- Accuses Sunday Igboho of planning a violent insurrection against Nigeria
- Says 7 AK 47, Pump action guns, charms, international passports seized
- Declares Sunday Igboho wanted, urged him to report himself to nearest police station
The Department of State Service (DSS) has cleared the air on the attack on the home of Yoruba nation activist, Sunday Adeyemo, (known as Sunday Igboho). It said a team of joint security operatives raided the Soka, Ibadan, Oyo State home of Yoruba fighter.
DSS spokesperson Dr Peter Afunanya who disclosed this in a briefing with journalists on Thursday evening said the raid was based on intelligence that Igboho was stockpiling arms to cause unrest.
According to him, the joint operation took place around 1.34am, adding that on approaching the house, the operatives were attacked by six Igboho’s boys who engaged then in a gun duel.
He said: “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 gun and three others, with pump-action riffles.
“In the course of the exchange, two of Igboho’s men were gunned down while the rest were 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, while Igboho, he further stated, escaped during the gun battle.
He declared Igboho wanted and urged him to stop running but report himself to any police station.
Afunanya said a thorough search of the house lead to the recovery of seven AK-47 assault rifles; three pump action guns; thirty fully charged AK-47 magazines; 5,000 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition; five cutlasses, One jack knife, one Pen Knife, two Pistol holsters; and one binoculars.
Other materials recovered are; a wallet containing five US dollars in one dollar denomination; local and international driver’s licences in his name, ATM Cards, a German residence permit No. YO2N6K1NY bearing his name; two whistles; fifty cartridges; 18 Walkie-Talkies; three Voodoo charm jackets/traditional body armour; two laptops, one Toshiba and one Compaq; and his International Passport and those of many others, even as he disclosed that further exploitation and forensic analysis are ongoing.
Aside the items recovered from the building, about 13 suspects including 12 males and one female were arrested and brought to Abuja. While one suspect is being profiled, the other 12 paraded are: Abdulateef Ofeyagbe, Amoda Babatunde aka Lady K (female), Tajudeen Erinoyen, Diekola Ademola, Abideen Shittu, Jamiu Noah, Ayobami Donald, Adelabe Usman, Oluwapelumi Kunle, Raji Kazeem, Taiwo Opeyemi and Bamidele Sunday.
Afunanya said Nigerians and indeed the world are being informed that Sunday IGBOHO and his group, in the guise of campaign for self-determination, have become well-armed and determined to undermine public order. 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.
ii. 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.
iii. 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 sure 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.
