Igboho’s House raid: DSS dares OPC, Yoruba World Congress
…Declares Igboho wanted, arrests 13 supporters
…Recovers 7 AK-47, 3-Pump Action guns, Voodoo Charm jackets, others
…OPC, YWC, others fume
The Department of State Services (DSS) dared the support for Sunday Adeyemo popularly known as Sunday Igboho yesterday by the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) and Yoruba World Congress (YWC) with the attack of his Soka house in Ibadan, Oyo State.
During the attack carried out in the wee hours of Thursday morning, YWC claimed that the wife of the activist was whisked away by the attackers while about seven people were reportedly shot dead.
However, the DSS claimed responsibility for the attack on Sunday Igboho house which according to the Spokesperson Peter Afunaya became necessary following intelligence report that Ighoho had stockpiled arms in his house.
Afunaya who addressed journalists on Thursday night in Abuja said some supporters of Yoruba Nation agitator were arrested during a raid on his residence at Soka in Ibadan Oyo State.
He said when the security operatives approached the house, they were attacked by six Igboho’s boys who engaged them in a gun battle.
Two of Igboho’s men were killed while an operative sustained injuries, Afunanya said.
He said Igboho escaped during the gun battle.
According to him, “In the early hours (about 0134 hours) of today, 1st July, 2021, a joint team of security operatives raided the residence of Sunday Adeniyi Adeyemo a.k.a. Sunday Igboho at Soka, Ibadan, Oyo State.
“This was based on intelligence that he had stockpiled arms in the place. On approach to the residence, the team came under heavy gun attack by nine men, suspected to be Igboho’s guards.
“Six of them were armed with AK-47 guns and three others, with Pump-Action rifles.
“In the course of the exchange, two of Igboho’s armed men were gunned down while the rest were subdued and arrested. Only one operative who was shot by the assailants on his right hand sustained injury. He has however received medical attention and is very stable.
“Afterwards, the team procedurally searched the house and subsequently recovered the following among others, Seven (7) AK-47 assault rifles; Three (3) Pump Action guns; Thirty (30) fully charged AK-47 magazines; Five Thousand (5,000) rounds of 7.62mm ammunition; Five (5) Cutlasses, One (1) Jack knife, One (1) Pen Knife; Two (2) Pistol holsters; One (1) binoculars; A wallet containing Five (5) US Dollars in one (1) Dollar denomination; local and international driver’s licences in his name, ATM Cards, a German residence permit No. YO2N6K1NY bearing his name and Two (2) whistles.
“Others are Fifty (50) Cartridges; Eighteen (18) Walkie-Talkies; Three Voodoo charm jackets/traditional body armour; Two (2) Laptops (One (1) Toshiba and One (1) Compaq); and his International Passport and those of many others (as displayed here). Further exploitation and forensic analysis are ongoing.
“Aside the items recovered from the building, about thirteen (13) suspects including twelve (12) males and one (1) female were arrested and brought to Abuja. While one suspect is being profiled, the other twelve (12) paraded here are: Abdulateef Ofeyagbe, Amoda Babatunde aka Lady K (female), Tajudeen Erinoyen, Diakola Ademola, Abideen Shittu, Jamiu Noah, Ayobami Donald, Adelabe Usman, Oluwafelumi Kunle, Raji Kazeem, Taiwo Opeyemi and Bamidele Sunday.”
He highlighted in his statement that DSS wanted to “inform Nigerians and the world that Sunday Igboho and his group, in the guise of campaign for self-determination, have become well-armed and determined to undermine public order.
“This, the arrests and seizures are, no doubt, a confirmation of a grand plan by IGBOHO and his cohorts to wage a violent insurrection against the Nigerian State.
“Alert foreign missions and licencing authorities within and outside Nigeria about this development and the possibility that Igboho could declare some of his personal permit and identity cards missing in order to seek their replacement.
“Apprise stakeholders that the Five (5) AK-47 assault rifles recovered from the building are suspected to be those collected by Igboho’s men from Nigerian Customs and Immigration personnel at Idi Iroko, Ogun State.
“The gun duel which lasted for an hour offered Igboho the chance to escape. Sunday Adeyemo a.k.a Sunday IGBOHO is now on the run. Igboho may run as far as he can. He may hide as long as he wants. He might have attacked security operatives as his strength carried him. But this will be the end of his shenanigans. Soon, he will not have a hiding place. His strength will surely fail him. And the law will catch up with him. The law may be slow. But it will be steady.
“Consequently, Adeyemo Igboho is advised to turn himself in to the nearest security agency. Those cheering and eulogising him may appeal to or advise him to do the needful. He should surrender himself to the appropriate authorities. He or anyone can never be above the law. Meanwhile, those arrested will be charged accordingly.”
However, the Leader of Oodua Peoples Congress and the Aare Oona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, Otunba Gani Adams and the Leader of YWC, Emeritus Professor Banji Akintoye condemned the early morning attack on the residence of the Yoruba right Activist.
According to a statement by the Leader of Yoruba World Congress, Emeritus Prof. Banji Akintoye, wife of the activist was also abducted by the attackers.
In a statement personally signed by him and made available to Nigerian NewsDirect by his Communications Manager, Mr. Maxwell Adeleye, the leader of the YWC said the attackers were Nigerian Soldiers aided by International Terrorists who speak French language fluently.
The statement was titled, ‘Yoruba Nation: Elements of the Nigerian Army, Accompanied by International Terrorists hired by the Nigerian State attacked Sunday Ighoho’s Residence – Akintoye.’
According to the Communications Manager, Akintoye alleged that “the assailants were all dressed in military uniform and spoke French language fluently.”
He further said that “the gunmen killed seven occupants in the building and whisked Igboho’s wife and several others away.”
On his part, the Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland, Chief Gani Adams, urged Federal Government to investigate the circumstances surrounding alleged attack on Igboho’s house
Adams, in a statement on Thursday by his Media Aide, Kehinde Aderemi, described the attack as ugly and unfortunate, urging the government to bring perpetrators to book.
According to him, the attack led to the death of eight persons, with wantom destruction of the activist’s property.
The Aare condemned the incident in strong terms, saying the attack was a ploy to silent him from expressing his views on the state of the nation.
Adams charged the federal government to investigate the circumstances surrounding the ugly incident and bring the perpetrators to book.
“The attack on Sunday Igboho’s house is most unfortunate. It is a reflection of the fact that our lives as Nigerians are of no value to the government. And the truth is that nobody is safe in this country,
“The recent attack was the second in six months.The first was in January when his Soka residence was razed by unknown arsonists. And up till date,nobody had been apprehended in respect of the ugly incident,
“The two attempts at Igboho’s houses within six months cannot be said to be ordinary.They were ploys to cow him and frustrate him,
“ We cannot continue to live in fear and trepidation. We cannot continue to live in perpetual crisis where our lives and property are not secure,” Adams said.
He said that those behind the two attacks should be warned that any attack on Igboho was an attack on all that are in the struggle for the liberation of Yoruba race.
“The video clip of the attack on Sunday Igboho’s house was a show of death and destruction. About eight people were allegedly killed in the attack, with wantom destruction to his property,” he added.
Adams said that he would never support anything that negated the law or anybody that disobeyed the law.
Earlier, Olayemi Koiki, media aide of Sunday Igboho, has stated that two persons were killed during the attack that happened around 1am on Thursday.
“The situation now is very bad. Two Yoruba sons have been killed in the house of Chief Sunday Igboho. The two dead bodies have been taken away by the military. We do not know of the location where they were taken to,” the aide said in a Facebook Live.
Koiki also alleged the identities of the attackers to be soldiers.
“I can confirm that those who came are definitely Nigerian soldiers. There are more than 100 soldiers that came,” Koiki said.
He added, “The situation is very active as more security operatives in about seven Nigerian Army patrol vans have arrived.”
However, the spokesman said, “He (Sunday Igboho) is currently safe.”
Our correspondent gathered that cars and walls of the house were riddled with bullets during the invasion.
Some of the occupants of the house were said to have been whisked away by the invaders who were claimed to have dresses in military camouflage.
The Police Public Relations Officer in Oyo State, Adewale Osifeso, when contacted, said he also heard about the invasion but he would find out to know what happened.
