The
Oodua Peoples Congress, OPC, on Thursday declared that it is not a
terrorist group and should not be likened to Boko Haram and their
activities.
The
group made this known while reacting to statement credited to some
northern leaders calling for the ban of OPC and some other groups.
“It
has come to (our attention) that some prominent people from the
Northern part of the country who are not happy with the determination
of the Federal Government to put a stop to the wanton killings in the
North have decided to cast aspersions on the OPC by equating it with
the Boko Haram sect. We have decided to remain neutral and maintain our
peace since the orgy of killings started. But we have taken note of
statements credited to some prominent Northern leaders, especially
since the crack down on the Boko Haram sect,” the National Coordinator
of OPC, Gani Adam, said.
While
justifying his group’s existence, Mr. Adams explained that OPC is not a
faceless group like Boko Haram, adding that the addresses of leaders
and members are known all over the country. He added that the
organisation is known worldwide for working positively towards a
genuine cause.
Mr.
Adams also pointed out his disappointment in the former Commissioner of
Police in Lagos State, Abubakar Tsav, who he fingered as the arrowhead
of the call for the ban on OPC. According to OPC leader, Mr. Tsav,
while condemning the Federal Government’s all-out attack on Boko Haram,
wondered why the president failed to ban other groups including the OPC
because the groups are involved in acts of terrorism.
“We
state here as a matter of fact that the OPC is a visible organisation,
with known addresses all over the country. Its leaders are also known
and accessible to all Nigerians, including security agencies. We draw
our strength from our membership of more than seven million. It is also
on record that we don’t engage in clandestine activities, since our
activities are known to all and recorded for history by the vibrant and
courageous Nigerian media and therefore is in no way a security threat
to the country,” Mr. Adams countered.
Mr.
Adams also remembered that in 2002 and 2005, some leaders of the OPC
including himself and Fredrick Fasehun were arrested for unlawful
association and organisation; but were acquitted of the charges by
separate courts.
“The
first was time was at the Federal High Court, Lagos, where Justice Dan
Abutu struck out the matter and discharged and acquitted us of all the
charges. The second case was at the State High Court, Abeokuta, Ogun
State, where Justice Charles Oluremi Jacobs (OFR) also struck out the
case, discharged and acquitted us. The government still took us before
Justice Sybil Nwaka of the Lagos High Court. The honourable justice
also struck out the case, discharged and acquitted us. But
surprisingly, we were taken before Justice Anwuli Chikere of the
Federal High Court, Abuja. On 19th of December, 2006, the honourable
judge ruled in our favour, while discharging and acquitting us. ‘You
will agree with us that these four rulings are enough proof that the
OPC is not an unlawful organization or a threat to national security,”
he said.
Mr.
Adams said that it became necessary for the congress to refute Mr.
Tsav’s claims so that its silence may not be viewed as guilt. He added
that the group’s activities in the Southwest in the last ten years
speaks of its peaceful nature.
According
to the OPC leader, the group is in the forefront of the propagation and
promotion of the Yoruba culture and values beyond the shores of
Nigeria, adding that its involvement in traditional festivals such as
the Osun Oshogbo festival in Osun State; the Oke Ibadan festival in Oyo
State and the Olokun Festival in Badagry, Lagos State, has helped put
these festivals on the global cultural map.
Mr.
Adams also added that the group has continued to promote cordial
relations with other ethnic groups and has been part of the Federal
Government’s peace initiatives.
“It
will also be recalled that Otunba Gani Adams was a participant at the
National Peace Forum, organized by the Office of the Special Adviser to
the President on Inter-party Relations, in 2004. The OPC leader was
later appointed as a state Peace Envoy. In the same vein, the OPC also
participated at the African First Ladies Peace Mission meeting,
organized in Abuja by the office of the First Lady in 2012,” he said.
Emphasising
that the OPC is Yoruba organization, formed with the basic aim of
promoting the cultural values and protect the interest of the Yoruba
people, Mr. Adams said, “Nobody can fault our activities. Rather,
unlike the acts of violence raging in other parts of the country, the
south west has been very peaceful, with no single act of terrorism
recorded on our soil.”
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