The late Funke Olakunrin
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By Andrew Onyejuruuwa
Following the heartless killing of Mrs Funke Olakunrin the daughter of Chief Reuben Fasoranti, a Chieftain of Afenifere last Friday by suspected Fulani herdsmen who have continuously insulted Nigeria’s once respected security agencies by going on a killing spree without any encumbrance, the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) has issued a 21-day ultimatum to the police and other security agencies on Thursday to fish out the killers of Mrs Olakunrin.
The group in a statement issued in Ibadan by its National Public Relations Officer, Mr Adeshina Akinpelu, said failure to find the killers after the ultimatum, its members would embark on an operation to drive out all criminally-minded Fulani herdsmen, their accomplices among the Yoruba and other ethnic groups perpetrating crimes from all the Yoruba speaking states.
The statement said, “Time has come for us to act now. We will no longer fold our hands and allow Fulani herdsmen to continue to kill us like cows. We cannot continue to use the blood of our people to keep Nigeria’s unity. We are giving the police and other security agencies a 21-day ultimatum to fish out the killers of Mrs Funke Olakunrin. Failure to fish out the killers, we will have no option but to take the destiny of our people in our hands and drive out all criminally-minded Fulani herdsmen, their accomplices among the Yoruba and other tribes perpetrating crimes in Yoruba land,” Akinpelu said.
The group, who accused the Fulani oligarchy of trying to re-capture Yorubaland after failing in previous attempts, stated that it would resist any attempt to silence the Yoruba leaders for voicing their opinion on insecurity in the country. Again he said, “We are aware that this is part of the grand conspiracy of the Fulani oligarchy to re-capture Yoruba land after failing in previous attempts. These Fulani were responsible for the fall of the first and second Oyo empires through cunning methods. Their third attempt, which was a real war was met with stiff resistance from the Yoruba people who drove them back after they reached Osogbo.
“The killing of Mrs Funke Olakunrin is a part of a grand conspiracy of the Fulani oligarchy to silence some of our leaders from speaking the truth and making critical appraisal of President Muhammadu Buhari’s government,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Ondo State Police Command on Thursday said it had yet to link any of the suspects in its custody with the killing of Mrs Funke Olakunrin, a daughter of the Leader of the Pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, Chief Reuben Fasoranti. Olakunrin, 58, was killed last Friday by gunmen, who attacked her vehicle at a spot near Kajola town on Ore-Sagamu Road.
