No fewer than 20 suspects have been arrested and guns, charms, and others were recovered after some Yoruba Nation agitators invaded the Oyo State government secretariat in Ibadan, Southwest Nigeria.
The Yoruba nation group allegedly invaded the complex located in the vicinity of the government secretariat in an attempt to take it over on Saturday, April 13, 2024.
The suspects, wearing military camouflage and armed with weapons including cutlasses, pump action rifles, cartridges, assorted charms, and an Oodua Nation agitation flag, were overpowered and suppressed by the police.
The Yoruba Nation agitators are individuals advocating for the creation of an independent Yoruba nation, separate from Nigeria. The movement has garnered support from various quarters, including the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), a similar separatist group in the Eastern part of the country.
Sunday Adeyemo (Sunday Igboho) is a prominent figure in the Yoruba Nation movement, known for his vocal advocacy.
In a statement issued in Ibadan, Oyo State, Police spokesman SP Adewale Osifeso confirmed the arrest of 20 suspects.
Among the items seized from them were 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, seven belts, 11 Oodua Nation camouflage uniforms, one unregistered bus, and three motorcycles.
Osifeso emphasized that the police, in collaboration with sister security agencies, successfully thwarted the attempt by the agitators to forcefully take over the secretariat.
He described the suspects’ actions as criminal, unpatriotic, and a clear case of treasonable felony and terrorism. Osifeso assured that appropriate punishment would be meted out to those found culpable, and the police would continue to protect law-abiding citizens.
Commissioner of Police in Oyo State, Mr. Adebola Hamzat, has ordered an investigation and an enlargement of the dragnet to arrest others connected with the incident.
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