The Ibadan home invasion of Chief Sunday Adeyemo popularly called Sunday Igboho, by men of the Nigerian military force and of the Department of State Services (DSS) in the early hours of Thursday July 1, 2021 has generated debates making rounds in the news and social media.
Sunday Igboho who was said to have been christened after his home town Igboho, in Oyo State, gained social media attention in January 2021 when he gave an ultimatum to Fulani herdsmen in Ibarapa to vacate the land after the killing of Dr. Aborode and enforced same; and ever since Igboho has not failed to make rounds in the news media.
The husband of two wives and father, has been said to have laid claim as a ‘self-styled warrior’ who believe in the course of a Yoruba nation, a course which he has since, not failed to defend.
Sunday Igboho, who waded through turbulent waters of life at different stages, rose to prominence from being a road side motorcycle (okada) repairer to be one of the most trusted aides of the former Oyo state governor, Rasheed Ladoja. His role in the Modakeke/Ife crisis from 1997-1998, the communal clash that ended in year 2000, added to his curriculum vitae (CV) as a warlord. This feat among other achievements, has made him become one of respected and feared personality in the south-west region of Nigeria.
In a letter signed by Mr. Olawale Okunniyi, (national secretary, Nigeria Consultative Front), Leaders of Conscience under the auspices of the Nigeria Consultative Front, (NCFront) jointly led by former speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt Hon Ghali Na’aba and former presidential candidate, Prof Pat Utomi condemned in the strongest terms, the midnight invasion of Igboho’s residence. The group also disagreed with the unreasonable attack, murder, maiming and abduction carried out by the Nigerian military and operatives of the Department of State Services, (DSS) against defenseless and innocent citizens at the Ibadan home of the frontline Yoruba self-determination activist.
In their words, “we wish to state unequivocally that the current military attack against Sunday Adeyemo and other self-determination activists, at this delicate period of Nigeria, is wrong headed, reckless and uncalled for as experiences around the world have shown. It’s capable of foisting unwanted civilian guerilla actions against the Nigerian State given the unprovoked ruthless use of naked force and bestiality to drive unarmed citizens underground.”
Furthermore, “the NCFront again perceives the midnight gun attack of Sunday Igboho’s residence and dastardly murder of his family members as nothing but reckless abuse of power and violation of Sunday Igboho’s privacy and fundamental human rights; which should be condemned by all well-meaning Nigerians and citizens of conscience. So, this abuse of state power shall be taken up by NCFront’s National Secretariat before the International Court of Justice, (ICJ) in due course.”
Reacting to this during a PRESS BRIEFING AT THE NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE SERVICES (DSS) ABUJA, of which the Public Relations Officer of the agency, Peter Afunanya, Ph.D, signed, it was gathered that the security operatives stormed the Ibadan home of Chief Sunday Adeyemo (Igboho) in the early hours of Thursday 1st July, 2021 and raided the residence based on intelligence report that he (Igboho) had stockpiled arms in the place.
The agency was quoted saying “on approach to the residence, the team came under heavy gun attack by nine (9) men, suspected to be IGBOHO’s guards. Six (6) of them were armed with AK-47 gun and Three (3) others, with Pump-Action riffles. In the course of the exchange, two (2) 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.”
The DSS further said that highlights of the press briefing are 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 licensing 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.
Although it was confirmed by the security operatives that “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.”
However, in a similar reaction, the NCFront said, “we wish to warn General Muhammadu Buhari led Regime to immediately desist from running Nigeria as a police state having allowed the country to slip into a Criminal Enterprise at the brink of total collapse and civil war. Therefore, we demand the fair and careful handling of the matter and trial of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the IPOB Leader, especially the respect of his fundamental human rights while in the custody of the Nigerian Government.
God help this country…