Yoruba group to sue Igbo authors over fraudulent claims on Ile-Ife
By Omolade Adegbuyi
A Pan Yoruba group is seeking international legal redress over the mutilation of Yoruba history by a cohort of Igbo authors.
A new book by two Igbo authors parade false assumptions that the Igbo were the first settlers in Ile-Ife, the world acclaimed Yoruba ancestral home.
Think Yoruba First, (TYF) said it is alarmed at the conscious distortion of Yoruba history by a section of Igbo writers who the group accused of extending criminal instinct to the realm of intellectual theft.
The new book titled The Igbo: People History and Worldview was written by Dons Eze and Chinedu Ochinanwata.
The book laid claim to ownership of Ile-Ife against all proven evidence that Ugbo and not Igbo were the first settlers at Ife.The Ugbo are the Ilaje currently indigenous in Ondo state of which most prominent King is the Olugbo of Ugbo.
In weeks, the TYF said it would submit petitions to relevant
Nigerian and international bodies — including the National Library of Nigeria,
Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), National Council for Arts and Culture
(NCAC), National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM), Nigerian
Press Council, and relevant UK-based academic and cultural institutions.
TYF said the book, that is currently widely circulated in academic and public spaces, contains false, libellous, and culturally offensive claims about Yoruba origins and the sacred city of
Ile-Ife. The publication also violates Article 17 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, (UDHR) which preserves the intellectually property right of indigenous peoples.
Irohinoodua findings indicate that the Igbo claims are not supported by neither carbon dating nor fossil extraction buy the Igbo authors stubbornly hold on the the tissues of lies.
TYK listed offensive assertions as
that the Igbo were the original inhabitants of Ile-Ife, and that the Yoruba are immigrants who usurped control, that supposed conflict in Ile-Ife led to an Igbo eastward migration, with the Onitsha people as the last to leave.
It dismissed the fabrication of an “Ado-na-Idu Empire” as a precursor to Ile-Ife history
— a claim unsupported by the Ifa Corpus (Odu Ifa), authentic Yoruba oral traditions, or credible historical scholarship.
At a mid-week press conference in Lagos the TYF through its official Sanwo Oluwatobi Ibraham, a lawyer said the ceaseless distortion diminishes Igbo and portraysthe promoters of the false history as a people without any sense of shame.
In a chat with Irohinoodua, the General Secretary, Alliance for Yoruba Democratic Movements, (AYDM) Mr Popoola Ajayi said the claims diminishes the prestige and history of Igbo as a people.
“Prof Kennet Dike is an outstanding name in African history. He is Igbo. He never made such fraudulent claims. Why should a people behave as if they are historical orphans, a leech, struggling to attack themselves to the civilisation of other people? This is criminal and very shameful,” Popoola said. The AYDM is an alliance of 120 Pan Yoruba groups with a retinue to scholars in its fold.
TYF also accused the authors of deliberate attempt to dilute and distort the originality of Ile-Ife as the ancestral and spiritual cradle of Yoruba civilization.
TYK said the reckless falsehoods are not mere academic errors but amount to cultural defamation, attacking the dignity and heritage of the Yoruba nation.
It described the reports as historical distortion – falsifying facts that are sacred and well-established.
It accused the authors of u
intellectual disshonesty, undermining authentic research, oral tradition, and Ifa
knowledge.
TYK said the authors raise potential ethnic provocation – creating narratives that may endanger peaceful coexistence between Nigerians.
TYK said Ile-Ife is not simply a location on a map but a the very cradle of Yoruba civilization, bestowed with recognized by Ifa, preserved in oral traditions, and affirmed by scholars worldwide.
It noted that Ife represents not just history, but the living spirit of Yoruba people.
“To distort Ile-Ife is to attack the very soul of the Yoruba.
The claim is not about ‘precedence in the order of existence’, as in who was first created or predated who, but the whole essence and gamut of our argument is to repudiate, not accept and completely not concede to the libellous opinion, thoughts or imagination that the Igbo “preceded the Yoruba People originating from Ile-Ife.
These are clear examples of libel, and intellectual aggression disguised as scholarship but aimed at creating inter-ethnic confusion locally, misinformation to readers and scholars, especially those unfamiliar with Yoruba cultural heritage and histories indigenous to South-Western Nigeria.”
TYK said it would not allow Yoruba land and history to be erased, distorted, or appropriated by false narratives anymore.
“Whether you are an individual, organization, institution, body corporate, politician, ruler, clergymen, Nigerian or non-
Nigerian; TYF worldwide and the entire Yoruba people home and abroad have awoken and are now alert to their omoluabi responsibility of observing constructively and responding succinctly and appropriately with deserving applause or otherwise. For the avoidance of doubt, Ile-Ife is the “garden of eden” of the entire Yoruba creation; the land, water, air and soul is our birthright and we are not merely laying claims but these claims are backed by both archaeological evidences and historical records which are globally and judicially recognized.”
It affirmed categorically that
Ile-Ife remains the undisputed cradle of Yoruba civilization.
It said the claims advanced in the book are baseless, offensive, and unacceptable.
“Yoruba heritage and identity are non-negotiable and indivisible.”
TYF said it represents Yoruba People Worldwide and would not allow Nigeria to become anti-intellectual and mediocre in the advancement of false history.
It said ancestry and race are crucial to the livelihood of the people
It called on Yoruba to invest in books and history and not in bullets and hate.
It said it would be taking civil and legal steps to resolve all inter and intra ethnic disputes because we uphold and affirm to the ideology of Pax-Yorubana. Let Nigeria begin to learn from Yorubaland that peace brings continued prosperity and progress to any land or nation that embrace dialogue and
constructive criticism. Let us not use our scarce resources that is meant for development for the opposite. We at TYF love all ethnicities and all people of all Nations no matter your creed, religion or race and we reciprocate such love or otherwise aura for aura.
It insisted on policy engagement saying it would formally notify Yoruba development institutions,
including the South-West Development Commission (SWDC), state governments, and Yoruba traditional councils to take official notice and act in cultural defence.
The group said it is mobilizing Yoruba communities worldwide to understand the threat, defend Yoruba heritage, and reject any attempt to rewrite collective history.
TYF Worldwide said it would initiate both local and international legal processes against the authors and publishers for libel, cultural defamation, and intellectual fraud.
“The first nation of Ile Ife are Ugbo but a section of Igbo in their fleeting search for historical sanctuary have continued to confuse Ugbo with Igbo. It’s like equating Igbo, Indian Hemp with Igbo. It’s the height of criminal assault on Yoruba history that no decent, proud people should have have conceived. The Igbo should research on their history and should not give the impression that they have no history but to rely on stealing the pride of other people” Secretary General, Alliance for Yoruba Democratic Movements, (AYDM) told Irohinoodua on Thursday.
The TYF urged all Yoruba sons and daughters across the world to stand united in
defense of Ile-Ife and Yoruba civilization from people who act without honour.
The group called on academic institutions and Media Organizations to reject
falsified accounts or narratives and promote authentic Yoruba scholarship.Our government and cultural institutions should protect Yoruba heritage as
part of Nigeria’s national identity.”
It called on the media to focus on responsible reporting and amplify the truth, ensuring that
deliberate distortions do not gain legitimacy.
