By James Ogunnaike, Abeokuta

The Yoruba Commitment Forum (YCF) has condemned the recent invasion of the Oyo State House of Assembly by self-acclaimed Yoruba Nation agitators.

The forum said, the self-acclaimed agitators took laws into their hands in demanding for freedom.

This was contained in the statement jointly signed by Otunba Tayo Onayemi, Mrs Buky Tunde Oshunride, Barr Akeem Aponmade and Dr Kayode Olunuga and made available to newsmen in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital.

The statement titled, “Yoruba Nation Agitators: The Ibadan Disgrace”, noted that “Yorubas are never seen as destabilisers to government and it is not in us to be unruly”.

“We had expected that our urbane and civilized methods associated distinctly with Yoruba would be brought to the fore in that agitation”.

It added that there are constitutional processes which are always followed in other places, saying that it will employ those procedures.

The forum therefore appealed to President Bola Tinubu and Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State to temper justice with mercy with regards to the arrested agitators and qualify them for minimal punishment or outright pardon.

“We join millions of Nigerian people to appeal to our President, President Tinubu and our proactive Governor, Governor Seyi Makinde to please temper justice with mercy with regards to the acute malfeasance of these agitators and qualify them for minimal punishment or outright pardon because they know not what they do”.

The forum showed its displeasure over factions in Afenifere and appealed to the two factions to close ranks for the corporate benefit of Yoruba people.

“In other lands, when this type of thing rears its ugly head, the elders don’t go to bed until it’s settled amicably”.

“There is no group, association or family that do not share differences in various issues, but the ability to rise above such, shows maturity”.

“Our founding Leader, Papa Obafemi Awolowo once said there’s no glory in not falling at all but there’s glory is rising up after each fall”.

‘We call on our elders in Yorubaland to rise up to this demanding occasion. Many of us younger ones who are proud to be Yoruba are so sad about this development in Afenifere”.

While saying that restructuring Nigeria is inevitable, it noted that “the present constitution is not favourable to any region as there’s much inter tribal suspicion. Insecurity, bandits on rampage, ripping into bits the fabric of what we know as being our brother’s keeper, destruction of farmland by cattle and citizens living in fear.

“This is unacceptable to the greneralty of Nigerians and cannot be allowed subsist in order to put an end to the constant human collateral damages always resultant from the ethnic agitations. We need to move forward”.

The forum commended President Tinubu for his courage and exemplary leadership in confronting the multifaceted problems of Nigeria; including insecurity, inflation, Naira abuse in very dimensional ways .

“We have no doubt in our mind that President Tinubu will go down in history as the man who did the unthinkable positively for his country”.