Oduduwa News

Chief Sunday Igboho has reacted to recent invasion of his house by men of Department of State Security Service DSS. This was contained in a statement released today through his Spokesman, Olayomi Koiki and sent to ODUDUWA NEWS as read in part:

“The invasion of my home by Nigerian security operatives and the Department of State Security’s (DSS) announcement that am wanted has made it essential for me to set the records straight for Nigerians and the international community.

“Nigerian security operatives invaded my residence in the early hours of Wednesday, 1 July, 2021. The invasion was done without a search warrant. I was not invited for questioning/investigation at any government facility before the invasion. The operatives that stormed my residence destroyed my properties, killed persons and stole valuables and money. Pictures and videos of their atrocities have been widely reported in the media.

“Nigerians and the world at large are aware of my resistance to the incessant killings, raping and kidnapping of my people in Southwest Nigeria by armed Fulani herdsmen. The failure of President Muhammadu Buhari and his government to curb the criminal activities of the murderous herdsmen necessitated my intervention. I ordinarily would not have intervened if government had lived up to its responsibility of securing the Southwest and Nigeria at large from the criminal activities of the President’s ethnic men.

“Of public knowledge, my intervention has not let to any loss of live or bloodshed. My means of curbing criminality is to the chase the criminal Fulani herdsmen out of their hideouts in company of the people of the affected communities. It is because of the foreseen government persecution that videos of such interventions were transmitted live on social media. Nigerians, the security operatives, and the presidency are aware that I have never moved against the peaceful Fulani’s and other tribes living peacefully in the Southwest. My unjust persecution — for defending my people and community — is therefore surprising and unwarranted.

“After several unsuccessful attempts to link me to any crime, the Buhari regime desperately opt to forcefully silence me, so that the criminal herdsmen, who enjoys government’s sympathy, protection and immunity, can easily outrun the Southwest. The presidency’s serial antics and desperation to acquire people’s ancestral lands across Nigeria for foreign Fulani herdsmen because they share ethnicity and occupation with the President is well known to Nigerians and the international community. I am being seen as a threat to the Fulanization agenda in the Southwest, hence the desperation to soil my name.

“Nigerians and the international community should please be aware that the security operatives that invaded my home either planted the ammunitions being paraded in the media in my home or harvest them from their armoury to frame me. The arms paraded are not mine, they are government magic. I protect myself with traditional powers, not with guns.

“Federal government framed me up and the sequence of events brings the truth bare. Why would the security agents invade my home at night and destroy my surveillance cameras before carrying out their operation if not that they had an ulterior motive? In this modern age of technological advancement, why did the security operatives not put on body cameras to record their activities from the point of entry to their time of exit? Their action is a testament that the Buhari regime is incurable of using desperate approach to silence peaceful social interventions.

“The unwarranted military invasion of Lekki, gruesome killing of peaceful EndSARS protesters, and evacuation of their bodies on 20 October 2020 is still fresh in the mind of Nigerians. A similar approach was adopted during the invasion of my home. The security operatives killed scores and took away their bodies. Buhari’s regime would have declared that ‘unknown gunmen’ invaded my home if they had succeeded in killing me. Nigerians and the international community should beware that desperate efforts are being made to force those arrested to make implicating confession statement. I advise the DSS to desist from their unprofessional acts and devote such energy to eradicating insecurity.

“Nigerians and the international community should please note that I am a law-abiding citizen without blemish. I advise President Buhari to, in the interest of Nigerians that voted him to power, order his henchmen to desist from using falsehood and unholy tactics to soil my name. Such energy should be devoted to taming the herdsmen and bandits freely committing heinous crimes across Nigeria with impunity because their kinsman is in power.

“Yoruba people would not be demanding for a nation if government had lived up to its responsibilities. Self-determination is not a crime and all effort to silence us and acquire our ancestral land for local and foreign criminal herdsmen will fail. Many Ken Saro-Wiwa arose after Nigerian government unjustly executed the non-violent activist. Those that emerged after him confronted government and almost brought Nigeria to its knees. I am another Saro-Wiwa. Therefore, I advise President Buhari to learn from the mistake of past governments. I am not Nigeria’s problem and should not be framed up or intimidated for contributing my quota to ensure peace reigns in my region and country”.

Olayomi Koiki, media aide to Yoruba freedom fighter, Sunday Adeyemo,, aka Sunday Igboho has insisted that the Lagos Mega rally slated for Saturday will hold as planned.

This is despite the cancellation of the same rally by Sunday Igboho after the attack on his house by men of the Department of State Services.

On Friday, barely a day after the attack on Igboho’s house which resulted in the death of two people, Koiki posted an update stating that the rally would go ahead as planned.

He urged Yoruba people to partake in the rally and support the agitation for self-determination.

He wrote on Facebook, “Count Down tomorrow Rally goes ahead as planned. 3rd July 2021. Venue: Ojota. Time: 7 am. Come out in numbers to support the freedom of Yoruba Self Determination.

Yoruba Nation No going back.

“Let’s save our future generations from Nigeria.”

Yoruba Nation agitators had planned a mega rally in Lagos state being the only South-West state yet to witness such.

Despite warnings, security threats and advice against the rally, Igboho had insisted the rally would hold and had called on the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu to mobilise officers for the event and ensure the protection of the agitators.

However, following the attack on his house in Ibadan, Igboho, who spoke to BBC News Pidgin, on Thursday stated that the rally in Lagos has been suspended.

Igboho noted that the attackers were unknown men in military uniform who came into his house at Soka area in the wee hours of Thursday.

He said, “I was at home and around 1:30 am, I heard gunshots in front of my house and they said they are from the DSS (Department of State Services) and that they are soldiers. Sunday Igboho, come out!

“I peeped through my window, I saw them and truly they were dressed in DSS and Nigerian army uniform. I was surprised and wondered what the problem was because I haven’t killed anybody.”

Igboho added that the attack came as a surprise to him because his activism is for the safety of his people and has not been violent.

“What I am simply doing is to fight for my people, my rallies have always been peaceful, I am fighting for my family because Fulani bandits killed my family, raped them and government refused to do the right thing for my family, that is why I have come out to fight for them so I am surprised.

“They killed two people during the shooting, destroyed my property, my vehicles,” he said.

DSS later confirmed on Thursday that it was responsible for invading Igboho’s house and killing two people there.

The Lagos House of Assembly on Thursday debated two bills proposing the establishment of two tertiary institutions – a University of Education and a University of Science and Technology – in the state.

The bills, which scaled second reading on the floor of the House presided over by the Speaker, Rt. Hon. (Dr) Mudashiru Obasa, were committed to the House Committee on Education (Tertiary) to report back in two weeks.

Hon. Bisi Yusuff (Alimosho 1) argued that the bill for a law to provide for the establishment of the university of Education, Lagos (UNEDLAG) was important as he suggested that it should also have provision for pre-degree programmes.

Yusuff also noted a provision in the bill that would make graduates be somewhat independent rather than search for jobs.

“The inclusion of vocational training will also make the students to be self-employed,” he said.

On his part, Hon. Sani Okanlawon, said it had become important for the Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education and the Michael Otedola College of Education to be upgraded to a university.

“The society now rejects NCE and what is the benefit of going to a school that your certificate will not be recognised?

“Admission into this school is the lowest as only 18 applicants chose (ACCOED) as first choice in the last Universal Tertiary Matriculations Examinations (UTME).

“With the creation of this varsity, it will reduce the number of applicants seeking admission to LASU,” he said.

Also contributing, Hon. Gbolahan Yishawu (Eti-Osa 2), who agreed with his colleagues on the need to upgrade the two colleges of education in the state to a university, said the NCE is no longer popular.

According to him, the establishment of the university is timely, but “there is need to have a template to form the institution in order to avoid overlap.”

Hon. David Setonji, chairman of the House committee on Information, supported the bill and added that the state had a high number of primary and secondary schools with less teachers and that the university would help resolve the challenge.

The Leader of the House, Hon. Sanai Agunbiade (Ikorodu 1), who said he was excited about the planned upgrade, told his colleagues that he is a product of ACCOED and that he taught for five years with the certificate he got from the institution.

“The creation of a new varsity is a good thing. This bill takes care of the welfare of both lecturers and students,” he added.

Speaking about the bill, Hon. Abiodun Tobun (Epe 2) said he was optimistic the proposed University of Education would produce good teachers if passed into law.

Concerning the proposed University of Science and Technology, the lawmakers expressed optimism that it would help provide manpower for the development of the state and the country.

In his contributions, Hon. Rauf Age-Sulaimon (Amuwo Odofin 2) suggested that courses in the humanities and legal studies should not be included in the institution’s curriculum as a University of Science and Technology.

While Hon. Femi Saheed (Kosofe 2) said science and technology play vital roles in development, Hon. Bisi Yusuff urged that the studies to be offered should take into cognisance the culture of the people.

Yusuff also advised that the university should be made to go into researches on agriculture to reduce the high cost of food in the state and the country..

However, reacting to the arrest order on Saturday, former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, FFK, warned President Muhammadu Buhari not to arrest or kill Igboho.

He gave the warning in a lengthy piece via his Twitter handle.

Part of FFK’s tweet read: “It would be dangerous, reckless and counter-productive for Buhari to arrest or kill Sunday Igboho.

“When the Northern youths demanded that Igbo should leave the North, no one was arrested. Why should Sunday be arrested or killed for asking killer-Fulani herdsmen to leave South-West?

“I advise the FG(Federal Government) to tread softly because Sunday has the full support of the Yoruba nation because he has spoken for the people.

“Kill him and you make him a martyr for Oduduwa, arrest him and you make him the greatest hero of the Yoruba since independence. Whichever way, he wins.”