He also said his silence over the situation in the South-West doesn’t portray him as a coward, noting that he is bound to act accordingly when the time is right.
The Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland, Iba Adams, has warned northern groups threatening war in Yorubaland to watch their statements or face the wrath of the region.
This is against a backdrop of vacation orders recently issued in Ondo and Oyo states respectively.
The Arewa Consultative Forum had earlier asked the Nigerian government and Oyo State government to apprehend the perpetrators and instigators of the violence in Igangan, failure of which might attract "counter-attacks in the North and the country will be up in flames."
The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association had also called on the authorities to "act fast."
But, in a statement issued by the Aare's Special Assistant on Media, Kehinde Aderemi, on Sunday, Adams expressed concern about the security situation in the region, stating that threats of attack on the South-West can fuel further crisis in Ibarapa, Oyo and Ondo and will certainly affect the entire nation.
He also said his silence over the situation in the South-West doesn’t portray him as a coward, noting that he is bound to act accordingly when the time is right.
He described the ACF and MACBAN as jokers.
The Yoruba leader, however, stated that the situation in the two states truly justified the huge security challenges perpetrated by herders, that had on several occasions kidnapped and killed many Yoruba in their various communities, adding that the Yoruba are aware of the looming crisis in the country.
He maintained that he would not be stampeded into falling into a pre-arranged trap by the political elite.
The statement read: “The apex organisation in the North and the herders association should watch their statements or face the wrath of the Yoruba nation.
“By their inciting statements, the North is beating war drums. But we will resist any attempt by the North to turn our region to war zones and no amount of threat will stop us from securing our region from killer-herdsmen.
“From my findings, with what has played out in the last three days, (especially on social media), it is evident that there are some enemies and political elements, both within and outside our region, using the bravery of Sunday Igboho as a coordinated attempt to soil my name, and also put my efforts in the past 28 years in the struggle to test.
“My silence in the last three days doesn’t portray me as a coward, but by virtue of my position as the Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland, I am bound by my conscience and conviction to act accordingly when the time is right.
“And I must also consult widely before taking any action.
“What Igboho said was not even as damaging to the sanctity of the nation than the call for civil war by the ACF and the Miyetti Allah put together.
“The killer-herdsmen are the major problem, but sadly the Federal Government remains silent.
“There are reports that the Fulani herdsmen have, in the past five years, killed over 300 Yoruba people from different communities, while several other people have been kidnapped with abductors paying several billions (of naira) as ransoms.”
Adams, however, warned the North to stay away from any attempt to cause mayhem in the South-West, hence, the situation could degenerate into further chaos that might affect the entire nation.
“The Fulani, in their conqueror agenda since 1818, have caused a lot of damage to the South-West.
“And it is clear that the South is their target, which is why anybody going against the Fulani herdsmen automatically becomes their enemy,” Gani Adams added.