One Tree Cannot Make a Forest’: OPC Leader Says Unity Must Come Before Yorubaland Security Push

_By Seyifunmi Odunuga

Ibadan_ — When the Alaafin of Oyo tasked the Aare Ona Kakanfo with shoring up Yorubaland’s defenses, a prominent OPC leader answered with a warning rooted in a proverb: _“One tree cannot make a forest.”_

Comrade Adesina Akinpelu, a national leader of the Oodua People’s Congress, said Monday that Iba Gani Adams cannot be expected to secure Yorubaland alone while the OPC remains fractured.

The Alaafin, His Imperial Majesty Oba Akeem Abimbola Owoade I, had called on Adams to begin wide-ranging consultations with traditional rulers, community leaders, and key stakeholders. According to a statement by his Director of Culture and Public Relations, Ademola Adeniyi, the goal is to build practical, community-driven support systems that complement formal security structures — particularly for intelligence sharing and early warning.

The appeal comes against a backdrop of violence. On Tuesday, January 6, 2026, gunmen attacked forest guards at Old Oyo National Park in Oloka, Oriire LGA, around 11:30 p.m., killing five Nigeria Park Service officers in their office. In Igboho, Oorelope LGA, four farmers were reportedly killed. And in Ondo State’s Akoko South LGA, the abduction of a nursing mother and her child in Supare/Ajegunle has heightened fear across the region.

Akinpelu, reacting Monday in Ibadan, said the Aare Ona Kakanfo “cannot fight the battle with one hand tied behind his back.” He pointed to long-standing calls by the Ooni of Ife, Oba Ogunwusi Adeyeye Ojaja, to harmonize the OPC’s four factions. 

Three factions have agreed to unity talks, Akinpelu said, but the faction led by Iba Gani Adams remains opposed. 

He urged the Alaafin to “first put his house in order” by uniting the OPC if the group is to police Yorubaland effectively.