“We Will Rise to Defend Her Rights” – Yoruba group condemns online attacks on LASU lecturer

June 01, 2025

By Ayinde Adeleke

A prominent Yoruba socio-cultural group, Igbimo Omo Yoruba, has raised alarm over what it described as a disturbing wave of ethnic intolerance and cyberbullying targeting Dr. Adeyinka Olarinmoye, a lecturer at Lagos State University (LASU).

The controversy began on Wednesday, May 21, when Dr. Olarinmoye reacted to Afrobeat singer Davido’s comments about his Igbo ancestry by writing on her Facebook page: “I would ensure my kids marry Yoruba.”

According to Igbimo Omo Yoruba, the backlash intensified when her words were allegedly misrepresented as: “An Ibo man marrying my daughters cannot happen at all.”

The group claimed this distortion fuelled an online smear campaign marked by insults, threats, and attempts to damage her professional reputation.

In a statement issued on Saturday by its convener, Adedamola Adetayo, the group condemned the online attacks against Dr. Olarinmoye—popularly known as Iyalode Adeyinka Bello—accusing a “new generation of Ibo people” of orchestrating what it called a “coordinated campaign of ethnic harassment and media mobbing.”

“These attacks are not only unjust but deeply calculated to emotionally and psychologically damage Dr. Olarinmoye,” Adetayo stated.

“We will rise to defend her rights and by extension, the rights of all Yoruba people to freely express themselves.”

The group further alleged that the smear campaign was politically motivated, linking it to Dr. Olarinmoye’s past criticism of the Obidient Movement and her support for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

It claimed the attacks were orchestrated by individuals sympathetic to the Labour Party and its presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Mr. Peter Obi.

Igbimo Omo Yoruba also made broader accusations, alleging an ongoing “Zionist agenda” by unnamed Igbo individuals to politically and culturally dominate Lagos and other parts of Yorubaland.

It warned that continued provocation would not be tolerated, promising a “swift and far-reaching” response if any harm came to Dr. Olarinmoye or other Yoruba citizens.

The group called on Yoruba state governments and traditional leaders to take proactive measures to protect their people from cyber harassment and what they described as “cultural encroachment.” Dr. Olarinmoye, who has reported the matter to security agencies, has yet to make a public statement since the incident went viral.