• Alleges midnight curfew attempt to import terrorists into the region
• Urges RCCG, other churches, mosques to beef up security around premises

Renowned historian and Second Republic member of the Senate, Prof. Banji Akintoye, has raised the alarm, alleging that terrorists have invaded and encircled the South-West geo-political zone of Nigeria.

In a letter, he personally wrote to all South-West governors, the leader of the apex Yoruba self-determination group, Ilana Omo Oodua, urged the leaders to be vigilant and ensure that their fatherland is not captured by foreign invaders.

According to a statement made available to journalists in Ibadan, yesterday, by his Communications Manager, Maxwell Adeleye, Akintoye said the new midnight curfew announced by the Federal Government to curtail the spread of COVID-19 looked suspicious with clandestine motives.

While urging Yoruba people, especially the younger generations, to wake up and be extra-vigilant, Akintoye alleged that the previous COVID-19 lockdown from March to May 2020 was used to import terrorists from the North to the southern part of Nigeria, especially to the South-West, stressing that “people must therefore be very careful and observant now.”

He advised some top religion centres in South-West, such as The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) Redemption Camp, Winners Chapel’s Faith Tabernacle, Deeper Life Bible Church’s Camp, Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries Prayer City, Synagogue Church of All Nations’ Headquarters and the prestigious Central Mosque buildings in Lagos and Ibadan, to beef up security around their premises.

The statement read in parts: “This is an alert from Ilana Omo Oodua to the Yoruba people at home and in the Diaspora. The situation that has developed in Nigeria in recent days calls for the uttermost vigilance of the Yoruba nation, and every Yoruba man, woman, and child.

“There is a danger that if we don’t mount that high level of vigilance today, very serious pains can be inflicted upon us as a nation and on countless numbers of citizens of our nation.

“This is a very desperate message from me to the state governors of Yorubaland in the face of the impending escalation of the ongoing invasion of our homeland. A combination of Fulani terrorists, Boko Haram and ISIS have occupied Niger State which is immediately north of Yorubaland, thereby providing for themselves very easy access into Yorubaland through the Yoruba parts of Kwara and Kogi states.

He, therefore, urged owners and custodians of edifices in the region to beef up security around them to avert the impending attacks on them, adding: “Yoruba youths must also make it clear to the world that now is the last and final battle of the Yoruba people against the destructive elements of Nigeria on the Yoruba nation.”