Governors of the South-West states, alongside those of Kogi and Kwara states, have been advised to prepare for the possible consequences of a proposed United States strike on terrorist cells in Nigeria.
The Alliance for Yoruba Democratic Movements gave the warning in a statement issued on Friday and signed by its General Secretary, Poloola Ajayi, and Publicity Secretary, Suleiman Sanusi.
Last week, the US President Donald Trump, in a post on his Truth Social platform, said Christianity in Nigeria was facing an “existential threat” from radical Islamist groups.
He added that the United States “cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening,” pledging that his administration would be “ready, willing and able to protect our great Christian population around the world.”
Trump also urged members of Congress to investigate the situation, directing Congressman Riley Moore, House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole, and others to report back to him.
In reaction, the group said such a strike could dislodge terrorists from their hideouts in the North, forcing them to migrate toward the industrial South-West.
The group said those invoking Nigeria’s sovereignty in opposition to the US proposal had ignored the fact that the country’s leaders had long undermined that sovereignty through corruption, electoral malpractice and complicity in terrorism.
“It is obvious that Nigeria has no power to stop the proposed US strike. Unfortunately, the tradition of funding proxy protests and propaganda has no effect in this case.
“What is wise is for the government at the state and national levels to prepare for the consequences and manage the situation in a way that preserves the dignity of the Yoruba nation,” AYDM stated.
The group said that while mass killings of Christians in Nigeria are true, thousands of Yoruba and Middle Belt Muslims have also been victims of violent extremism.
“You cannot heal a nation without speaking the truth. There is an open agenda to Islamise Nigeria. Thousands have been killed, and the Yoruba are direct victims. Those proposing Sharia in Yorubaland are agents of this agenda,” the group said, adding that Yoruba people must define their own response strategy to the “almost imminent strike.”
AYDM urged South-West governors to collaborate with Yoruba self-determination groups in intelligence gathering, data collation, and community defence to protect indigenous territories from further terrorist incursions.
AYDM also accused some political and religious leaders in Yorubaland of hypocrisy, saying they oppose the US proposal without offering credible alternatives.
“They do not care about the mass killing of their people. They have no conscience,” the group stated.
The movement backed the proposed US sanctions against individuals and states alleged to support terrorism and called for additional sanctions against proponents of Sharia law in the South-West.
It further called for the establishment of an Intelligence Gathering Bureau in South-West states to monitor terrorism and counter extremist propaganda to sustain peace in the region.
