By KEMI KASUMU, Lagos and LAI MAHMOUD, Ibadan.
They, however, urged the DSS and other security authorities in the country to continue ensuring security and peace since, according to one of them, “it is our constitutional responsibility to work with security agencies to ensure security and peace. If we continue to stand aloof while criticising government and its security agencies only for us to see evils bedeviling the society and fail to report or speak against them, what manner of Nigerians are we, therefore, and what is our justification to complain?”
Instead for the Yoruba tribalist fighter – Sunday Igboho – whose 13 armed followers have been arrested during a raid of his Soka, Ibadan, Oyo State home to be the brave warrior he claims and surrender himself to the authorities, updates gathered by a joint monitor/investigations engaged in by The DEFENDER and Citi Hill News, two online newspapers in Nigeria, has it that he is now using some social media channels to twist available information against what the Department of State Services (DSS) presented to the public against him.
It will be recalled that the DSS had on Thursday revealed the truth of what the violent secessionist agent presented to Nigerians as ‘unknown gunmen attacks on his home’.
In carrying out a joint operation based on intelligence that he was stockpiling arms to cause chaos within the south West region, the Service said it – in line with its constitutional duty – raided the home of Sunday Adeyemo a.k.a. Sunday Igboho but was met with resistance by his armed guards, who opened fire on the combined security operatives as a result of which two of the armed secessionist guards were killed and 13 including one woman arrested.
The DSS was consistent in its press conference address by Public Relations Officer (PRO), Dr. Peter Afunanya, when it said that armed men believed to be working as guards of Sunday Igboho that Thursday morning engaged a team of joint security operatives on the duty in a gun battle, during the early morning raid.
It said: “On approach to his residence, the team came under heavy gun attack by nine men suspected to be Igboho’s guards. Six were armed with AK-47 guns and three others with pump-action rifles.
“In the course of the exchange, two of the armed men were gunned down, while the rest were subdued and arrested. Only one operative, who was shot by the assailants in his right hand, sustained injury. He has, however, received medical attention and is very stable.
“The gun duel, which lasted an hour, offered Igboho the chance to escape. Sunday Adeyemo, aka Sunday Igboho, is now on the run,” Dr. Afunanya said.
While noting that two of Igboho’s men were killed, the secret service – in the presence of the paraded 13 Igboho’s armed followers, said DSS operative sustained injuries.
The highlights of the media brief, the DSS Spokesman said, were to, among other things, “i. 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.
“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,” he said.
According to the DSS Spokesman, “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.”
He said: “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,” DSS Spokesman said.
Igboho was also said to have escaped during the gun battle and is currently on the run, with security operatives calling on him to turn himself in or be tracked down.
The 13 suspected armed agitators that were arrested consist of 12 males and 1 female. A large cache of arms and ammunition was also recovered by the operatives.
In a joint monitoring and investigations, The DEFENDER and Citi Hill News, both online newspapers in Nigeria, gathered on Saturday that Sunday Igboho – through some premeditatedly programmed ‘social media’ posts carefully backdated and timed – has engaged some influencers to confuse the public with purported information that the photographs presented by the DSS of a cache of weapons found in his house were untrue.
What those engaged to do this anti-State job failed to achieve, it was observed, is to tell their targeted audience where Igboho’s denial of the guns link with admittance that the weapons displayed against him was actually in 2013.
The joint media assignment however found out that Igboho, at the admitted period, was still a popular thug like he still is of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and there was no particular reason for him to stockpile weapons for cross-regional chaos as he was only working for some particular Oyo State politicians at the time.
In the meantime, a source that spoke to the media team on condition of anonymity said: “The proper thing for Sunday Igboho and his fellow sojourners to do is to come out and prove their case and not go into hiding.
“Now that he himself is on the run, why not come and prove the items were displayed in 2013 and set himself free?” He said.
Although there are some Yoruba persons like in Afenifere, who did not see any wrong in criminal activities once their tribesmen are involved, some other Yoruba people have solidly vowed to stand with the Nigerian side in the battle that Sunday Igboho and co-travelers have initiated.
They however urged the DSS and other security authorities in the country to continue to ensure security and peace since, according to one of them, “it is our constitutional responsibility to work with security agencies to ensure security and peace. If we continue to stand aloof while criticising government and its security agencies only for us to see evils bedeviling the society and fail to report or speak against them, what manner of Nigerians are we therefore and what is our justification to complain?”
See the Sunday Igboho and co’s twisted information as posted below:
