Security and intelligence analyst Dr. Sani Aliyu has revisited the early 2000s security climate in southwestern Nigeria, highlighting what he described as a lenient federal response to the activities of the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC).
Speaking during an interview from 38:47 on Trust TV on May 12, 2026, Aliyu reflected on the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, noting that the government adopted what he termed a “soft landing” approach toward the group despite rising concerns over public safety.
During the interview, he said, “I was talking to President Obasanjo that time in 2001. I was advising president Obasanjo that time that legalizing illegality can not bring legality. I was talking about the misbehavior of OPC then in Lagos where they will throw egg to a building and boom it catches fire like bomb and yet, there was no any punitive action taken against them.” The analyst used the example to illustrate what he believes was a pattern of insufficient enforcement against certain non-state actors at the time.
Aliyu explained that the OPC, which emerged in the late 1990s as a socio-cultural organization advocating for Yoruba interests, was at various points linked to acts of vigilantism and clashes in parts of Lagos and other southwestern states. According to him, the federal government’s handling of the group raised questions about consistency in applying the law across different regions and groups….Read_More…