DSS bars journalists from covering trial of Igboho supporters

DSS bars journalists from covering trial of Igboho supporters

The DSS had failed to produce the suspects in court twice.

Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) finally shepherded some supporters of Sunday Igboho to a courtroom, following repeated warnings by the Judge.

The supporters were arrested during a raid of Igboho’s home on July 1, 2021. The DSS said it uncovered weapons inside the house during the raid.

However, journalists were barred from covering proceedings as the supporters filed into the courtroom on Monday.

The supporters had been moved from Oyo to Abuja following the raid.

Through their lawyer, Pelumi Olajemgbesi, the suspects had filed an application asking the court to “inquire into the circumstances constituting grounds of their arrest and detention since July 2, 2021, and where it deems fit admit applicants on bail.”

The Judge, Obiora Egwatu, had ruled that there was merit in the application and ordered the DSS to produce the applicants in court on July 29.

However, the DSS failed to produce the applicants in court on the date fixed.

On July 29, the judge restated his earlier order and adjourned the case for August 2.

However, only eight of the 12 suspects were brought to court on Monday, August 2.

Speaking to journalists immediately after the court session, Olajemgbese said the court has granted them leave to amend their processes.

“We discovered that there are some errors in our document which we need to correct.

“DSS did not come to court with all the 12 people arrested in Igboho’s house. They came here with just eight of them. Even when we visited the DSS facility, we were only allowed to see four of them,” Olajemgbese said.

14 Yoruba monarchs to DSS: Release Igboho’s aides now

14 Yoruba monarchs to DSS: Release Igboho’s aides now

14 YORUBA MONARCHS TO DSS: RELEASE IGBOHO’S AIDES NOW

Yoruba traditional rulers from Oyo, Osun, Ondo, Kwara and Kogi states, on Sunday, demanded the immediate release of 13 aides of the Yoruba freedom fighter, Chief Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, who were arrested by the Department of State Service, DSS, during a recent raid on his Ibadan residence.

The monarchs, under the banner of the Forum of Yoruba Obas, also demanded adequate compensation for the families of two aides who were shot dead by the DSS during the midnight invasion of Igboho’s house, located at Soka, Ibadan in Oyo.

In a statement titled: ‘The Position of The Yoruba Obas on the Invasion of Sunday Adeyemo’s House by the DSS and State of The Nation’, the monarchs described the invasion as illegal and a gross violation of the fundamental human rights of Igboho, his aides and the deceased.

The statement was signed by its president Oba Samuel Adeoye, who is the Molokun of Atijere kingdom in Ondo State and secretary, Olukotun of Ikotun Ile, Oba Abdurasaq Abioye in Kwara.

It reads: “We strongly condemn in its entirety the invasion and the gruesome murder of the people at Sunday Igboho’s house on the 1st July, 2021.

MenuHOMELATEST NEWSSPORTSENTERTAINMENTVIDEOSRELATIONSHIPSPOLITICSFORUM POSTED INMETRO14 Yoruba monarchs to DSS: Release Igboho’s aides nowJuly 11, 2021Olubadan, Igboho’s arrestSunday IgbohoBy Dapo AkinrefonYoruba traditional rulers from Oyo, Osun, Ondo, Kwara and Kogi states, on Sunday, demanded the immediate release of 13 aides of the Yoruba freedom fighter, Chief Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, who were arrested by the Department of State Service, DSS, during a recent raid on his Ibadan residence.The monarchs, under the banner of the Forum of Yoruba Obas, also demanded adequate compensation for the families of two aides who were shot dead by the DSS during the midnight invasion of Igboho’s house, located at Soka, Ibadan in Oyo.In a statement titled: ‘The Position of The Yoruba Obas on the Invasion of Sunday Adeyemo’s House by the DSS and State of The Nation’, the monarchs described the invasion as illegal and a gross violation of the fundamental human rights of Igboho, his aides and the deceased.The statement was signed by its president Oba Samuel Adeoye, who is the Molokun of Atijere kingdom in Ondo State and secretary, Olukotun of Ikotun Ile, Oba Abdurasaq Abioye in Kwara.It reads: “We strongly condemn in its entirety the invasion and the gruesome murder of the people at Sunday Igboho’s house on the 1st July, 2021.ALSO READ: Police confirm abduction of Provost, school teacher in Zamfara By Clever Advertising“As traditional rulers we cannot bury our heads in the sand like the ostrich on a very sensitive issue like this which if not well managed could further polarise the oneness and unity of Nigeria, considering the recent calls by prominent people in and outside the shores of Nigeria for the disintegration of Nigeria as one indissoluble and indivisible entity.

“We believe that the killing by the officers of the DSS is unwarranted and unjustifiable, a violent breach of the fundamental right of those who were killed by the overzealous officers at Sunday Adeyemo’s house his residence.

“We, hereby, call for the immediate release of those arrested at his residence. We demand that there must be adequate compensation for the family of those people who were murdered during the operation. We equally in the same vein call on President Muhammadu Buhari to cause a discrete and holistic investigation on this volatile issue.

Protest Hits Ibadan Over DSS Raid On Sunday Igboho’s House

Protest Hits Ibadan Over DSS Raid On Sunday Igboho’s House

PROTEST HITS IBADAN OVER DSS RAID ON SUNDAY IGBOHO’S HOUSE

According to a reports, the many supporters of wanted Yoruba activist Sunday Adeyemo also known as Sunday Igboho have taken to the streets of Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, to protest last Thursday’s midnight raid by the Department of State Services on the residence of the Yoruba nation activist.

The protesters gathered in front of Igboho’s house in the Sooka area of Ibadan from where they took to the streets around 12 noon on Wednesday.

They were heard chanting “No retreat, no surrender!”, “Oodua Nation!”, “Sunday Igboho is not a criminal!” amongst other phrases. They also carried placards displaying similar phrases. A leader of the protesting youths, whose name was unknown as of the time of filing this report, addressed the gathering before they took off.

He said they would march to the palace of the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Saliu Adetunji; and from there proceed to the Government House, amongst other places.

“It is a peaceful demonstration; we are marching there to demand the release of the detained persons. We are not afraid of teargas, we are marching to demand the rights of our people.“We want them to bring the killers of Adogan and Alfa to book. “The government must pay the N500m damages as requested by Igboho’s lawyer for the destruction of his house and property during the invasion. “We want the Obas to make this happen within seven days,” he said.

We had earlier reported that the DSS invaded the residence of Igboho in a Gestapo style around 1 am on Thursday. Though Igboho had escaped the raid, his house and cars were riddled with bullets while bloodstains splattered over the floors of the house. The DSS also said it killed two of his associates in a gun duel. Thirteen of Igboho’s guards and close associates were later paraded in Abuja on Thursday evening.

The secret police had since declared Igboho wanted. The activist is being accused of stockpiling weapons to allegedly destabilise the country under the guise of agitation for Yoruba nation but he has since denied the allegation, saying he protects himself with charms and not weapons.

Presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu, on Tuesday, lauded the raid. He said Igboho is a militant who conducts acts of terror, adding that the regime won’t condone any act by secessionists.

However, the DSS raid had been condemned by many Nigerians including human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, who described it as a “nocturnal coup”, arguing that no law in Nigeria allows security agents to arrest anyone in the dead of the night.

Sunday Igboho reacts to DSS allegations, says he protects himself with traditional powers not guns

Sunday Igboho reacts to DSS allegations, says he protects himself with traditional powers not guns

Sunday Igboho reacts to DSS allegations, says he protects himself with traditional powers not guns

Igboho says his means of curbing criminality is to chase the criminal Fulani herdsmen out of their hideouts in the company of the people of the affected communities.

The Yoruba political enforcer, Sunday Adeyemo better known as Sunday Igboho, has reacted to the allegations leveled against him by the Department of State Services (DSS).

The DSS operatives after raiding Igboho’s residence on Thursday, July 1, 2021, said they recovered seven AK-47 rifles and a trove of ammunition in his house.But in a statement on Friday, Igboho said the guns found in his house were ‘government magic’, saying he only protects himself with traditional powers.

The secessionist agitator who has now been declared wanted by the police said the DSS did not send any prior invitation to him before invading his house.

In the statement titled ‘My Persecution By Buhari Regime: Setting The Record Straight’ and issued by his aide, Olayomi Koiki, Igboho said the invasion of his house was an attempt by the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari to silence him.

He said his involvement in the Yoruba Nation agitation was necessitated by the failure of the administration of President Buhari to address and curb the incessant killings, raping and kidnapping of his people in the Southwest region.

The statement reads, “The invasion of my home by Nigerian security operatives and the Department of State Services’ (DSS) announcement that I’m 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 Thursday, 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 the 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 led to any loss of life or bloodshed. My means of curbing criminality is to chase the criminal Fulani herdsmen out of their hideouts in the 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 Fulanis 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 enjoy 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 Fulanisation 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 to 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 the 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 statements. 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 the government had lived up to its responsibilities. Self-determination is not a crime and all efforts to silence us and acquire our ancestral land for local and foreign criminal herdsmen will fail.