 582

Number of people kidnapped 3,620

Victims killed in kidnap-related incidents 430

Ransom demanded 5 billion naira (?6 078 550)

Ransom paid 302 million naira (?367 144), the report added that the data supplied here

could be higher, due to underreporting.

By the end of June 2023, the Nigeria Security Tracker (NST) reported a staggering count of 19,366 Nigerians subjected to kidnapping in 2,694 separate abduction incidents.

The research outcome of the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research?s Managing Exits from Armed Conflict (MEAC) Report 36, 2024 project, has declared that the extent of bandit violence in North West Nigeria has reached critical levels. Conservative estimates suggest that there were 8,300 banditry-related deaths between 2013 and 2022. Between 2019 and the first quarter of 2024, there were 9,527 people kidnapped, representing 62% of Nigeria?s overall abduction cases, with bandits being the primary culprits. As many cases go unreported, the? data inevitably undercounts the true extent of the problem.?

Between 2019 and 2023, kidnappings in the North West were 169 per cent more frequently reported than in the North East.

Further, that numerous instances of sexual violence at the hands of bandits have been reported. Sexual violence perpetrated by bandits is thought to mainly target women and girls, and is often used strategically to enforce communities? compliance, e.g. with demands for levies. Many accounts of forced marriage also exist. While the figures presented herein speak to the extent of banditry violence, because banditry disproportionately affects rural communities where there is little government presence, it is difficult to get a full picture of banditry-related violence.

Secondary effects of banditry

The MEAC Report 36, 2024 project adds that banditry violence also has numerous secondary effects. For example, more than 25,000 children have been orphaned in Zamfara state alone and over 200,000 people have been internally displaced in the North West as a result of bandit violence. Across the North West and North Central zones, many individuals who flee the region find themselves in underequipped camps or unofficial settlements with irregular and inadequate access to basic necessities of life. Those who remain in their communities, risk attacks on schools, further economic and educational disenfranchisement, kidnappings, and gender-based violence.

Banditry also has economic costs. Over 3 billion Naira has been drained from the government coffers and local communities in Zamfara alone, to pay ransoms to kidnappers. There are additional knock-on effects of banditry violence that raise serious concerns about the mid-and long-term impact it could have on Nigerian society, and development. Abductions of school children have become a particularly heinous crime attributed to bandits. Between 2014 and mid-2023, an estimated 1,680 school children were kidnapped, with more than 180 of them killed subsequently. The impact of this violence on school attendance has been drastic. A 2019 assessment in Zamfara found that ?33% of children aged 5-17 had completely dropped out of school and a further 29% had never attended school? because of a ?lack of money, destruction of classrooms, fears for safety, lack of teachers who have fled violence and the need to earn incomes.?

Next to education, banditry has directly impacted food insecurity. Nearly 2.6 million people in Sokoto, Zamfara, and Katsina were facing food insecurity in 2021, numbers which were expected to double in 2023, in part due to banditry. For example, 30% of agricultural land in Kaduna State had been abandoned due to banditry violence by 2020. In Zamfara and Katsina restrictions in farming led to a decline in local food production by 60%. The humanitarian response to growing food insecurity in the region has been critiqued as ?patchy and grossly inadequate.? The impact of banditry in Nigeria?s North West has been widespread and profound. To address the banditry problem, however, it is necessary to look at the illicit sectors that have financed bandit groups, funds which ultimately allowed them to conduct increasingly sophisticated and large-scale attacks.

Agitation for independence and insecurity in South Eastern Nigeria

While Northern Nigeria East West and Central are not safe human habitation, according to the Journal of the Management Sciences, Vol. 61 (6) June, 2024, the southeast Nigeria comprising of five states, Abia, Enugu, Ebonyi, Imo and Anambra recently have become a haven for killings, commercial crime, secessionist agitation, kidnapping, herders-farmers clashes, attacks by unknown gunmen, and banditry, further, that the southeast geo-political zone of Nigeria is one of the volatile regions in the country suffering from acts of non-state actors, such as, the armed wing of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), the Eastern Security Network (ESN) and other sundry criminals masquerading as ethnic or regional agitators and that the main drivers of insecurity in the southeast are armed transhumant pastoral attacks on farming communities, coordinated attacks by unknown gunmen and the ferocious military response of the Nigeria state, to the separatist uprisings in the region.

According to the International Center for Investigative Reporting (ICIR), rising insecurity in Nigeria?s South-East region has led to the deaths of more than 1,700 people between January 2021 and June 2023. The affected states are Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo. By arithmetical calculation, there are 913 days between January 2021 and June 2023, thus if the total number of deaths is divided by each day, at least two persons are killed daily, in the region.

Available data and information asserts that the deaths occur from protests, armed clashes, abductions, mob violence, secessionist groups, riots, and other conflicts.

The Nigeria Security Tracker (NST) has submitted that between January 2021 and June 2023, 1,844 people were killed in the region. Breaking it down, in 2021, a total of 951 people were killed in 227 incidents that occurred in the region. In the following year, 627 people were reported killed in 223 incidents; between January and June 2023, 266 died in 92 incidents.

The Amnesty International has asserted that at least 115 people were killed by security forces between March and June 2021 in Southeast and fingered Nigerian security forces to have committed a catalogue of human rights violations and crimes under international law, in their response to spiralling violence in Southeast Nigeria, carrying out a repressive campaign since January which has included sweeping mass arrests, excessive and unlawful force, and torture and other ill-treatments.

The Amnesty International organization has documented records of 52 incidents of unlawful killings and 62 cases of arbitrary arrest, ill-treatment and torture by

the security forces who engaged in excessive use of force, physical abuse, secret detentions, extortion, burning of houses, theft, and extrajudicial executions of suspects.

In an article titled ?Unforgotten shadows: exploring the dynamics of Biafra agitation in South-East Nigeria? and published by Cambridge University Press, it is submitted that

since 2015, the south-eastern region of Nigeria has experienced sporadic outbursts of aggression spearheaded by Biafran separatist agitators. However, the latter part of the 2010s has witnessed a marked increase in the fervent endeavours of Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) activists within the same area as they passionately pursue their aspirations for self-determination. Central to their approach is enforcing a compulsory weekly ?sit-at-home? policy, effectively establishing a quasi-sovereign enclave within the region. The prevalence of social media has provided a prominent platform for propagating secessionist sentiments.

IPOB also advocates vigilante justice against individuals who dare to flout the mandated Monday sit-at-home order. An alarming manifestation of this stance can be gleaned from a tweet containing a chilling threat: ?[I]f you come out, we will kill you, hang your head, and upload it.? In response to these developments, the Nigerian state has assumed a resolute stance, taking action to proscribe IPOB and declaring any social gatherings of south-eastern youths a ?state of exception?.

With regards to the unending and ever escalating state of war in the southeast geopolitical zone of Nigeria, a research carried out and documented as ?Why separatist agitation in southeast Nigeria is intractable? Madonna University Journal of Social Sciences Volume 1; No. 1 (2025), opined that southeast in recent times experienced death, destruction and high level of kidnapping as a result of separatist activities in the region. The activities of the separatists, which have contributed to the kidnapping of about 40.2 percent of civilians in 2022, attack on security personnel, targeted killings of politicians has likened the region, akin to war zone. These separatist attacks, although engendered by genuine grievances over the economic and political marginalization of Southeasterners by the Nigerian government, has been hijacked by opportunists, to actualize their economic ambitions.

The research concluded that the conflict is been sustained by greed, as the conflict has created a war economy, that has enabled opportunistic behavior by Nigerian Security forces, separatists and criminals, thus escalating and prolonging the conflict, leading to its intractability.

Agitation for independence and insecurity in South Western Nigeria

Agitations for Yoruba nation and freedom from Nigeria state, came about from results of injustices and undeniable lasting damages, already inflicted on the psyche of the Yoruba people. The injustices of resources exploitations of both natural resources, as well as, taxes collected by the past rulers of Nigeria and expended for developmental purposes outside of Yorubaland. Indeed, one of the greatest challenges faced by Fredrick Lugard was paucity of funds for Northern colonial administration. To solve this problem, he amalgamated the Southern protectorates of Lagos with other Yorubaland and South Eastern protectorates, principally to be able to tap, exploit and use their resources to fund Northern colonial rule.

Having succeeded in this ignoble mission, Fredrick Lugard was using the resources from Yorubaland, Eastern and Niger Delta to fund the North. The remaining resources were repatriated to England. The goose that lay the golden eggs in the South were left undeveloped.

Another important and very profound factor which propelled and galvanised agitation for Yoruba Nation, were the activities of the leadership of Northern Peoples? Congress and the National Council of Nigerian Citizens (NCNC), not only to dominate but to control Yorubaland as opposed to the agreement and the Federal Constitution of Nigeria, which ushered in Nigerian Independence in 1960.

The declaration of Emergency Rule in Yorubaland in 1962 and the outright bias of the Coker Commission of Enquiry with the ultimate objective to destroy and castrate economic growth and rapid developments in Yorubaland, prompted unadulterated hatred against NPC and NCNC, all over Yorubaland.

When the 15 January 1966 coup detat organised mainly by the Igbo soldiers was staged, it was improperly managed to the extent that people saw the coup as Igbo agenda not only to exterminate the leaders of other ethnic groups in Nigeria, but to dominate the country politically and economically. This gave rise to the 29 July 1966 counter coup detat, organised mainly by Northern military elements, in which many military officers like Aguiyi Ironsi, the Nigeria Military head of state, lost their lives.

The most unfortunate factors perhaps were the obvious incalculable damages inflicted on our race by Fulani Terrorism between 2015 and 2023, when Muhammadu Buhari became the president of Nigeria. Although voted for and assisted to win the presidential election, having failed 3 times in the past, Muhammadu Buhari, had ulterior motive of Fulani Agenda. The plan was to seize and occupy indigenous lands by his Fulani people. Immediately he took over the presidency of Nigeria, he appointed his Fulani ethnic nationalities to head all the security departments of the country.

Not only that but, he also appointed as the Patron of the Miyetti Allah, the rabid Fulani organisation, devoted for the promotion of Fulani agenda of seizing innocent indigenous people's lands, carrying out massive destructions, killings and vociferous propaganda of Fulani interests in West Africa and specifically pronouncing Nigeria as their own country. All these were tacitly endorsed by the Muhammadu Buhari presidency through various utterances and collusion, by supporting Fulani militancy in different parts of Nigeria. The situation degenerated to the level where the President himself asked those being killed to accommodate the Fulanis killing them, rather than order the arrest and prosecutions of Fulani marauders, and where due process of law were followed, order always come from him and his cronies, to immediately set free the Fulani murderers. .

All over Nigeria, kidnappings for ransoms by the Fulanis, mass killings, rapping, destructions of farmlands and crops by Fulani herdsmen and terrorists, became the order of the day.

Indeed, Yorubaland witnessed the worst insecurity we never experienced nor imagined. Oke ogun area of Oyo state became the theatre of multifaceted Fulani Terrorists? clashes with the indigenous Yoruba people, especially the farmers. Over 2000 indigenous innocent women, men and children lost their lives and their ancestral homes and lands were taken over.

The stories in other parts of Yorubaland were disheartening. In Ondo and Ekiti states, traditional rulers were recklessly murdered by Fulani marauders. A former Secretary to the Federal government of Nigeria, Chief Oluyemisi Falae was nearly killed by Fulani herdsmen on his farmlands, in Ondo state.

On 5 June 2022, worshippers at the St Francis Catholic Church in Owo, south-western Nigeria, were celebrating Pentecost and over 50 innocent members were mercilessly gunned down.

On July 1 2021, in the wee hours, Chief Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho was brazenly attacked by the agents of Buhari government to eliminate him because he was opposed to the Fulani brigandage in Yorubaland. In the said attack, two defenceless innocent men were killed but Sunday Igboho miraculously escaped, Muhammadu Buhari's orchestrated his Fulani Agenda to kill him

In all, it has been established that over 50,000 innocent and defenceless Yoruba indigenous citizens were killed during the blood soaked tyrannical reign of Muhammadu Buhari. More than anything else, the insecurities, marginalisation, ethnic cleansing, Fulanisation of Nigeria, unrepentant impunity of the Federal government galvanised agitation for Yoruba nation.

In summary, Nigeria recorded more than 600,000 deaths from insecurity between May 2023 and April 2024, according to data by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). The report, said no fewer than 614,937 people were killed nationwide as the banditry-ravaged northwest saw the highest figure with 206,030. It was followed by the northeast with 188,992. The NBS added that 2,235,954 Nigerians were kidnapped and a total of N2, 231,772,563,507 equivalent of USD 1, 438,040,707.01 was paid in ransom.

The big questions to answer by government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu

We of Yoruba Emancipation Union (YEU) on behalf of Yoruba people and other Nigerians who are under siege, are hereby asking the government of President Tinubu and the National Assembly the following questions:

Is it compulsory or is it by force that Nigeria must remain as it is, harbouring over 250 ethnic nationalists who have no trust nor respect for one another?
Is it right or reasonable that people must die everyday all in the name of keeping Nigeria nation together?
Is it right or reasonable that people must be kidnapped every day and huge ransom demanded by kidnappers who are like sacred cows?
Is it right or reasonable that Nigerians must live in fear for their lives and limbs every day that they are still living?
Is the government of Nigeria not aware that the amalgamation of Nigeria in 1914 was done for administrative convenience and rooted in exploitative tendencies of UK, the colonial masters of Nigeria?
Would the government of Nigeria continue to pretend that all is well with Nigeria and Nigerians in the face of all the pains and agonies experienced daily?
Is the government of Nigeria not aware that the unholy alliance or union which has not worked for over 100 years cannot and will never work, because of diametrically opposed cultures, norms, values, language and religion?

Advantages of discontinuing Nigeria, as a country.

Without economising the truth, there is mammoth cultural disharmony in Nigeria, the Northern and the Southern Nigerians are radically different by their ways of life, that is, the cultures and the country is very big; in other words, smaller, more homogenous ethnic nationalities would potentially foster better understanding and harmony among their populations.

By way religious inclinations, Nigerians differ appreciably in their religious beliefs, though Christianity and Islamic religion are the dominant, there are other religious worshippers. To forcefully put together people of diverse religion has been one insurmountable hurdle the country has been battling with for over 100 years.

With respect to improved governance, we hold the view that with a reduced scope, governments would focus more on local issues and provide better solutions, which would go a long way to promoting efficiency and reducing corruption.

In terms of economic development, we firmly believe that the respective regions can develop at their own pace, as obtained shortly after independence from Britain, thereby leveraging their unique resources and strengths without the drag and unnecessary political scheming of a centralized bureaucracy, as it is presently.

We are convinced that ending Nigeria shall be the automatic end of banditry, terrorism and all the associated crimes which includes but not limited murder, maiming, kidnapping, rape, wilful destruction to properties, stealing, arson etc., all these were possible because perpetrators of these heinous crimes, do not need to cross national boundaries where they shall be subjected to rigorous security, customs and immigration checks.

Above all, there is a long seated distrust amongst all the ethnic nationalities, this insurmountable hurdle alone, thwarts national development and fuels suspicions of bad intents and acts, either real or imagined.

We sincerely acknowledge the efforts of the current government at revamping the battered economy inherited from the ignoble, useless and hopeless era of Buhari administration, such as, paying our humongous debts to IMF and shoring up our external reserve, but these achievements are not enough justification to continue Nigeria as a country, in the face of severe threats to our lives and properties orchestrated by Buhari regime, in his bid to make Nigeria, a Fulani colony.

Each of the ethnic nationalities in Nigeria can stand alone, as a country.

According to the World Population Review, the top ten countries in the world with smallest population are Vatican City 501, Niue 1, 821, Tokelau 2,608, Falkland Islands 3,469, Montserrat, 4,359, Saint Pierre and Miquelon 5, 574, Tuvalu 9,492, Wallis and Futuna 11,194, Saint Barthelemy 11,414, and Nauru 12,025

For the information of the President and Hon National Assembly members, the Scandinavian countries have the highest Human Development Index (HDI) in the world and their population are Sweden:10,551,707, Denmark: 5,961,249, Norway: 5,550,203, Finland: 5,603,851, Iceland: 383,726, Greenland: 56,699, Faroe Islands: 54,440 and ?land Islands: 30,541

So, we humbly request the President and Hon National Assembly members, to account for why Nigeria with estimated population of 250 million people should remain as one when in fact, there is so much anger, hunger, kidnapping, maiming, robbery, arson, murder and general insecurity of lives and properties. We humbly implore you to end Nigeria now, before it is too late.

Our humble requests

It is obvious from all the above that we are merely deceiving ourselves if we blindfold ourselves with rhetoric of politicking, arrogance, shenanigans and falsehoods rather than truth, honesty, justice, human rights and courage.

1. We hinge our demand for peaceful dissolution of Nigeria on the principle of self-determination, as enunciated by the United Nations Charter, in support of the right of people to determine their political status, on that note, we hereby call for Yoruba Exit from Nigeria.

2. The processes of peacefully dissolving Nigeria should not be delayed any further because the implosion may become disastrous not only for all the ethnic nationalities in Nigeria, but for West Africa as a region and Africa, as a continent.

3. No restructuring ever solved the problems of corruption, ethnic bias and hatred, etc., and no amount of restructuring will ever obviate these glaring challenges and problems. The best solution is to allow the different ethnic nationalities, to go their different ways

4. The cultural value systems and religious differences are very glaring stumbling blocks to integration and national unity of Nigeria, hence, the need to split into manageable units as different countries.

5. The much touted unity in diversity as the mantra for Nigeria is a fluke, this is because if and when Presidents, Ministers, Senators or top civil servants are in positions, Nigerians relate with, approve and support them on the ground of ethnicity, and not on distinctive competences basis.

6. We need to give peace a chance by allowing homogenous and very intimate ethnic nationalities who understand one another, to establish their own nations and govern themselves responsibly. Our being together is devoid of peace but laden with killings, banditry, kidnapping, destruction of properties etc.

7. It is unjust to continue to hold certain ethnic nationalities down, for others to catch up with them.

8. The dissolution of Nigeria, will usher in rapid developments for the different new nations. They will still relate with one another, as sovereign states with mutual respect.

Prof. EFG Ajayi, Director General and Pastor Agbebi Joel Adebola, Secretary General

For: Yoruba Emancipation Union (YEU) Worldwide; Email: emancipationunionyoruba@gmail.com

Update news