*Police Arrest 20 Suspected Attackers

*Group Tasks Security Agencies On Intelligence Gathering

LEADING Yoruba Nation agitators, Prof. Banji Akintoye and Chief Sunday Adeyemo (Igboho) have condemned the invasion of the Oyo State Secretariat and House of Assembly Complex in Ibadan, on Saturday, April 13, by persons suspected to be members of the group, in an attempt to take it over.

Recall that on Saturday, security agents arrested 16 gunmen, dressed in military camouflage, who engaged security officers in a gun duel until they were subdued and some of them took to their heels and were pursued into nearby bushes and forests.

The attackers also reportedly removed the Nigerian national flag in the secretariat and replaced it with their Oodua nation flag before the intervention of the security officials.

In his reaction, through his media aide, Olayemi Koiki, Igboho said he was not aware of the group or their motive for the action, adding: “I know nothing about it and I don’t know those behind it.

“If we want to organise a rally or any Yoruba nation activity, we usually make an announcement beforehand.

    “Any person that said he is agitating for Yoruba nation and is going to attack government facilities, that person or group is on his own. I don’t know anything about it.”

Similarly,a former leader of Ilana Omo Oodua, Akintoye, said: “I have spoken to Sunday Igboho. Some people sent them to make sure that they disrupt the Yoruba self-determination struggle.

“We in this struggle don’t act in that manner.”

     In its reaction to the attack, the Nigerian Army called on the public to remain calm and to report any suspicious activity to security agencies.

The Army, in a statement, by its spokesman, Brig-Gen Onyema Nwachukwu, said: “This is to notify the general public that sequel to the report of an attack on the State Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan, Oyo State, troops promptly responded to the incident and had contact with adherents of the Yoruba Nation, dressed in foreign military camouflage, with berets and armed with dangerous weapons, in buses and motorbikes.

“Upon encountering own troops, the Yoruba Nation adherents engaged the troops in a shootout. Troops, utilising superior firepower, successfully subdued the attackers, who subsequently retreated in disarray.

   “As a result of this engagement, nine members of the irredentist group were apprehended, while one semi-automatic pump action rifle and ammunition were recovered.

“Currently, troops are on the track of the fleeing adherents and the situation is under control. We assure the public that all necessary measures are being taken to ensure the safety and security of the general area.

   “We urge the public to remain calm and vigilant, and to report any suspicious activity to the appropriate security agencies. The safety and security of the citizenry remain a priority, as we will continue to work tirelessly to maintain peace and order in the region.”

   Similarly, the Oyo State Police Command said it has arrested 20 suspected Yoruba Nation agitators over the attack.

Spokesman of the Command, Adewale Osifeso, who confirmed the arrests in a statement in Ibadan, said the suspects had in their possession three pump action guns, 29 life cartridges, two expended cartridges, 67 cutlasses, five bulletproof vests, six pairs of boots,10 public address systems, three berets with Oodua insignia crafted on them, seven belts, 11 Oodua Nation camouflage uniforms, one unregistered bus and three motorcycles.

Osifeso stated that the Police, in collaboration with sister security agencies, successfully thwarted the attempt to forcefully take over the secretariat, adding: “The suspects, who wore military camouflage, came heavily armed in an unregistered bus and had cutlasses, pump action rifles, cartridges, assorted charms and an Oodua Nation agitation flag with them.

“They were overpowered and completely suppressed by officers and men of the Police in concert with those of sister security agencies.”

He described the action of the suspects as criminal and unpatriotic and a clear case of treasonable felony and terrorism, assuring that appropriate punishment would be meted to those found culpable, while the Police would continue to protect law-abiding citizens.

The spokesman said the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Adebola Hamzat, already detailed an investigation team, led by the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) in charge of the State Criminal Investigation Department, to unravel circumstances surrounding the incident and expand the network of arresting culprits through painstaking intelligence-driven inquiry.

   At least three persons were feared dead in the encounter.

    Meanwhile, the Oyo Global Forum (OGF) has condemned the invasion of Oyo State Government Secretariat and House of Assembly Complex in Ibadan by the armed Yoruba Nation group purportedly seeking the secession of the Yoruba from Nigeria.

The OGF, in a statement on Sunday, April 14, co-signed by its Chairman, Taiwo Adebayo, and Public Relations Officer, Mojeed Agboola, said the style of the invasion and use of military camouflage, with badges, indicated that the perpetrators had organised the invasion without detection and preemptive actions.

It stressed the need to enhance intelligence gathering and use capabilities of our security and intelligence system, even as it commended the effective inter-agency collaboration, involving the Army, Police, Amotekun and government security advisors leading to the foiling of the attack and the arrest of the suspects.

The OGF warned against any action that could lead to the disruption of the peace and stability being enjoyed in the state.

While affirming the principle permitting freedom of expression and fundamental rights, it stressed that nobody should resort to violence in pursuit of any agenda.

The OGF then called on Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State and the security establishment “to ensure a thorough investigation that would not only lead to lawful consequences, but also help counter such violent tendencies moving forward.”