Our Correspondent
Yoruba nation activist, Chief Sunday Adeyemo, alias Sunday Igboho has called for an indepth probe into the invasion of his home by a combined team of security operatives led by the Department of State Services (DSS).
This is contained in a statement by his lawyer, Chief Yomi Aliu SAN, on Saturday.
According to a statement released by DSS, a combined team of Nigerian security forces raided the house of Igboho on Thursday July 1, shot two people dead, arrested 13 persons, and destroyed valuable properties including the building, cars and other valuable properties.
Chief Aliyu said he believed that the conduct of the security officer that carried out the operation was illegal, unconstitutional, and against every known national and international law, including the Universal Declaration of Human and Peoples Rights. He therefore calls on the federal government, apart from paying compensation, to desist from hunting his client.
Below is the press statement issued by Chief Aliyu:
illegal and grossly unconstitutional invasion of Sunday Igboho residence
We are Counsel to Chief Sunday Adeyemo otherwise known as Sunday Igboho Oosa, and we have his standing instructions to defend and act as counsel in all situations we deem appropriate especially where his fundamental rights as a Citizen of Nigeria is violated or threatened as done on Thursday 1st July, 2021.
2. Every Nigerian, albeit the whole world, is aware that in his open crusade for the establishment of Oodua Republic our client has always preached peace and warned his followers never to have recourse to violence saying that “it is God and alale” that will fight for Yoruba Nation. We can boldly say that as people who followed his campaign, but not necessarily supporting dismemberment of Nigeria, that no casualty has ever occurred wherever such rallies were carried out. This must have been done in more than 20 Yoruba towns and cities as at date.
3. To now invade the residence of such a peace loving crusader is tantamount to calling a dog a bad name to hang it. It must be reiterated, and with emphasis, that it is the right of a group of homogeneous and/or indigenous people in a Federation to ask for self determination in accordance with the rules of international law and UNO Charter. Our Constitution also permits freedom of association and, by necessary implications, freedom to dissociate.
4. We were reliably informed that DSS and other security forces invaded the residence of our Client in the wee hours of the day ( between 1.00hr and 4.30hrs). There is nowhere in the civilised world that a citizen who had no prior invitation by security agent or resisting arrest will be so invaded with his rights to dignity of human persons, ownership of property and sanctity of life trampled upon during the invasion.
S. 12 of Administration of Criminal Justice Act enjoins the police and/or any security operatives to first make a demand to enter a place where a suspect is and if their demand was not granted to break open the “outer or inner door of any house or place.” No demand to enter was made but rather they shot their way into the house allegedly killing seven (7) people though DSS spokesman admitted killing two people which involved an old imam that used to lead Muslim occupants in prayers and observing TAHJUD at the time of the barbaric raid. A lady among the invaders was allegedly shouting, “if you get him gun him down.” There and then our client knew that the mission was to get rid of him and NOT to arrest him. This belief becomes more realistic in view of the fact that the CCTV recorder was off and taken away so that the carnage will not be shown to members of the public. Our client then knew that he was to be taking dead or alive as allegedly stated by the lady among the raiders
5. It should be stated that without any resistance or shooting at the security operatives they started shooting from the gate and ensured that the building was totally made uninhabitable. Also, all the expensive vehicles in our clients house were shot at and destroyed.
6. The rampaging operatives were disappointed that they could allegedly not find a single gun or ammunition in our client’s house hence their arresting two (2) police escorts of Mr Sunday Igboho’s guests and added their guns to those harvested from their armoury with a view to making members of the public to believe that our client keeps militia or as stated by them, he is about waging war on Nigeria. Will this be with his mere amulets? People who know our client of over 20 years will testify that Igboho Oosa does not carry guns on his person!
7. It is elementary law that whenever a search warrant is executed on a house the house owner must first search the persons sent to execute the same and also sign the inventory of what was recovered in executing the warrant! This explains why the DSS invaded the house in the night, shooting everything at sight, killing and maiming the occupants to plant their illegal guns on our client.
We have also been reliably informed that those arrested were being tortured to incriminate our client that guns and ammunition were recovered from his house. Sunday Igboho knew that he would be arrested one day hence retaining our services. He could not be that daft to keep incriminating articles in his house! Our client’s house is a 5 bedroom duplex with 5 chalets of 2 and 3 bedrooms. These were totally damaged with operatives allegedly arguing on whether to burn down the edifice as done to his former palatial house. The lady officer allegedly put her foot down against arson.
8. One thousand euro, two million naira, expensive jewellery worth millions, travel documents, amulets, iPhone 12 belonging to him, phones of about 15 others living in the house including those killed by the raiders and other belongings yet to be identified belonging to his wives were carted away. The only guns were those of the police escorts of his guests!
9. More importantly, the DSS and other operatives that raided the house said they came to arrest Sunday Igboho but ended up arresting innocent people in lieu of him. Apart from being a serious violation of these peoples’ peoples constitutional rights it is an assault on s. 7 of ACJA and decisions of our Courts in that regard.
10.We hereby demand that the Federal Government orders an investigation into the actions of the various security operatives led by DSS that raided Chief Sunday Adeyemo’s house with a view to sanctioning them and release all the innocent people arrested and compensate the families of those murdered. Our client should also be paid N500million as reparation for damage to his exotic cars that include Mercedes Benz G-Class and 2019 Lexus Car. We also demand a public apology.
11. Most importantly, trampling of our client’s fundamental rights including tagging him as a criminal by exhibiting DSS guns as his should stop forthwith. In any case as admirers of this government and one Nigeria we personally implore all the Governors of Southwest States that know the yearnings of their people and Igboho’s large followership to wade in before it becomes hydra-headed security problems in all their domains.
