AKINWALE ABOLUWADE, IBADAN
The Department of State Service, Abuja has confirmed the early Thursday morning raid on the Soka, Ibadan home of Chief Sunday Adeyemo, a.k.a Sunday Igboho, saying that incriminating items that were recovered from his residence suggest that he is an enemy of the Nigerian state.
The DSS, in a statement signed by Peter Afunanya, its Public Relations Officer, National Headquarters
Abuja, titled, ‘DSS on a joint security operation on 1st July, 2021 at Ibadan, Oyo State,’ urged Igboho to surrender himself to the state, stressing that he could not evade arrest for too long.
Listing the number of arrests made, and arms and ammunition, alongside other materials that were recovered from his house during the raid, the statement read in parts, “In the early hours of today (Thursday), 1st July, 2021, at about 1:34 am), joint team of security operatives raided the residence of Sunday Adeyemo, a.k.a. Sunday Igboho at Soka, Ibadan, Oyo State.
“This was based on intelligence that he had stockpiled arms in the place. On approach to the residence, the team came under heavy gun attack by nine men, suspected to be Igboho’s guards. Six of them were armed with AK-47 gun, and three others, with Pump-Action riffles.
“In the course of the exchange, two 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.
“Afterwards, the team procedurally searched the house and subsequently recovered the following among others: Seven AK-47 assault rifles; three Pump Action guns; 30 fully charged AK-47 magazines; 5,000 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition; five cutlasses, one Jack knife, one Pen knife, two Pistol holsters, one binoculars and a wallet containing five US Dollars in one Dollar denomination.”
Others are “local and international driver’s licences in his name, ATM cards, a German residence permit Number, YO2N6K1NY, bearing his name; two whistles; fifty cartridges, 18 Walkie-Talkies; three Voodoo charm jackets/traditional body armour; two laptops (One Toshiba and one Compaq); and his international passport and those of many others.
“Further exploitation and forensic analysis are ongoing. Aside the items recovered from the building, about 13 suspects, including 12 males and one female were arrested and brought to Abuja. While one suspect is being profiled, the other 12 paraded are Abdulateef Ofeyagbe, Amoda Babatunde a.k.a Lady K (female); Tajudeen Erinoyen, Diakola Ademola, Abideen Shittu, Jamiu Noah, Ayobami Donald, Adelabe Usman, Oluwafelumi Kunle, Raji Kazeem, Taiwo Opeyemi and Bamidele Sunday.
“Highlights of this brief 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 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.
“Apprise stakeholders that the five 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.
“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.”
Indicating that those arrested would be charged accordingly, the statement advised Igboho to turn himself in to the nearest security agency. It read that “Those cheering and eulogizing 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.”
