Gani Adams, the Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland in this interview, speaks on how members of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) under his command successfully arrested Iskilu Wakili, a suspected kidnap kingpin who has been terrorising the people of Ibarapa in Oyo state for years. He also condemned attempts by the police to implicate OPC members despite seeking their assistance in the operation. TEMIDAYO AKINSUYI brings the excerpts:

How did OPC successfully arrest suspected kidnap kingpin, Iskilu Wakili despite several unsuccessful attempts by the security agents to apprehend him?

It is unfortunate that the Nigerian police acted like that. What they did has made us regret our action in supporting and defended them when hoodlums hijacked #EndSARS protest in October 2020. It was public knowledge that Wakili had been become a terror to residents of that axis in the past three years. It was also public knowledge that his village has become a no-go area for anyone who is not part of his gang. The police and other security agents were unable to arrest Wakili or anyone in his community no matter the crimes they committed. The information at our disposal is that Wakili has carried out over 100 kidnaps in Igangan, Aiyete, Tapa, Igbo-Ora. He was the godfather to the kidnappers operating in this axis. The Operation Burst in Oyo state, which is a combination of military men and police made two attempts to arrest him but they couldn’t. For each attempt, they came with nothing less than 15 vehicles to that area. It was so serious to the extent that the local government chairman harboured them in Igbo-Ora. They stayed there for more than one week, yet they couldn’t go to that place and arrest him. Just forty of our courageous boys went to that place and arrested him.

Why then did the Police arrest these OPC men who risked their lives to get Wakili arrested?
If the Nigerian Police is sincere about the security of our country and our safety and if indeed, they are the mother of security as they say it in their circle, and if they want us to have confidence in them again, they have to celebrate these gallant OPC men who arrested and handed him over to them instead of arresting them for carrying out a noble cause. They claimed that one person died during the operation. If you go to the den of a kidnapper to arrest people, anything can happen in the process. The information the boys who arrested gave us was that on getting there, Wakili has armed over 150 boys with guns, bows and arrow. They climb on trees and hide there. When our boys got to the location, they rained bullets on them. When our boys pressed on and Wakili’s boys saw the level of confrontation, they now shouted ‘Wayo Allah’ and they moved within the cows and used them as cover to escape to neighbouring Benin Republic. The cows they have there is more than 1,500. Now we realised that the information Oyo state governor, Seyi Makinde gave that criminals have infiltrated neighbouring borders is true. With less than 30 minutes, you can trek to Benin Republic from where Wakili is living. The village Wakili is living is about three hours to Igangan if you drive Hilux vehicle. Our boys moved by 1am and got there by 4:15 am. Before they were able to arrest Wakili, it was about 6:30am- 7am. After realizing he could not withstand our boys, he tried to flee but they arrested him. So, there is no way you can do such an operation without a casualty or collateral damage. These are criminals who will do everything possible to resist arrest. So, for the police to now turn those who arrested these criminals to accused, definitely, it shows that the Nigerian Police is not interested in the safety of Nigerians. It is a shame to them for doing that. Despite the physical attacks on our boys, they ensured that Wakili did not die in the operation but they brought him alive and handed him over the police. They deserve commendations and not the humiliation the police is subjecting them to.

There were reports that Wakili is blind. How did he successfully carry out these strings of operations despite his age and visual impairment?

Wakili is not blind. We can see his pictures in the national daily today. He is just pretending. He came to Kara market in Ogun state with a bag full of money to buy cow feeds two weeks ago. Unknown to him, we have been monitoring his movement for long. Anyone saying Wakili is blind is misinformed. He is a criminal. All what you saw him doing when he was arrested was just like acting drama. When they arrested him, he trekked by himself from his house to the vehicle without any form of assistance. Those boys who arrested did not put him on motorcycle so that the villagers who were angry with him may not lynch him, so they kept him inside the vehicle so as to give him protection. The police took sides with him in the drama by taking him to the hospital for medical attention. Nothing happened to him because our boys did not manhandle him. Even if anything happens to him in the course of the operation, it is justified because he is a criminal who has done more evil to people to innocent people in that area. The king as leaders of Ibarapa perceived Wakili as a spirit that cannot be arrested. They referred to him as ‘Anjonu( someone with mystical power). They perceived him as someone who can to turn to cat, snake or any other thing. But when it comes to OPC, unless we don’t want to act. We did our research before our operation. We did all the needful before we got to that venue. If it will take us three months to do our research on someone to get him, we will do it. We don’t rush to do our operation. That is OPC and that was the kind of training I gave to them. We will research you to know your source of power and protection. We will be ahead of you in the spiritual realm and we will get you. That is how OPC operates.

Some people have argued that the police wouldn’t have arrested the OPC men if they had collaborated together. Do you share that view? .

The DPO of Igbo-Ora has been discussing with our OPC men in the area asking them if there is anyway they can assist in arresting Wakili. Now after the arrest, because he got a call from above, he now arrested people who even handed a criminal to them and clamped them into detention. You can see the way our security system operates. This is a person discussing with OPC men before on how they can assist in arresting this criminal. They have been strategizing together for the past two months. But now, because there is an order from above, he now turned against the same people that helped in arresting the criminal the police couldn’t arrest. The question now is, next time, if there is a bigger problem and he begged OPC to arrest him, will he assist him? The Nigerian police does not know the implication of what they are doing now because about 60 percent of their success story in crime fighting was made possible by the assistance of OPC and other local security groups. So, with what you have done to OPC members in the case of Wakili, who will trust you again? Even the people in the community will not trust you anymore. They should be careful not to do things that will diminish their value within communities in Yorubaland.

What efforts are you making to secure the release of your men who are in police custody for arresting this suspected kidnapper?

We have contacted our lawyers. They are already working on it.

You recently said that a new security outfit that will complement the efforts of the Western Nigeria Security Network, also known as Amotekun, and other security agencies in tackling the insecurity ravaging the region will soon be unveiled. When should we expect it?

Definitely! The new security outfit is already out. This new security outfit is not a new thing. You can check on google.’South-West Security Stakeholder Group’. When we realised that we have to do something and our governors are trying their best even though we know they have their limitations. We also know what happens to them when they get to Abuja. So, we have to give them a back-up. That was why we organised South-West security stakeholder over a year ago. We were trying to ensure that we bring all the relevant groups that have structure all over Yorubaland together. There are four groups namely hunter, OPC, vigilante and partially Agbekoya. I said partially because Agbekoya doesn’t have structures across. Even though OPC is not fully a security outfit but they have security advantage. So, we are bringing other groups that have structures in the communities that are well organised and coordinated together. It is not only these four groups I mentioned. We started one year, four months ago but we stopped the meetings because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The last meeting with a huge attendance was held in Osogbo while the first was held in Ifako-Ijaiye with about 1,500 participants. The second was held in Ibadan and the third in Osogbo. Yoruba leaders came to my house and said ‘Aare it is time for you to unite all the relevant security groups because the issue of insecurity in Yorubaland is becoming alarming. I told them to give me four days so that I can reactivate the structures I have on ground. On Friday, I called a five representatives from each group. We met at the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and we had a robust meeting. The meeting lasted for five hours and came up with a lot of resolutions.

What are the resolutions?

We informed them that this is not about an organisation. This is about a structure to save Yoruba people from unnecessary harassment. This is a structure to complement the efforts of the security agencies and the governors because we realised that the governors and first-class monarchs in South-West are holding their meetings too. When government is doing its own yet the problem still persists, then the non-government organisations should also do their own to complement the efforts of the government. That was the essence of South- West Security Stakeholders Group. We could have hold another meeting this week but because of the pan- Yoruba conference coming up on the 17th of March, we postponed the meeting. We will hold another meeting in Ogun state after the pan-Yoruba conference. Even the operation that took place in Igbo-Ora was done by OPC but I have to call it the effort of the security groups in Ibarapa so as to give other groups a sense of belonging. As a leader, if you don’t do that, they may not be happy that it is only OPC that is grabbing the spotlight. We are trying to unify them so that they can be more responsive to any security threats in each community. We have also written a letter to all state council of Obas to activate this structure in their communities. They should bring hunters, OPC, vigilantes together so that if there is any security threat, they will able to respond to it immediately.

optionalY09:
So OPC worked with the government to suppress #EndSARS protester. Asiri tin tu o

nairavsdollars:
Did he say that?

So, there is no way you can do such an operation without a casualty or collateral damage. These are criminals who will do everything possible to resist arrest. So, for the police to now turn those who arrested these criminals to accused, definitely, it shows that the Nigerian Police is not interested in the safety of Nigerians.

optionalY09:


Did you know how to read

Maxymilliano:


It is not the duty of Gani Adams to pronounce anyone as criminals, and he wouldn't have expected the Police to have overlooked the casualty that was recorded in the melee, without questioning any of the active participants.

optionalY09:
“ It is unfortunate that the Nigerian police acted like that. What they did has made us regret our action in supporting and defended them when hoodlums hijacked #EndSARS protest in October 2020”

So OPC worked with the government to suppress #EndSARS protesters or what kind of help as offered to the police

This now gives me an insight why OPC often wait on government approval to act. That’s not what we want honestly. The bokoharam created in the North are coming to kill us.

All Southern governors are held hostage by bokoharam trained security details who will take their life the moment they say anything against the Buhari government.

CobraAnambra:

You got it wrong.
When police stations were being burnt and policemen endangered, OPC that were called upon to provide temporary security.

-cobra

Maxymilliano:


It is not the duty of Gani Adams to pronounce anyone as criminals, and he wouldn't have expected the Police to have overlooked the casualty that was recorded in the melee, without questioning any of the active participants.

Maxymilliano:


It is not the duty of Gani Adams to pronounce anyone as criminals, and he wouldn't have expected the Police to have overlooked the casualty that was recorded in the melee, without questioning any of the active participants.

Jostoman:
God bless you Gani Adams, Sunday igboho, Nnamdi kanu, asari dokubo and other freedom fighter across the south for standing to defend your people.