Pyrates Confraternity denounces affiliation with group, condemns its activities

The National Association of Seadogs (NAS), popularly known as The Pyrates Confraternity, has denied any affiliation with a group known as the Association of Humble and Obedient Youths (AHOY).

The denouncement came after the AHOY group released a video to associate their origin and existence with The Pyrates Confraternity, especially with their seven founding fathers, including the renowned Nobel laureate, Wole Soyinka.

Addressing journalists in Lagos in company with some members of the Board of Trustees (BoT) and Tortuga-in-Council, NAS Capone, Abiola Owoaje, said the said video constituted “the most impudent and brazen episode of piracy on the high seas”.

He described the attempt to legitimise and link AHOY to their association as pathetic and an abject failure.

Mr Owoaje noted that the inaccuracies in AHOY’s account confirmed that their objectives were disingenuously criminal as many of their statements were untrue and highly inflammatory.

He observed that some of the statements made by the AHOY group carried serious and continuing threats to The Pyrates Confraternity’s reputation and collective and individual memberships’ personal integrity.

The NAS Capone stressed that all claims made by the authors of the video or the organisation that sought the linkage are denied and rejected. He stated that there was no truth in the assertions that they have sought to disseminate.

Mr Owoaje further described the video as a brazen attempt to tarnish the image and reputation of NAS, as well as diminish its significant positive contributions to the development of the Nigerian and global society over the past 70 years since it was founded.

“To ignore this impudence would be a gross abdication of the considerable responsibility that we have come to accept as one of the barometers of the social conscience of the communities within which we operate. We will fail ourselves and squander legitimacy if we fail to alert all relevant security agencies, and the public, of the grave potential of this act of open criminality tied to political interests.

“Their satanic ploy is aimed at compromising publicly exposed members of our association. We do not rule out plans to eliminate some who, with one word, can dismantle this glossy tumour of lies which, one must concede, has most seductively been packaged in Hi-tech designs. It is now imperative that we deal with this with swiftness within the parameters of all the legal options open to the organisation. In that respect, our legal resources are now fully engaged,” he said.

The Seadogs identified some of the trustees behind the AHOY group to include Enitan Afinuomo, John Kester, Oluwadamilare Obayemi, Lawal Einwunmi, Timothy Adegunle, David Nowoola, Ayoola Olusada, Uzoma Okoli, Ayodele Soetan, Sunday Akowe and Olatilewa Oluwayemi. It stressed that all AHOY trustees mentioned were also not affiliated or connected to the Pyrates Confraternity.

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Mr Owoaje urged the authors and collaborators of the group to cease and desist forthwith, any and all actions that seek or purport to continue the dissemination of any further accounts associating themselves with The Seadogs or any members.

Recall that Mr Soyinka and six eminent Nigerians founded The Pyrates Confraternity in 1952 at the University College, Ibadan. In 1980, the Association became formally registered with the Federal Ministry of Internal Affairs under the Land (Perpetual Succession) Act Cap. 98 (now in Part F of the Companies and Allied Matters Act 2020) with the name ‘The National Association of Seadogs’ with Certificate of Incorporation No. 1592, dated 31 October, 1980.