The United Nations (UN) Secretary-General, António Guterres, has been petitioned by a coalition of pan-Yoruba groups over what they described as a looming genocide against the Yoruba people of Western Nigeria.

In a letter signed by the Secretary-General of the Alliance for Yoruba Democratic Movements (AYDM), Popoola Ajayi, and endorsed by leaders of 130 Yoruba organisations, the coalition alleged that the killing of 15 people in Kwara State on September 17, 2025, by armed groups identified as Fulani militants was part of a wider plan to invade and occupy Yoruba territories.

The groups claimed that the incident, which occurred in the Oke-Ode community, Ifelodun Local Council, was evidence of what they termed a systematic campaign of violence against indigenous Yoruba communities.

They also alleged that Nigeria’s security agencies had been compromised, while sections of the political class were colluding with extremists, making resolution of the crisis increasingly unlikely.

The AYDM linked the killings to a wider pattern of attacks across the South-West, including the murder of four traditional rulers in recent years and the June 2022 bombing of St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State, in which 40 worshippers were killed.

“The time to act is now. Unprecedented killings, comparable to Rwanda, are imminent in Nigeria. Terrorists have seized and occupied indigenous territories and are preparing to unleash further violence,” Ajayi said in the petition.

The groups, therefore, urged the UN to intervene through three measures: compelling Nigeria to uphold the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), convening an emergency Security Council meeting on Nigeria to push for restructuring and self-determination, and discouraging alleged foreign sponsorship of terrorism in the Sahel, particularly by Ukraine.

The petition accused Ukraine of complicity in funding armed groups in Africa, citing reported comments by a Ukrainian military intelligence spokesperson. It argued that such involvement portrayed the country as “a mortal enemy of Africa and her long-suffering people.”

The petition concluded by urging the UN to act pre-emptively, stating: “It would be wrong for the UN to hold meetings only after genocide has already been committed.”