The Oodua Progressives Union (OPU) has condemned the reported demand for the implementation of Sharia law in Oyo State by kidnappers holding school children abducted from Oriire Local Government Area.
The group described the demand as a dangerous attempt to undermine the constitutional order of the state and threaten the peace, unity and cultural identity of the people.
In a statement signed by its Secretary General, Alhaji Lukman Adedire, and Publicity Secretary, Victor Akingbayi, the socio-cultural organisation said the demand should not be entertained.
According to the group, the kidnappers have reportedly demanded a N1 billion ransom and the implementation of Sharia law in Oyo State as conditions for the release of the abducted children.
OPU said the abduction and the conditions attached to the release of the victims amounted to serious violations of human rights and an attack on the rule of law in Oyo State and the wider South-West region.
The organisation said the demand suggested that the abduction may have been planned with a religious motive and reminded those behind it that Nigeria remains a secular state.
The statement said: “Specifically, Yorubaland is a region where Christians, Muslims, Traditionalists and people of other faiths relate together without forcing one religion on other believers.
“The Yoruba people accepted Islam in the 15th century from Mali, while the Shitta-Bey family in Lagos also accepted Islam from Turkey as far back as 18th century.
“Yoruba will never bow to the Islamisation agenda of the 1804 Caliphate and their agents among us.”
The group called on the Oyo State Government, the Oyo State House of Assembly and other stakeholders in Yorubaland to resist the demand.
It said: “All stakeholders, including the Oyo State Government and security agencies, must intensify efforts to secure the safe release of the abducted children and teachers without yielding to unlawful demands.”
OPU also expressed concern over the safety and welfare of the abducted children and called for urgent efforts to secure their rescue.
The organisation further urged the state government to work closely with federal authorities and private security groups, including the Southwest Security Stakeholders’ Group, to tackle banditry and terrorism in the region.
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