Founder of the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC), Dr. Frederick Fasehun, has called for the immediate release of Chief Olu Falae, a former Finance Minister and presidential candidate kidnapped on Monday, September 21, 2015 from his home in Akure, Ondo State.
A visibly disturbed Fasehun, speaking in Lagos, revealed that he was born on September 21 just like Falae who was abducted from his house after a gang of 20 gunmen, believed to be Fulani herdsmen invaded his farm, attacked his staff and made away with the elder statesman.
Fasehun immediately summoned all members of the OPC to an emergency meeting to hold on Sunday, September 27, 2015. He also ordered that OPC operatives embark on an immediate manhunt for Falae, describing the kidnap of the Afenifere leader as an assault and insult on the Yoruba people. He also called on the government’s security agencies to produce Falae within 48 hours.
Chief Falae is a popular politician who contested for president on the platform of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) against former President Olusegun Obasanjo in 1999 is also a Yoruba monarch.
“OPC is not interested in crisis but it was founded primarily for the protection of its own and for building bridges in Nigeria,” he said. “All lovers of Nigerian unity like OPC, communal peace .and national progress must rise up to this challenge.
As the OPC leader warned of consequences of this abduction, he said, “At my turning 80, the entire world would expect me to be a bridge builder. And I have prepared myself to be just that. But if any missile is thrown at you, and it is likely to affect your eyeball, you must avoid it at all costs. This is my view of the insult now being unleashed, being flung at Nigeria by the enemies of Nigeria’s unity.”
According to reports, the kidnappers have made a demand of N100 million ransom for the return of Falae who is a former Permanent Secretary, Minister of Finance, and Secretary to the Federal Government.
Fasehun maintained that Falae’s service to his country had been impeccable and his current ordeal was uncharitable. “When we heard that Falae was kidnapped we thought it was impossible, as kidnappers would not be mad enough to kidnap a man of peace, a man who has selflessly served Nigeria,” he said as he expressed disappointment with the lack of a statement by the Buhari-led Federal Government, 24 hours after the kidnapping of a monarch of the Yoruba nation.
“Falae is by any standard a leader of the Yoruba people, a leader of Nigeria and a significant leader in Africa. He is a leader of Afenifere. He was a leader of NADECO. And any assault on him is an assault on Nigeria and Nigerians.”
“Over 24 hours after this disruption of the life of a dignitary, government has not issued any statement; rather what we hear is a loud silence from the Federal Government. It is a shame; it is a big shame,” Fasehun said.
Falae holds the title of Olu of Oba-Ile and his monarch of his homestead and as such, Dr. Fasehun called on all monarchs in the country to rise up and pressurise the Federal Government to take every necessary step to ensure that Falae is returned to his family in good health.
“We believe this is a political issue. And any politician in Nigeria must make sure that Chief Olu Falae is released immediately,” he said. “Otherwise OPC will take any step available to defend its own.”
