AKINWALE ABOLUWADE, IBADAN
The acting National Leader of the pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, has described the attack on the Ibadan residence of Chief Sunday Adeyemo, a.k.a Igboho, on Thursday, as a return to the dark era of the late maximum ruler, General Sani Abacha.
The Afenifere leader, in a statement by the spokesman of the organisation, Jare Ajayi, added that the attack, during which some people were reportedly killed with an undisclosed amount of money carted away, was an indicator of a dark cloud descending on the nation.
Report had it that some armed men, believed to be soldiers and men of the Directorate of State Security, attacked the Soka, Ibadan home of Igboho in about 15 vehicles with army identity and DSS uniforms, allegedly leading to the death of some people with unspecified number of others abducted by the invaders.
The attack came less than 72 hours to the planned Lagos rally aimed at canvassing for the emergence of the Yoruba nation this week Saturday.
Noting that the manner of attack by the invaders indicated culpability on the part of those in authority, Adebanjo said in a statement, “The news of fatal attack on the residence of Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, in the early hours of Thursday, July 1, 2021, is a sad indicator that we are fast returning to the era of late Sani Abacha when anyone who expressed opinions contrary to government’s position would be fatally attacked.
“We are forced into this deduction for a number of reasons. First, eye witness accounts indicated that vehicles and uniforms of the attackers were that of the security agencies. Secondly, the failure of security agencies to confront the attackers further implicated the government. It was reported that the attack lasted for more than three hours.
“Igboho’s residence is in a highly populated area within minutes’ reach to surrounding police stations. That no rescue team came from any of the police units, including the DSS office in Ibadan for the several hours that the attack lasted, makes it difficult not to believe that the government is complicit in the attack.”
It expressed regrets by the Afenifere describing the incident as a sad reminder of what Nigerians went through under the regime of the late General Sani Abacha.
“We recall with sadness how voices that were opposed to the dictatorial tendencies of Abacha regime were under serious attacks. We recalled how patriots like General Alani Akinrinade, Pa Abraham Adesanya and Pa Alfred Rewane, among others, were attacked, resulting in the untimely and gruesome murder of Pa Rewane.
“We recall how armed men of Customs Service, in the wee hours of the night, invaded Bodija Market in Ibadan to bugle the shops of traders in that market. Because the government officials that did it were not checked, they had the audacity to repeat the same action at Ojaaba Market, also in Ibadan about two weeks later.
“The fact that perpetrators of these acts were not arrested, let alone tried in the court of law convinces us that they were state sponsored. What is wrong in canvassing for self-determination, so long as such agitation is devoid of violence? The constitution the country is running guarantees the right of every Nigerian to express opinion and even carry out rallies as long as such are done without violence.
“To the best of our knowledge, none of the rallies that Sunday Igboho had led in his campaign for a Yoruba nation could be said to be violent nor was he implicated in illegal activities. Why then should he be subjected to the kind of treatment his household received on Thursday morning?
“When did it become the norm to go and bombard the house of a suspect in the dastardly manner that armed forces attacked Igboho’s house early this morning?Not only that, we insist that government must immediately apprehend the attackers and make them to face the full wrath of the law.
“Government should also stop any plan to harm Igboho or any other person not known to contravene the law of the land.”
