The National Association of Seadogs (NAS), also known as the Pyrates Confraternity, has issued a strong repudiation of claims made by a group calling themselves the Association of Humble and Obedient Youths (AHOY).
In a video circulated online, AHOY attempted to link their origins and activities to the Pyrates Confraternity, a connection which NAS vehemently denies.
NAS said, “This video is the most impudent and brazen episode of piracy on the high seas – the real thing – yet to be acknowledged in seafaring lore.
“It is more comical than Baba Sala in cross-dressing, more improbable than a Mr. Bean cartoon, more puerile than the petulant antics of an infant denied a lick from an ice cream cone.”
NAS emphasizes that the claims made by AHOY are riddled with inaccuracies and amount to “outrightly incontrovertible malicious falsehoods.”
The statement further elaborates that claims pose serious threats to the reputation and integrity of the NAS and its members.
“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,” the statement added.
The NAS Board of Trustees and Tortuga-in-Council, which includes notable figures such as Nobel Laureate Professor Wole Soyinka, signed the disclaimer.
The statement highlighted its legitimate and long-standing history, stating that it was founded in 1952 by Soyinka and six other eminent Nigerians at the University College Ibadan, now known as the University of Ibadan.
The association was formally registered in 1980 and celebrated its 70th anniversary, marking seven decades of significant contributions to Nigerian and global society.
“We require the authors and collaborators, whether by themselves or by others, howsoever acting, to cease and desist, forthwith, any and all actions that seek or purport to continue the dissemination of any further accounts associating themselves with our organization or any members,” NAS demanded.
NAS underscores the seriousness of identity theft and impersonation, noting that such actions reveal a “barren imagination and descent into sheer criminality.”
